Today we take a look at this short and interesting word Oyigbo!
according to Trecani, Oyigbo (also write Oyigbo (with “h”), is an interjection of onomatopoeic origin used to express a range of emotions, including indignation, disgust, contempt, surprise, and disapproval. Some possible translations include oh, Excellent, Oh my god, damn it and OMG.
You won't hear this exclamation point very often in spoken Italian, but once you start reading Italian (especially children's storybooks), you'll encounter it often.
Oh, I didn’t expect to see him today.
God, I didn’t expect to see him today.
Sometimes you'll see it used as an expression of contempt or resentment of rejection or denial. It can also be used sarcastically or as a joke.
Obo, I would never do anything like that!
No, I would never do anything like that!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honors in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, fluent in English and Italian, as well as varying degrees of fluency in Japanese, Welsh and French. Originally from Toronto, Heather has lived in several countries, notably Italy for six years. Her main research areas are language acquisition, education and bilingual teaching.
