The Most Important Word in Brazil
The British (and English speakers in general) are not renowned for their knowledge of other languages. So many people in non-English speaking countries speak our language that our need just isn’t as pressing as that of, say, a Hungarian. So we’re lazy.
I remember encountering a couple of 40 something English guys living in Medellin, Colombia. Although they had been living there for more than a year, their profound lack of Spanish was astounding. When they wanted to do their weekly shop at the local supermarket, they would hail a cab, get in and then hold up an empty supermarket carrier bag and point at the logo! Amazingly bad!
“Erm, you take-o me here-o?…”
As well as enriching your travel experience, people really appreciate you making the effort to learn the basics. The essentials, as far as I’m concerned, are “hello”, “goodbye”, “please”, “thank you”, “sorry”, “beer” and (until recently) “cigarettes”. Once I have these essentials down, I get to work learning what all the items on the menu mean!
Here in Brazil there is one word above all others that will serve you well. Oi. It’s a funny word for me because in English it is quite rude. You shout “Oi!” if you see kids trying to break into your car. “Oi!” was also a kind of punk shout that became associated with a racist and nationalistic skinhead movement.
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| Same word, very different connotations… |
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| Compare and contrast that! |
Here in Brazil, Oi is a versatile word. Most commonly you hear it used as a greeting, as in Hi! But it can also be used with a question mark to indicate that you didn’t hear something, as in: “Do you want [word-you-didn’t-hear]?” – “Oi?”.
But probably of most direct importance, it is also used to get someone’s attention. In particular, to get a waiter/barman’s attention. My wife still finds it hilarious that back in England we generally do this through eye contact alone. Here in Brazil you’ll find yourself very thirsty and very hungry if you take that approach!
People will hold their hand up, and call/shout “Oi!” to bring a waiter over. I still struggle with this a bit – years of conditioning can be hard to shake off. But the desire for beer when your glass is empty can be a great motivating factor…
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| Ice Cold In Rio – worth overcoming your cultural constraints for… |
Brilliant x
Awww, thanks Jihane! x
I think it's less the word and more the tone. I swear my husband could call out "Banana" and the waiter would turn. I however can't get a waiter topless. Go figure ;)
Ha ha! Rachel, I seriously doubt that (though I suppose you'd rather just shout "Oi!" right?). But you're right of course – I say the word, but my timid mouse voice doesn't cut it in the cut-and-thrust world of Brazilian bars. But when I say it with authority I can't help feeling like that skinhead kicky guy above!
The thing is if you try to catch the waiter's attention via eye contact he will probably think you want something more than a beer. This can end in a brawl, or a broken heart after he discovers your true intentions: beer, then more beer.
What you could do is play some Cock Sparrer on your mobile phone (see flyer above). This will definitely catch his attention.
Anyway since we are on the subject of punk bands with ambiguously gay names I will retire to some Butthole Surfers. Now *this* song is a classic.
Btw the overall message I got from this post is that you claim your wife is unfamiliar with the meaning of Oi in an English context :-)
Woah woah, let's not go there… I'm still paying for that last diss! ;)
That story of the English guys in Medellin is really depressing. "Supermercado, por favor!" It's really not that hard.
Totally. The story circulated quite quickly at the time because everyone was kind of amazed that people could be so stubbornly determined NOT to learn.
This is so true. The first time I heard "Oi" I was like wtf? Its such a weird thing for Americans to think of being a greeting.
The sad thing is I say this mistakenly to people everywhere..at the gas station, at the convenience store, to my teachers. They do the exact same thing I did and give me a "wtf?" look. I either explain myself or run away. Depends on the mood I'm in.
Abracos,
Alex