vaya

See also: vaþa

Spanish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaʝa/ [ˈba.ʝa]

• IPA^(key): (everywhere but Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈbaʝa/ [ˈba.ʝa]
• IPA^(key): (Buenos Aires and environs) /ˈbaʃa/ [ˈba.ʃa]
• IPA^(key): (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈbaʒa/ [ˈba.ʒa]

• Rhymes: -aʝa
• Syllabification: va‧ya
• Homophones: baya, (ll-y neutralization) valla

Etymology 1

From ir.

Interjection

vaya

1. expresses surprise: wow!, why, oh!, whoa!, well!, man!, boy!

   Synonym: anda

2. expresses dismay, worry, indignation or frustration: gee!, jeez!, gosh!, why, man!, oh dear!
3. (before a noun) what a ...

   Synonyms: qué, menudo

   ¡Vaya coche que tiene tu hermana!

   What a car your sister has!

4. (colloquial, at the end of a sentence) you know, like, y'know

   No me gustan las gambas, las almejas... El marisco, vaya.

   I don't like shrimp, clams... Seafood, you know.

5. go!, leave!, go away! (technically an imperative but can function as an interjection in this sense)

Derived terms

• vaya por Dios
• vaya tela

 

Verb

vaya

1. inflection of ir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian baia.

Noun

vaya f (plural vayas)

2. joke; taunt

   Synonyms: broma, burla, mofa

Descendants

• → Portuguese: vaia

Further reading

• “vaya”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Zazaki

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vɑːˈɑ]
• Hyphenation: va‧ya

Noun

vaya

1. Alternative form of vaye