50 Must-Know Spanish Exclamations and Interjections

Sometimes, you see something so beautiful—like the ruins of Machu Picchu or the crystal-clear coast around the Galapagos—that you can’t help but exclaim “wow.” That’s known as an exclamation. 

Spanish exclamations and interjections are single words and short phrases that pack a lot of punch. We use them all the time in everyday language, and they communicate a great deal of emotion—from surprise and excitement to fear and pain. In Spanish, exclamations are quite colorful, and sometimes enough to make you laugh out loud. 

We’ll get right to it. Below, you’ll find a full list of 50 Spanish exclamations and interjections to use in everyday conversation. Depending on where you are in your language learning journey, you’ve probably already heard several of them! 

And remember: if you want to learn Spanish without memorizing grammar and vocabulary, Rosetta Stone is here to help with immersive bite-sized lessons, immediate pronunciation feedback, and more. Sign up today to get more out of your learning experience.  

Spanish Exclamations for Every Situation 

Spanish interjections and exclamations are most prevalent in conversation. You might encounter them in writing as well, but as we said above, they tend to be spur of the moment expressions for lively conversations.  

There’s a slight difference between an “interjection” and an “exclamation,” but it won’t affect the way you use them. As their name suggests, interjections get inserted into what we’re saying. They are either single sounds used to express an emotion (ouch!) or brief phrases used as exclamations (oh my!). 

Spanish exclamatory words or phrases may express surprise (wow!), shock, protest (come on!), or complaint. Both categories are used to quickly answer, warn, agree, and encourage. 

When you do come across these words in writing, you’ll notice they are written with exclamation marks, which in Spanish are expressed as a set: one to introduce the phrase or word, and one to end it.

Check out the full list below! 

Spanish	English
¡Aguas!	Watch out! (Used primarily in Mexico)
¡Ajá!	¡Uh-huh! / ¡Aha!
¡Anda!	Wow! / Come on!
¡Ándale!	Come on! / Right!
¡Ay!	Ouch! Oh!
¡Bravo!	Well done!
¡Buen provecho!	Bon appetit!
¡Buena suerte!	Good luck!
¡Cállate!	Shut up!
¡Caramba!	Damn! / Damn it! / Wow!
¡Caray!	Darn! / Wow!
¡Chale!	Jeez!
¡Che!	Dude! / Man! (Used primarily in Argentina)
¡Chin!	Darn!
¡Cielos!	Heavens!
¡Claro!	Of course!
¡Claro que no!	Of course not!
¡Cuidado!	Be careful!
¡Dale!	Okay! / Sure! (Used primarily in Argentina)
¡Dios mío!	My God!
¡Fíjate!	Watch out! / Really!
¡Guácala!	Yuck!
¡Guau!	Wow!
¡Güey!	Dude! / Man! (Used primarily in Mexico)
¡Hala!	Wow! / Go!
¡Híjole(s)!	Jeez! / Goodness!
¡Hombre!/¡Mujer!	Man! / Woman!
¡Hostia!	Damn! / Damn it! / Oh, wow!
¡Joder!	Damn! / Damn it!
¡Madre mía!	My goodness!
¡Menos mal!	Luckily! / Whew!
¡Ojalá!	May it be so! / I hope so!
¡Ojo!	Watch out! / Be careful!
¡Olé!	Hurrah!
¡Órale!	Come on! / Wow! / You don’t say!
¡Por Dios!	For goodness’ sake!
¡Por supuesto!	Of course!
¡Qué barbaridad!	How awful! / How incredible! / What foolishness!
¡Qué fuerte!	How upsetting!
¡Qué susto!	How scary!
¡Rayos!	Damn! / Darn!
¡Sale!	Okay! / Sure! (Used primarily in Mexico)
¡Santo remedio!	Bingo! / Voilà!
¡Uf!	Ugh!
¡Uy!	Wow! / Ouch! / Oh! / Ow!
¡Vale!	Okay! / Sure! (Sp.)
¡Válgame Dios!	Oh my God! / Oh my goodness! / Good God!
¡Vaya!	Wow! / Damn! / Well!
¡Venga!	Come on!
¡Ya está!	That’s it!

>>Check out 100+ basic Spanish phrases of all kinds! 

1. ¡Aguas!

This very common phrase in Mexico has an interesting origin. During the colonial period when there was no sewage system, people yelled this before throwing the contents of the chamber pot into the street. Nowadays, we just use it to quickly tell someone to be careful.

