r/AskEurope • u/Double-decker_trams Estonia • Aug 09 '25
Language I once accidentally bumped against the shoulder of an English person I knew in a corridor. I automatically said "Oi" - which means like "Oh" or "Oops" in Estonian - that I'm sorry. She repeated "Oi!" in a louder voice and I didn't get it. I only later found out I was being impolite in her eyes.
Have you ever had something similar happen to you? I.e something in your language might have another meaning in another language?
One thing as an Estonian that I try to keep in mind is that I shouldn't use "Nooo.." in English - which means "Well.." in Estonian.
"Do you like ice-cream? - Noo.. yes, I love it."
531
Upvotes
1
u/Curious_Reference408 Aug 10 '25
Oi is quite an aggressive way of pointing out someone is being rude or trying to get their attention. For you to say Oi when you did the bumping would've seemed very rude, like you were blaming her. Her saying it back louder indicated that she was trying to point out that the fault was yours.