Herramientas de la lengua
E, he or eh?
Why do you want to know this?
Misspelling these words is a common mistake that can confuse your reader
When to use e, he or eh
When to use “e”
“E” means “and” in English and we use it instead of “y” when the next word starts with an “i” sound. Ex:
- Juan e Ignacio son amigos
- En los ríos hay lagartos e hipopótamos
When to use “he”
“He” comes from the verb “haber” and it is used as an auxiliary verb when we say for example “I have eaten” (like in English we use the verb “to have”). Ex:
- Yo he comido mucho hoy
- He dicho demasiado
*There are also a couple other less common uses. To say “he aquí” means “here it is”. To say “he de estudiar” means “I shall study”.
When to use “eh”
“Eh” is an interjection (words that we use to express sudden emotions – like yikes, oh, huh, etc). “Eh” is used to call attention, ask, warn or reprimand. Ex:
- ¿Eh? No te escucho
- ¡Eh, Juan! Ven acá.
- Me llamas mañana, ¿eh?
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes algo para practicar. Debes lograr al menos 80% ¡Suerte!
This unit “E, he, or eh” was created by Alegría Ribadeneira and is licensed CC BY-NC-SA