•  ¡Aguas! Hay mucho tráfico. = Watch out! There’s a lot of traffic.

2. ¡Ajá!

We use this interjection to express agreement in a casual way.

•  —¿Vas a llegar temprano, hijo? = Will you be home early, son?

—Ajá, mamá. Llegaré temprano. = Uh-huh, Mom. I’ll be home early.

We also use it when we’ve discovered something.

• ¡Ajá! ¡Ya encontré la gata! = Aha! I found the cat!

3. ¡Anda!

We use this exclamation to express slight surprise.

• ¡Anda, cómo has crecido! = Wow! How you’ve grown!

This word is also often used to show encouragement.

•  ¡Anda, Beatriz, tú sí puedes! = Come on, Beatriz. You’ve got this!

4. ¡Ándale!

We use this word a lot in Mexico. It can be used to encourage someone to do something.

• ¡Ándale! Vamos al cine. = Come on! Let’s go to the movies.

It can also show agreement.

•  —A mí no me gusta el calor. = I don’t like the heat.

—Ándale. A mí tampoco. = Right. Me neither.

5. ¡Ay!

This interjection expresses dismay or pain.

• ¡Ay! Se me olvidó mi bolso. = Oh! I forgot my purse.
• Me picó una araña. ¡Ay! = A spider bit me. Ouch!

6. ¡Bravo!

You may have heard this expression used to convey approval when someone has accomplished something. 

• ¡Bravo, Camila! Ya te graduaste de la secundaria. = Well done, Camila! You graduated from middle school.

7. ¡Buen provecho!

We use this phrase when eating with others to wish them a pleasant meal.

• Ya llegó la sopa. ¡Buen provecho! = The soup’s here. Bon appetit!

8. ¡Buena suerte!

Simply put, this means, “Good luck,” and you’ll hear it all the time in Spanish-speaking situations.

• Es la inauguración de la obra de teatro. ¡Buena suerte! = It’s the opening night of the play. Good luck!

9. ¡Cállate! (callarse)

This is a strong word in the imperative that means, “Shut up!” Here it is in all its conjugated forms.

• Cállate. ¡Vas a despertar a tu hermana! = Shut up. You’re going to wake your sister! (You—singular, familiar)
• Cállese, señor. No sea grosero. = Shut up, mister. Don’t be rude. (You—singular, formal)
• Cállense, todos. Vamos a empezar la clase. = Shut up, everyone. Class is going to start. (You—plural, familiar or formal)

If you want to say this in a more polite way, try silencio por favor.

10. ¡Caramba!

This very common exclamation is used to express surprise.

• ¡Caramba! Ganamos la lotería. = Wow! We won the lottery.

We also use it to express annoyance.

•  ¡Caramba! Se me fue la luz. = Darn! The electricity went out.

11. ¡Caray!

This word is similar to caramba but a little softer. We can use it to express disappointment and surprise simultaneously.

• Se me olvidó tu libro. ¡Caray! Lo siento. = I forgot your book. Darn! I’m sorry.

12. ¡Chale!

We use this word to express regret, in the same vein as “jeez.”

• ¡Chale! Ya no nos dio tiempo de ir al museo. = Jeez! We didn’t have enough time to go to the museum.

13. ¡Che!

This word is used in Argentina, usually to refer to a male.

• ¡Che! Es hora de despertarse. = Dude! It’s time to get up.

14. ¡Chin!

Here’s a word that expresses regret with a sense of slight annoyance.

•  ¡Chin! Se me olvidó comprar la leche. = Darn! I forgot to buy milk.

15. ¡Cielos!

This indicates surprise in a gentle way.

• ¡Cielos! Hace mucho que no la veo. = Heavens! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.

16. ¡Claro!

This exclamation indicates agreement.

• —¿Van a ir a la fiesta? = Are you going to go to the party?

 —¡Claro! = Of course!

17. ¡Claro que no!

And this exclamation indicates the exact opposite: non-agreement.

• ¡Claro que no! = Of course not!

18. ¡Cuidado!

We often say this with emphasis to show there is imminent danger.

•  ¡Cuidado! Está caliente. = Be careful! It’s hot.

19. ¡Dale!

In Argentina, this is used to express agreement.

•  —¿Quieres ir conmigo a Buenos Aires? = Do you want to go to Buenos Aires with me?

 —¡Dale! Sí, vamos. = Sure! Yes, let’s go.

