A2.40 - Office and meetings

The imperatives: Mira, Oye, ¿Diga?

Los imperativos: Mira, Oye, ¿Diga?

Formas breves como oye, mira, diga expresan cortesía, contacto o atención.

(Short forms like oye, mira, diga express politeness, contact, or attention.)

What these words are (and why they don’t translate literally)

mira, oye, diga, perdona, perdone are often used as conversation openers.

  • They help you get attention, start contact, or interrupt politely.
  • They are not always literal: mira doesn’t always mean “look (with your eyes)”, and oye doesn’t always mean “listen (with your ears)”.
  • In English, they often sound like: “Look,” “Hey,” “Listen,” “Excuse me,” depending on tone and context.

Choose the right level of formality (key A2 decision)

More informal (tú) More formal (usted)
mira, oye diga
perdona perdone
  • perdone is the polite/formal version of perdona.
  • diga is very common on the phone in formal situations (reception, clients, unknown callers).

Where to place it in the sentence (and the comma)

  • These words typically go at the start of the sentence.
  • In writing, add a comma after them.
Correct Incorrect
Mira, no estoy de acuerdo. Mira no estoy de acuerdo.
Oye, la reunión empieza ya. Oye la reunión empieza ya.
Perdone, ¿podría repetir eso? Perdone ¿podría repetir eso?

Typical intentions: attention vs. polite interruption

What you want to do Best option Example
Get attention (informal) Oye / Mira Oye, ¿tienes un minuto?
Introduce disagreement (informal, direct) Mira Mira, no estoy de acuerdo con este plan.
Interrupt politely (formal) Perdone Perdone, ¿podría repetir la dirección, por favor?
Answer the phone (formal/neutral) ¿Diga? ¿Diga? ¿Quién es?

Common pitfalls (and how to self-correct)

  1. Mixing tú and usted

    • Perdona, ¿podría repetir? (tú + usted mixed)
    • Perdona, ¿puedes repetir?
    • Perdone, ¿podría repetir?

  2. Using mira/oye too strongly in formal contexts

    • With clients/unknown people, prefer perdone or diga.

  3. Thinking they must be literal

    • Mira can mean: “Here’s my point / Let me be clear…”
    • Oye can mean: “Hey / One moment / By the way…”

Quick self-check before you speak

  1. Is this person tú (colleague you know well) or usted (client/stranger)?

  2. Do I want attention (mira/oye) or a polite interruption (perdona/perdone)?

  3. Am I on the phone in a formal situation? → ¿Diga?

  4. Did I add the comma at the start?

  1. Oye and mira are used to get someone’s attention.
  2. In formal contexts, diga or perdone are used.
  3. They go at the beginning of sentences to start contact or to be polite.
Forma (Form)Ejemplo (Example)
MiraMira, no estoy de acuerdo. (Look, I don’t agree.)
OyeOye, la reunión empieza ya. (Hey, the meeting is starting now.)
Diga¿Diga? ¿Quién es? (Hello? Who is it?)
PerdonaPerdona, ¿tienes un minuto? (Sorry, do you have a minute?)
PerdonePerdone, ¿podría repetir eso? (Excuse me, could you repeat that?)

Exceptions!

  1. Perdone is more formal than perdona.
  2. Mira and oye do not always mean “look” or “listen” literally.

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. _____, no estoy de acuerdo con la fecha de la reunión.

_____, I don't agree with the date of the meeting.

2. _____, la impresora no funciona y tengo que imprimir el informe.

_____, the printer isn't working and I have to print the report.

3. _____? Buenos días, empresa Soluciones García.

_____? Good morning, Soluciones García company.

4. _____, ¿puede repetir el número de la sala de reuniones?

_____, can you repeat the number of the meeting room?

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence to start contact or ask for attention in the office.

1.
Punctuation and meaning error: the comma after «Oye» is missing; also, the construction denies agreement, changing the meaning.
Form error: «Oyes» is not used as a vocative or marker to get attention; the correct form is «Oye».
2.
Register error: «Diga» (formal) does not go with «podrías» (tú, informal); there is a mix of forms of address.
Intonation and format error: the opening question mark before «Diga?» is missing and its standalone use when answering.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite each sentence by adding at the beginning the appropriate form to get someone’s attention or be polite (mira, oye, diga, perdona, perdone) according to the context. Example: ¿Puede repetir? → Perdone, ¿puede repetir?

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (Mira) No estoy de acuerdo con este plan.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Mira, no estoy de acuerdo con este plan.
    (Look, I don’t agree with this plan.)
  2. Hint Hint (Oye) La reunión empieza en cinco minutos.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Oye, la reunión empieza en cinco minutos.
    (Hey, the meeting starts in five minutes.)
  3. Hint Hint (Diga) (Teléfono) ¿Quién es?
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    ¿Diga? ¿Quién es?
    (Hello? Who is this?)
  4. Hint Hint (Perdona) ¿Tienes un minuto? Es sobre el horario de mañana.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Perdona, ¿tienes un minuto? Es sobre el horario de mañana.
    (Excuse me, do you have a minute? It’s about tomorrow’s schedule.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: In pairs, resolve the situation with a phone call and a brief meeting.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
En la sala de reuniones suena el teléfono y el asistente llega tarde.
(In the meeting room, the phone rings and the assistant arrives late.)
Discuss
  • ¿Cómo contestas la llamada y pides los datos del cliente? (How do you answer the call and ask for the client’s details?)
  • ¿Cómo interrumpes la reunión para avisar sobre el asistente tarde? ¿Formal o informal? ¿Por qué? (How do you interrupt the meeting to let them know the assistant is late? Formal or informal? Why?)
Useful words and phrases
  • ¿Diga? Llamo de la empresa para confirmar la cita. (Hello? I’m calling from the company to confirm the appointment.)
  • Perdone, ¿podría repetir el nombre del negocio? (Excuse me, could you repeat the name of the business?)
  • Oye, la reunión empieza ya; ven al despacho, por favor. (Hey, the meeting is starting now; come to the office, please.)
Use in conversation
  • Oye (Hey)
  • Mira (Look)
  • Diga? (Hello?)

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Alessia Calcagni

Languages for communication in international enterprises and organizations

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

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Last Updated:

Wednesday, 15/04/2026 20:09