Re

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For other uses, see Re (disambiguation).

Re is a modern Greek interjection, having more or less the same notation with Spanish Che.

Its primary use was offensive and probably derives from the insult μωρέ (pronounced moré) - "you baby-acting person" cf. moron. Earlier forms of re, derived from moré, are vré and oré, exported into Turkish language as bre and be ^{[citation needed]} and still used today. Even now, when said against strangers or in loud mood, it is considered offensive.

However its original meaning is generally lost and is now used in a vocative sense as though it meant "friend", and thus corresponds in some ways to expressions such as "mate", "pal", "man", "dude". Like these words, it may be used both before or after a phrase: "Ρε, αυτή είναι καλή μπύρα" ("Man, this is some good beer"), or, "Πάμε για καμια μπύρα, ρε" ("Let's go get a beer, man"). Still it's not proper to be used when addressed to seniors.

Like "hey!" it can be used as an exclamation, often used to get attention or express surprise, and so it corresponds in some ways to exclamations such as "wow!".

In the general mood of the language, sometimes re by itself is considered rude, if not offensive (eg. "Stand up, re" > "You, stand up now!"). However if followed by sy ("you") or the addressee's name it is considered milder, and friendly (eg. "Stand up, re George" > "Stand up, my friend George"). Of course the above is not always standard since everything depends on the context and the voice intonation.

It is very common for Greeks raised in Greece but living abroad (especially in the UK) to use re semi-jokingly when speaking English in the same way they use it when they speak Greek (e.g. "Are you serious re?", "How are you re Jim?" )