home! / ai! / ollo!
Interjections
Galician speech is full of short interjections: Home, claro! (Well, of course!), Ai, que dor! (Ouch, that hurts!), Ollo co coche! (Watch out for the car!), Vaia! (Wow!).
How It Works
Home! shows agreement, surprise, insistence or a mild complaint, depending on the tone: Home, claro! (Of course!), Home, canto tempo! (Wow, it's been so long!), Pero home! (Oh, come on!). It is not limited to talking to men. The short form ho also addresses someone directly, but it never starts the sentence: Cala, ho! (Be quiet, will you!)
Ai! shows pain, fright or sorrow: Ai, que me queimei! (Ouch, I have burnt myself!), Ai, que pena! (Oh, what a shame!).
Ollo! is a warning, "watch out" or "careful": Ollo!, Ollo co can! (Watch out for the dog!), Ollo co que dis! (Careful what you say!). The danger follows con, which joins the article: co, coa. See con with the article.
Vaia! shows surprise, disappointment or irony: Vaia!, non contaba con iso (Well, I was not expecting that). Before a noun it means "what a...!": Vaia sorte! (What luck!).
Veña! urges someone on: Veña, home, que xa chegamos! (Come on, we are nearly there!)
Writing. Galician only needs the closing exclamation mark: Ai, que frío! See question and exclamation marks. For exclamations built with que, see exclamations with que.
Examples (6)
- Home, claro que veño!
Well, of course I am coming!
Word by Word: Man, clear that come-I!
- Ai, que dor!
Ouch, that hurts!
Word by Word: Ai, what pain!
- Ollo co coche!
Watch out for the car!
Word by Word: Eye with-the car!
Ollo! + con names what to watch out for.
- Vaia sorte!
What luck!
- Home, canto tempo sen verte!
Wow, it has been so long since I saw you!
Word by Word: Man, how-much time without see-you!
Here home expresses happy surprise.
- Veña, home, que xa chegamos!
Come on, we are nearly there!
Word by Word: Come, man, that already arrive-we!
Common Mistakes
Writing ai with Spanish y.
Ay, que dor!Ai, que dor!The Galician interjection is written ai. The letter y is not part of the Galician alphabet except in foreign names and symbols.
Using the Spanish form hombre.
Hombre, claro!Home, claro!The Galician word is home, both as a noun and as an interjection.
Starting a sentence with ho.
Ho, cala!Cala, ho!The short form ho never opens the sentence; it follows what you say. At the start, use home.
Related Patterns
- Question and Exclamation Marks
Interjections are written with a closing exclamation mark.
Level 1 - que + Adjective!Exclamations with Que
Another common way to make an exclamation.
Level 2 - con + o = coContractions of Con with the Article
Ollo co coche joins con and the article.
Level 1 - non? / verdade?Tag Questions
Another short, conversational addition to a sentence.
Level 3 - Formal and Colloquial Register
Interjections belong mainly to everyday speech.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice home! / ai! / ollo! in Bubblegum
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