ui-di

Macanese

Alternative forms

• ui di, ui-de, uí-di

Etymology

ui derives from Portuguese ui (“interjection commenting on a close call”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈuj.di/

Adverb

ui-di

1. very, extremely, such a

   Synonym: (not as strong) muto

   ui-di fácil fazê ― very easy to do

   comizaina ui-di sabroso ― very tasty food

   Uí-di sim! ― Very good! (literally, “Very yes!”)

   Ui-di tanto bronco aquí

   This place is full of idiots

   (literally, “Very many idiots here”)

   Aia, êle ui-di chico

   He is such a gossip

   João capaz, António muito capaz, mas José — ui de capaz!

   João is smart, António is very smart, but José — extremely smart!

Usage notes

• ui is rarely used outside of this term.
• May be used to describe a degree greater than muto.

References

• https://www.macaneselibrary.org/pub/english/uipatua.htm#u
• Batalha, Graciete Nogueira (1988) “ui”, in Glossário do dialecto macaense: notas linguísticas, etnográficas e folclóricas [Glossary of the Macanese dialect: linguistic, ethnographic and folkloric notes], Macau: Instituto Cultural de Macau, page 76