"Ou bien". [oo bee en]
A beloved and vastly overused phrase by both the Beninese and American volunteers who latch onto its multi-functional personality. It's lovely to find words and phrases in other languages that just really have no equivalent in English--it makes expression all the more accurate and interesting. I probably say it at least 10 times a day (being conservative). The following is an incomplete list of common and acceptable uses of the phrase:
-or (Alright, we can get rice and beans ou bien igname pilée for lunch)
-or better (You could poop on the ground, ou bien *eye squint* you could use that latrine we built for you)
-or whatever (If it's cheaper we could double zem, ou bien)
-Or not... (-You want to be the 11th adult in this taxi don't you? -Ou bien...)
-Want to? (*Person points to bar sign* Ou bien? *with head tilt*)
-Am I right?! (This is the hottest day in the world's history, ou bien?!)
-Are you sure? (You can get me to the next village without crashing? Ou bien?)
-Absolutely not/Get away from me (-You will come to be my wife? -Ou bien)
-This is the best idea ever!! (We should buy this huge coffee mugs! Ou bien!)
Inflection and facial expressions are key for correctly determining the applied use of the phrase. Either way, you should try this at home.
