“Ấy” – The Most Useful Word in Vietnamese
The Vietnamese word “ấy” is a versatile and useful word in Vietnam. It is like the English catch-all word “thing”. But, it also has a lot of other uses.
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The Vietnamese word “ấy” is a versatile and useful word in Vietnam. It is like the English catch-all word “thing”. But, it also has a lot of other uses.
The most common Anglicized pronunciation of the Vietnamese family-name Ngô is “No/Know”. However, the correct pronunciation requires some careful study of the VIetnamese “ng” sound.
The Vietnamese word Nha is like the Vietnamese equivalent of the Canadian “… eh?” or “… okay?” It transform an imperative statement into a question. It is cute and casual.
The meaning, pronunciation, and history behind Vietnam’s most popular family, such as Nguyễn, Ngô, Hồ, Trần, Dương and more, including Audio.
If you want vegetarian food at a Vietnamese restaurant, just say “Ăn chay“, which is Vietnamese for “I am vegetarian”. Vietnam is great for Vegetarians.
The Vietnamese letter g is pronounced like “g” as in “goat”, when it is followed by any vowel other than i. “Gi” is pronounced like “z” as in “zebra”, or like “yuh” in the Southern dialect.
Xin Chao is the most generic way to say “Hello” in Vietnamese. It can be used with everyone (formal or informal). There are many other ways to greet people in Vietnam, most of which depend on your age and sex.
The “ng” sound (ŋ) is not an n-sound, nor a g-sound. In English, it occurs at the end of “-ing” words, like running, talking, and writing. If you listen carefully, you can hear that ng really deserves its own unique character, being entirely unrelated to both “n” and “g”. Use our trick to train your tongue to correctly pronounce the Vietnamese ng-sound.
“Việt Nam” means “People of the South”, where “south” is in reference to the South-East Asian continent, especially south of China. Nam is likely of Chinese origin from “Annam” for the “pacified south”. Listen to audio for the correct pronunciation of Vietnam.
Learn Vietnamese with these 8 free mobile apps. Beginners should start with fun gamefied apps like Mondly or Ling. Intermediate learners can move to apps that focus more on grammar lessons and a wider variety of expressions.
Phở can be Anglicized to “phuh”. But, ở must be spoken with a peculiar pitch-dynamic: it first descends, then rises. If not done correctly, you may say something naughty
“Anh ơi” means “Hey, excuse me Mister”, but only for males with 15 years of your age. Vietnamese has complex pronoun rules based on age.
In Vietnamese, the past, present and future tenses are distinguished by 3 modifiers: đã, đang, and sẽ. Listen to examples of tense construction.
If you are a foreigner shopping in Vietnam, you are guaranteed to be quoted outrageously prices. You need to learn this simple phrase
The way to say “I am sorry” is “Xin lỗi”. However, it can’t be used in the same way as in English — learn more about Vietnamese manners.
15 key expressions that are important for survival in Vietnam — and also serve as great mini-lessons to study Vietnamese grammar. From “give me my passport” to “I am sick”
Best free online resources to learn Vietnamese, for beginners. The list includes courses, apps, podcasts, and language exchange websites.
Chùa is a Buddhist place of worship (i.e., a Pagoda). They can be ancient places, or carnival-esque amusement parks. However, “Chúa” means Jesus Christ.
“Ăn com chưa?” literally means “have you eaten yet?”, but what Vietnamese friends really mean is “How are you doing?”
If you sit in any cafe, you will hear shouts of “Em ơi!” every few minutes. It is the tip of the iceberg of an entire system of politeness in Vietnam.