¡Ay Mi Mexico! – Albuquerque, New Mexico
One syllable, one word, one simple expression…yet there probably is no more expressive interjection, heart-rending cry or honest exclamation in the Spanish language than the simple word “Ay.” This–one of the most diminutive among all words–can say and mean so much. Depending on the context, “Ay” is used to express such emotions as: <happiness: think “¡Ay, Chihuahua” when Despicable Me patriarch Gru espies a black villain suit he covets; surprise: ¡Ay, Cabron! what are you doing home in the middle of the day?; exasperation: ¡Ay, Que Lastima! <pain or dismay: Bart Simpson’s ¡Ay, caramba!” when he saw his parents having sex. The versatility of “ay” is virtually unparalleled (though you can usually tell what meaning or mood a speaker is ascribing to that oh, so simple and powerful expression). Informally, “ay” may preface other words in place of curse words in order to make a phrase sound less harsh. In essence “¡Ay, caramba!” and “¡Ay, Chihuahua!” are Mexican equivalents of “oh, shoot,” “darn” or “shucks.” Perhaps the most famous use of the term is in the immortal Mexican song Cielito Lindo whose refrain exhorts “Ay, ay, ay, ay, canta y no llores.” Some English dictionaries translate this as “oh, oh,…
