2006-08-09 07:18:59 · 39 answers · asked by pussykat.1983 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
In Portuguese, especially in Brazil, the word "Oi" is the most common and popular way of greeting people. It has the same meaning as "Hi" in English.
2006-08-09 07:23:18 · answer #1 · answered by das.ganesh 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Here are the various meaning for "Oi" in various languages:
1) Hello
2) Hey there
3) Yes
4) A british slang word used to get someone's attention
5) In swedish oi is used to express surprise
6) In Polish oi or oj is means "oh dear"..or "oh god"
In most cases oi is just a short form of Hoi..
Hope this helped :D
2006-08-09 07:26:39 · answer #2 · answered by Smiling_angel 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can mean several things depending on the context. Here are some examples: 1. A punk expression meaning "hey" or "right!". Just a celabratory or excited expression. 2. It also can be used in the expression "Oi vey" which is Yiddish or something like "oh my" or "oh boy". 3. An acronym for thing such as "office intterface", "Osteogenesis Imperfecta" (brittle bone disease) and other such things.
2006-08-09 07:27:38 · answer #3 · answered by green_eyedgirl81 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oi is just an exclamation that's popular in Britain, and for the record, oui is yes in French, not Oi.
2006-08-09 07:24:08 · answer #4 · answered by Yahooligan! 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HAHAHA that's so funny the people that said it means yes in french.... you must be Americans. That would be "oui"...
I though "Oi!" was something older jewish women said alot...
but a lot of other people say it too... its kind of an exasperated expression... "Oi... what am I going to do with you?" Kind of thing..
2006-08-09 07:26:01 · answer #5 · answered by BringBackTheBeats 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. It's like "hey" in the UK. You could get someone's attention by yelling, "oi!" or "oi, you!"
2. It's a type of music, a street-level offshoot of punk. It's simple with sing-along choruses and is usually about beer, drinking, hanging out with friends, or working class pride. It's enjoyed by punks, (nonracist) skinheads, etc. It's not white power or any of that crap.
2006-08-09 07:24:32 · answer #6 · answered by effin drunk 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, yes in french is "oui", not "oi"
It can mean hello in portuguese.
I know it has some kind of connection with skating/punk but I have no clue what.
2006-08-09 07:23:32 · answer #7 · answered by green-aly-gator 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the Caribbean, if someone calls out to you and do not know your name the say 'oi".
2006-08-09 08:00:16 · answer #8 · answered by daisy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What I miss in all those answeres, is the skinhead use of the word, which is probably where you heard it. A lot of skinheads in Germany and the UK use Oï (German) or Oi (Brittish) to get someones attention and to express some kine of brotherhood between skinheads.
2006-08-09 10:11:11 · answer #9 · answered by leatherbiker040 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not French for "yes". That's "Oui."
Oi is said to be a corruption of "hoy" which was an expression to attract attention (possibly a corruption of "Ahoy"). It is used primarily in British English in this way, and in the Jewish population, it's an expression of worry - although it's spelled "Oy as in "Oy vey".
2006-08-09 07:26:00 · answer #10 · answered by pynkbyrd 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