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"Hey" is a form of "hey", an interjection which is often translated as "oye". "How are you?" is a phrase which is often translated as "¿Cómo estás?". Learn more about the difference between "hey" and "How are you?" 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 are you?(
hau
ar
yu
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. ¿Cómo estás? (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?).
Hi, Sarah! How are you?¡Hola, Sarah! ¿Cómo estás?
b. ¿Cómo está? (formal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
It's so nice to see you, Mr. Smith. How are you?¡Qué gusto verlo, Sr. Smith! ¿Cómo está?