You’ll also hear this when children are about to hit a piñata in Mexico, and in this case, it’s encouraging the club holder to hit the piñata with all their might! 

20. ¡Dios mío!

This exclamation is used to express surprise, even if you’re a non-believer.

• ¡Dios mío! Hace un calor del infierno. = My God! It’s hot as hell.

21. ¡Fíjate!

Parents often use this with children.

•  ¡Fíjate! Se te va a caer. = Look out! You’re going to drop it.

It’s also used to acknowledge something surprising that someone has said.

•  —¿Sabes que Ana está embarazada? = Do you know Ana is pregnant?

—¡Fíjate! = Really!

22. ¡Guácala!

This is a fun word used to express disgust.

• ¡Guácala! Este aceite es rancia. = Yuck! This oil is rancid.

23. ¡Guau!

This is the Spanish version of the English word.

• ¡Guau! Es divertido aprender el español. = Wow! It’s fun to learn Spanish.

24. ¡Güey! 

With a sense of informality, this word is used a lot in Mexico to mean “dude,” but we sometimes use it with women as well.

• ¡Güey! ¿Adivina qué? ¡Me aceptaron para el trabajo! = Dude! Guess what? They accepted me for the job!

25. ¡Hala!

We use this interjection more in Spain to express surprise.

•  ¡Hala! No te esperaba hasta mañana. = Wow! I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.

It’s also used to cheer someone on.

• ¡Hala, Barcelona! ¡Vas a ganar! = Go, Barcelona! You’re going to win!

26. ¡Híjole(s)!

We can use this with or without the “s,” and it’s commonly used in Mexico to express surprise.

• ¡Híjole, tus calificaciones han subido mucho! = Goodness, your grades have really gone up!

It can be used to express regret as well.

• —¿Quieres ir conmigo a bailar? = Would you like to go dancing with me?

 —Hijoles, no puedo. Es que tengo otro compromiso. = Jeez, I can’t. I’ve got another commitment.

27. ¡Hombre!/¡Mujer!

Although hombre is more common, mujer is sometimes used when addressing a woman. One way to use these interjections is to catch someone’s attention.

• ¡Mujer! Cuánto tiempo sin verte. = Woman! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.

But we sometimes use these words to express regret.

• Hombre, hemos perdido el partido. = Man, we lost the game.

28. ¡Hostia!

This can be a way of swearing when something bad happens.

•  ¡Hostia! Se nos acabó la gasolina. = Damn! We’re out of gas.

It can also express surprise or wonder.

•  ¡Hostia! Es una vista increíblemente bella. = Oh, wow! It’s an incredibly beautiful view.

29. ¡Joder!

Here’s another swear word that can mean “damn it” when something goes wrong. Note here it’s in the infinitive form. To use it to swear at someone, you need to conjugate it. 

•  No tengo para cubrir la renta de este mes, ¡joder! = I can’t cover my rent this month. Damn it! 

Note that joder can be quite explicit—it’s best to use it only in informal situations. 

30. ¡Madre mía!

Literally this means “my mother,” but a better translation for this would be “my goodness,” used to show feelings of surprise.

•  —Juan comió tres tortas. = Juan ate three sandwiches.

 —¡Madre mía! = My goodness!

31. ¡Menos mal!

We utilize this expression when the worst case scenario has not happened.

• —Me caí de la bicicleta, pero estoy bien. = I fell off my bicycle, but I’m okay.
• —¡Menos mal! = Whew!

32. ¡Ojalá!

When used on its own, this word (originally from Arabic) can have the sense of hoping something will or will not occur.

• —Haré lo posible por llegar a la reunión. = I’ll do my best to get to the meeting. 

—Ojalá. = I hope so.

33. ¡Ojo!

We use this interjection to warn someone about something.

• ¡Ojo! Esas enchiladas pican. = Watch out! Those enchiladas are spicy. 

34. ¡Olé!

This is primarily used in Spain for encouragement or admiration. It’s a word often employed at bullfights and flamenco dance events.

• ¡Olé! Qué espléndido baile flamenco. =  Hurrah! What a splendid flamenco dance.

35. ¡Órale!

This is a common expression in Mexico that has three uses. First, it can be used to encourage someone.

• ¡Órale! Vámonos ya. = Come on! Let’s go. 

It can also be used to express wonder or surprise.

• Órale, el joven futbolista sacó muchos goles. = Wow, the young soccer player scored a lot of goals.

Finally, it can be used as a response to something surprising.

