Mirar pa ya...what does this mean?

Question

My students tell me it means "look at this or that". In other words, they will look at anything I point at if I say that to them. I usually say it and point to my face to get their attention. They're in kindergarten. What else can I say to get them to concentrate on me?

Answer 1

Welcome to the forum. It's short for Mira para allá - Look over there. Actually, it might be Mirar para allá. That's sort of the impersonal imperative form, compared to the familiar imperative in my first sentence. But it means the same thing, it just depends on who you're talking to, and I'm sure kindergarteners are flexible about that.

Mira para acá. - 0074b507, Sep 18, 2010

Pa ya probably means para allá. Pa ca would be para acá, which is probably more appropriate. - KevinB, Sep 18, 2010

Answer 2

Oh. I forgot to answer the second part of your question. You could also say:

Miren aquí = Look here
Presten atención = Pay attention
Atención, clase = Attention, class

These endings are used when you're talking to a group (outside of Spain, which is a different topic). Mira is used when talking to one person.

Answer 3

The phrase "¡Mira pa' allá!" is also frequently used simply to express surprise about something (with no sense of actually looking at anything). I remember seeing some Spanish teachers (native speakers) cracking up (laughing loudly) because someone had said "¡Mira pa' allá!" and someone else (not a native speaker) has then asked "What? Where?"