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"Hey" is a form of "hey", an interjection which is often translated as "oye". "What are you doing?" is a phrase which is often translated as "¿Qué haces?". Learn more about the difference between "hey" and "What are you doing?" below.
hey(
hey
)An interjection is a short utterance that expresses emotion, hesitation, or protest (e.g., Wow!).
1. (colloquial) (used to attract attention)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. oye (informal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).
A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).
Hey! What's wrong with you?¡Oye! ¿Qué te pasa?
b. oiga (formal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).
Hey! You can't park there.¡Oiga! Ahí no se puede estacionar.
e. ole (Colombia)
Regionalism used in Colombia
Hey, don't talk to me like that!¡Ole! ¡No me hables así!
f. hala (Colombia)
Regionalism used in Colombia
Hey, don't feed the dog!¡Hala! ¡No le des comida al perro!
g. momentito (Argentina)
Regionalism used in Argentina
Hey, don't cut in line!¡Momentito! ¡No te cueles!
2. (greeting)
What are you doing?(
wuht
ar
yu
du
-
ihng
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. ¿Qué haces? (informal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).
What are you doing? Can I help?¿Qué haces? ¿Te ayudo?
b. ¿Qué estás haciendo? (informal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).
What are you doing? It looks fun.¿Qué estás haciendo? Parece divertido.
c. ¿Qué hace? (formal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
What are you doing? Would you like some help?¿Qué hace? ¿La ayudo?
d. ¿Qué está haciendo? (formal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
What are you doing in the office so late?¿Qué está haciendo tan tarde en la oficina?
b. ¿Qué están haciendo? (plural)
What are you doing out on the streets at this time?¿Qué están haciendo en la calle a estas horas?
