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Why Mineiros Never Miss The Train

Why Mineiros Never Miss The Train

posted on April 29, 2011


(Source)

From their artisan cheese to their coffee and cachaça, Mineiros (residents of Minas Gerais) are well-known throughout Brazil for their food and drink. Their habits extend to not only what goes into their mouth, but what comes out of it. Let’s take a little look at two terms that Mineiros made famous: uai and trem.

Uai

There are three explanations for “uai”. The first says it derives from the 1800’s when the English built the railways in Minas, though the idea that Brits frequently said “why” as a catchphrase just doesn’t add up. The second explanation says that at the time of the Mineiro Uprising, the way to enter a conspirator’s hideout was via three knocks and the word UAI, which meant Union, Love and Independence (União, Amor e Independência). The last and, what I consider to be the most likely, is that “uai” is just a mutation of the common Paulista exclamation, “ué”.

An uncomplicated explanation of the term would simply be, “uai é uai, uai!” Agreed, uai is uai…unless, of course, you happen to be an English teacher in Minas Gerais, never knowing if your students are asking “why?” or saying “uai”.

Trem

Together with “uai”, the word “trem” (train) is frequently used by people from Minas. The origin is said to be connected, once more, with the era of the construction of the railways in the state. Being that a locomotive train was completely new to most Mineiros, they began to associate them with vehicles that transported their goods. Eventually, the word was used more to speak of the goods and objects the train carried and not solely the railroad cars themselves. In this sense, it is easy to imagine how “trem” came to signify any and every object, despite if it were being transported on a train or not.

As to the question of why Mineiros never miss the train, the answer is they never miss it because they always take it with them wherever they go!

Watch and learn
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJhFdX3im2o]

Other articles you might like:

  • 5 Slangs I Learned in Porto Alegre
  • Why I Moved to Brazil to Teach English
  • Pó pô pó? – Asking for coffee in Minas Gerais, Brazil

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About Adam Lee

Adam is a writer and a researcher who has studied Brazilian culture for over a decade and created several Brazil-themed blogs going back to 2008. Having taught himself Portuguese, he put it to practical use by spending three years doing Brazil on a budget (and living in favelas), from Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon.

He now resides in Lisbon, Portugal, developing a startup and dreaming about having a beachside B&B in the Northeast of Brazil.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura Fenton

    November 21, 2015 at 10:10 am

    I wonder if the English railway workers were Geordies, i.e. from the North East of England, where ‘why ai’ is a common expression, and it mutated over time.

    Reply
    • Luciana Lage

      November 22, 2015 at 4:13 am

      That’s a good question

      Reply
    • sidney

      January 4, 2022 at 12:54 pm

      I dont think so unless tour from Ashington

      Reply
  2. Adam Lee

    April 30, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    Ah, for anyone still wondering what ‘uai’ means. It’s just an interjection to add emphasis to what goes before it or after it. Though I have the meaning in my head, it’s proving tough to put it in words. It’s best to wait until someone uses it. After a few uses, you’ll understand a lot better what its use is.

    The Aurelio (most famous dictionary) gives the following example.

    "- Vamos matar o bicho, conhecido? | – Não, senhor, eu não tenho costume – respondeu o outro. | – Uai! Costume a gente pega."

    Reply

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