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"Hey" is a form of "hey", an interjection which is often translated as "oye". "How" is an adverb which is often translated as "cómo". Learn more about the difference between "hey" and "how" 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)
how(
hau
)An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or other adverbs (e.g., to run quickly, very tired).
1. (manner)
a. cómo
How did you get here so quickly?¿Cómo llegaste tan rápido?
I don't know how to do this.No sé cómo hacer esto.
2. (degree)
a. cuán
How tall is he?¿Cuán alto es?
It doesn't matter how talented you are; you must practice.No importa cuán talentoso seas; tienes que practicar.
b. qué tan (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
How sick is he?¿Qué tan enfermo está?
I don't know how tall he is.No sé qué tan alto es.
3. (state)
A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, clauses, or sentences (e.g., The cat and the dog slept.).
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
