Who doesn’t love a good surprise? Especially when it’s a pleasant one. When we’re given unexpected news, our facial expressions change: our eyebrows lift, our eyes open wider, and, above all, we often struggle to find the right words.
Precisely because it’s so hard to think of what to say in these moments, in this post we bring you 10 of Spaniards’ favorite ways to express surprise. In Spanish, we have several tools, including interjections and some particular expressions.
- ¡Hala!
This is a very commonly used interjection to show surprise, although it’s also used to express encouragement.
➡ Me han regalado dos billetes de avión a Madrid por mi cumpleaños.
¡Hala! ¡Qué pasada! ¡Enhorabuena! Madrid es una ciudad fantástica.
— They gave me two plane tickets to Madrid for my birthday.
— Wow! Congratulations! Enjoy it so much! Madrid is a fantastic city.
- ¿Hola?
Yes, besides being a greeting, we can also use hola to express surprise. We use it with question marks because we can’t believe what we’re being told or what’s happening. Often accompanied by “are you serious?” or ¡No me digas! (literal: “Don’t tell me!”).
➡ Me han ascendido en el trabajo.
¿Hola? ¿En serio? ¡Enhorabuena!
— I just got promoted at work.
— What? Seriously? Congratulations!
- ¡Dios mío!
We use this exclamatory expression in moments of great astonishment, whether the news is good or bad. (Literal: “My God!”)
➡ ¡Estoy embarazada!
¡Dios mío! No sé qué decir, ¡felicidades!
— I’m pregnant!
— Oh my God! I don’t know what to say, congratulations!
- ¡Madre mía! / ¡Ay, madre!
This is one of the most used expressions to show surprise, although it can also express other emotions depending on the tone. (Literal: “My mother!”)
➡ Nos han puesto otro examen para este jueves.
¡Madre mía! ¿Otro? ¡No puede ser!
— We’ve just been given another exam for this Thursday.
— Oh my goodness! Another one? It can’t be!
- ¡Anda!
We use this interjection to express admiration or surprise, as well as to encourage someone to do something. It can sometimes be close to “Come on!”
➡ No quedan donuts de chocolate en la pastelería.
¡Anda! ¡Y yo que tenía antojo hoy!
— There are no chocolate donuts left at the bakery.
— No way! And I was really craving them today.
- ¿En serio?
We use this expression in the form of a question when we want to express astonishment or surprise about what’s happening.
➡ ¡Mis abuelos se divorcian después de 40 años de matrimonio!
¿En serio? No me lo puedo creer, ¿por qué?
— Grandparents are getting divorced after 40 years of marriage.
— Seriously? I can’t believe it, why?
- ¡Qué dices!
We use this expression (Literal: “What are you saying”) to show surprise and disbelief. Very close to ¡No me digas! (Literal: “Do not tell me!”)
➡ ¡Mi perra ha tenido cachorros!
¡Qué dices! Pero si nunca me dijiste que estaba embarazada.
— My dog just had puppies!
— No way! But you never told me she was pregnant.
- ¿Pero qué me cuentas? / ¿Pero qué me estás contando?
These expressions are used when we want to express total shock or surprise. (Literal: “But what are you telling me?”)
➡ – ¡Me caso el mes que viene! Mi novio me pidió matrimonio y quiero casarme cuanto antes.
– ¿Pero qué me cuentas?
— I’m getting married next month! My boyfriend asked me to marry him, and well, I want to get married as soon as possible.
— What are you telling me?
- ¡Caramba!
This interjection is used to express surprise or annoyance. Less common among younger speakers. (Similar to “Goodness!” or “Wow!”)
➡ ¡Se ha puesto a llover de repente!
¡Caramba! ¡Y justo acabo de tender la ropa!
— It just started raining out of nowhere!
— Wow! And I just hung the laundry out to dry!
- ¡Vaya!
This is another interjection we use to express surprise or annoyance. (Literal: “Go on!” but meaning depends on tone.)
➡ ¡Han cancelado la excursión al parque de atracciones!
¡Vaya! ¡Con las ganas que tenía de ir!
— The trip to the amusement park was cancelled!
— Oh no! And I was so looking forward to going.
After learning about Spaniards’ ten favorite ways to express surprise, which one have you used the most since you started studying Spanish? Did you know them all? If so, wow!
Next time you see your friends, you could ask them which one they use most often—maybe they’ll give you a new one that’s not on this list, so you’ll have one more to add to your vocabulary. 😊
Now, if you want to check how your general Spanish knowledge is going, we suggest you take a Spanish level test. We hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results!
At Inhispania, our Spanish courses in Madrid are the perfect way to learn these expressions naturally, while practicing with native teachers and meeting new friends from all over the world.
