Ahí
Ahí (there) is an adverb that expresses location. It refers to a place farther than "aquí" (here) but closer than "allí" (over there). It is a two-syllab word so it must be pronounced /a-í/, with emphasis on the letter "i", to avoid confussion with the homophonics "hay" /ái/ and "ay" /ái/, one-syllab words with emphasis on the letter "a".- ¿Dónde están mis llaves?
- Están ahí, sobre la mesa.
- Where are my keys?
- They are there, on the table.
Ahí can also mean "on this" or "on that".
Ahí estamos de acuerdo.
We agree on that.
When preceeded by the preposition "por", the adverbial phrase "por ahí" means around places not far away or around indeterminate places. It also means more or less when referring to quantity.
- ¿Dónde vas a ir esta noche?
- No lo sé... por ahí...con gente.
- Where are you going tonight?
- I don't know...somewhere...with people.
Carla fue diciendo por ahí que Mario y yo estábamos saliendo cuando no es verdad.
Carla was going around saying that Mario and I started dating when it's not true.
- ¿Cuántas propinas te dieron anoche? ¿Unos $200?
- Por ahí.
- How much money did you make last night in tips? Around $200?
- More or less.
Hay
Hay (there is/there are) is the impersonal form, present simple indicative of the verb "haber". It refers to obligation or existence.Hay muchísimos coches en la ciudad. La gente debería tomar más el transporte público.
There are so many cars in the city. People should take public transportation more often.
Hay que limpiar la casa este fin de semana.
We must clean the house this weekend.
*refer to episode Verbal Periphrasis - Verbal Periphrasis with Infinitive for more information on the obligation aspect of "hay".
Ay
Ay is an interjection, in other words, a word or remark expressing sudden emotion. It is used to express different changes in mood, or ordinarily, distress or pain. It is usually placed in between exclamation marks.¡Ay! Me he hecho daño.
Ouch! I hurt myself.
- ¿Te gusta esta camisa? Es de diseño y me costó $300.
- ¡Ay, estás loca! Eso es mucho dinero.
- Do you like this shirt? It's a designer shirt and I paid $300 for it.
- Wow, you are crazy! That's a lot of money.
The word "ayes" is the plural form of "ay" and it is used as a noun in a sentence, especially in literature.
De esos antros sin luz, y estremecidos
Por tantos ayes de amargura y duelo,
Donde sólo se oye entre gemidos,
El trueno de la cólera del cielo.
[Poem by Ismael de la Serna]
From those lightless trembled dumps
So many gasps of bitterness and pain,
Where only between moans can
the thunder of heaven's anger be heard.
There are different expressions with the interjection "ay" such as:
- estar en un ay - to be in awe
- ay de mí - poor pitiful me
- ay de ti si + verb - better beware if
- ay ay ay - oh oh
- ay caramba - good heavens
¿Han roto el jarrón de la abuelita? ¡Ay Ay Ay se van a meter en un buen lío!
You guys broke grandma's vase? Oh oh, you guys are in big trouble!
¿Adónde vas? ¿Tú no estabas castigado por no hacer los deberes? Ay de ti si sales de casa sin permiso.
Where are you going? Weren't you grounded for not doing your homework? Better beware if you leave the house without permission.