• —Se va a cambiar de ciudad. = She’s going to move to another city.

—Órale, no sabía. = You don’t say. I didn’t know.

36. ¡Por Dios!

This is often used to show annoyance or surprise . . . or both.

• ¡Por Dios! Come despacio. = For goodness’ sake! Eat slowly.

37. ¡Por supuesto!

This straightforward way of saying “of course” is easy to use.

•  —¿Van a ir a la boda? = Are you going to the wedding?
•  —¡Por supuesto! = Of course!

38. ¡Qué barbaridad!

The direct meaning of this is “What barbarity!,” but really its meaning is more subtle and varied. It all depends on the context!

You can use it to show disgust or disapproval about something.

• ¡Qué barbaridad! Asaltaron a mi vecino. = How awful! They mugged my neighbor.

It’s also used to show admiration about something.

• ¡Qué barbaridad, sacaste un 10 en el examen! = How incredible, you got a 10 on the exam!

Finally, it can be employed to express that doing something is not a good idea.

• ¡Qué barbaridad salir cuando hace tanto frío! = What foolishness to go out when it’s so cold.

39. ¡Qué fuerte!

This Spanish exclamation gets used to show that something is difficult, worrisome, or even sad.

• —¿Sabías que falleció la mamá de Carolina? = Did you know that Carolina’s mom passed away?

 —No, no sabía. ¡Qué fuerte! = No, I didn’t know. How upsetting.

40. ¡Qué susto!

We use this phrase when something frightening occurs.

•  ¡Qué susto! Se nos ponchó una llanta en la carretera. = How scary! We got a flat tire on the highway.

41. ¡Rayos!

A word this versatile can express disappointment.

•  ¡Rayos! No vamos a llegar a tiempo. = Darn! We’re not going to get there on time.

But it can also express anger.

• ¡Rayos! Perdí mi vuelo. = Damn! I missed my flight.

42. ¡Sale!

This is used for affirmation, especially in Mexico.

•  —Te recuerdo de la comida a las dos. = Don’t forget lunch at two o’clock.

 —¡Sale! Allí estaré. = Okay! I’ll be there.

43. ¡Santo remedio!

This is a fun and interesting exclamation to use when there has been some sort of problem that was quickly resolved. 

• No podía encender el carro, pero luego me ayudó el vecino y —¡santo remedio!— arrancó. = I couldn’t get the car started, but then the neighbor helped me and—bingo!—it started.

44. ¡Uf!

What an interjection! This word works for so many situations, from despair to disappointment.

• No me llegó mi cheque. ¡Uf! = My check hasn’t arrived. Ugh!

45. ¡Uy!

With just two letters, this word expresses shame, surprise, or pain.

• ¡Uy, pegaste tu dedo! = Ow, you hit your finger!

46. ¡Vale!

Here’s another word, similar to sale and dale, that is used for agreement in Spain.

• —¿Papá, me prestas tu coche? = Dad, can you loan me the car?

 —Vale, hijo, pero manejas con cuidado. = Sure, son, but drive carefully.

47. ¡Válgame Dios!

There is no direct translation for this phrase, but it’s useful for expressing that you’re surprised and upset.

• ¿Has perdido tu cartera? ¡Válgame Dios! = You’ve lost your wallet? Oh my goodness!

48. ¡Vaya!

Another versatile word, this can work to express surprise and even delight.

•  ¡Vaya! Hiciste una cena deliciosa. = Wow! You’ve made a delicious dinner.

It’s also a gentle way to show you’re let down.

•  —No me dieron la beca. = They didn’t give me the scholarship.

—Vaya. Lo siento. = Wow. I’m sorry.

Finally, we use it as a kind of filler word.

•  Vaya, mira quien llegó. = Well, look who showed up.

49. ¡Venga!

This word is used for encouragement.

•  ¡Venga! Ya casi ganas la carrera. = Come on! You’ve almost won the race.

50. ¡Ya está!

This phrase is used to signal the completion of a task or to express satisfaction. 

• ¡Ya está! La cena está lista. = That’s it! Dinner is ready. 

Keep the conversation flowing with Rosetta Stone

Now that you’ve learned how Spanish interjections and exclamations help us to quickly communicate emotions, you’ll be able to speak and understand them more comfortably. Be prepared to have even better conversations! 

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Written by Rowena Galavitz

Rowena Galavitz is a Spanish translator, bilingual copy editor, and language and literature instructor with three master’s degrees who loves Spanish and all things Mexico.