Are you planning your trip to Vietnam or have been in Vietnam for a few times? Certainly, you can not speak Vietnamese fluently and understand what they say in a short time. Below is the basic Vietnamese language for travelers who have not known about this amazing language.
Table of Contents
Vietnamese alphabet
A Ă Â B C D Đ E Ê G H I K L M N O Ô Ơ P Q R S T U Ư V X Y
We do not have F J W Z
Personal pronoun
Depend on the relationship of the speaker, the situation of the conversation, the Vietnamese can use different types of pronoun.
While English only use “you” and “I”, Vietnamese have plenty of personal pronoun words to express.
“You”: bạn, mày, cậu, anh, chị, cháu, etc.
“I”: tôi, tớ, tao, mình, em, con, etc.
Vietnamese words and phrases for travelers
Did you know what is the most challenge part when learning the Vietnamese language? It is TONE! The Vietnamese language has 06 tones: rising tone, falling tone, heavy tone, wavy tone, question tone & no tone. Depends on the tone the word will have different meanings. For example:
| WORD | ACCENT | TONE | MEANING |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA | No tone | The ghost | |
| MÁ | / | Raising tone | Mother |
| MÀ | \ | Falling tone | But |
| MẢ | ? | Question tone | Grave |
| MÃ | ~ | Weaving tone | Horse |
| MẠ | . | Heavy tone | Rice seeds |
Non-linking sounds
Unlike English, when speaking Vietnamese you have to pronounce word by word separately. If you link the word, sometimes, it can be a completely different meaning.
Example:
“Cảm ơn” -> “Thank you”, sometimes is spoken as “come on” in English, and the locals will hear as “Câm mồm” -> “Shut up”.
Some Vietnamese words and phrases to know
Hello: Xin chào
Goodbye: Tạm biệt
Thank you: Cảm ơn
Sorry: Xin lỗi
No, thanks: Ồ không
Oh my god: Trời ơi
Excuse me (to younger ones): Em ơi
Excuse me (to older ones): Anh ơi
That’s a lie: Xạo quá
1, 2, 3, cheers: Một, hai, ba, dô
Too expensive: Mắc quá
Coffee with condensed milk: Cà phê sữa đá
Coffee with no sugar: Cà phê không đường
It’s so delicious: Ngon quá
I am so full: No quá
It’s so fun today: Hôm nay vui quá
You are so beautiful: Em đẹp quá
You are so handsome: Anh đẹp trai quá
I love you: Em yêu anh
Funny Vietnamese word combinations
Cash: tiền mặt (money + face)
Cucumber: dưa chuột (melon + mouse)
Brush teeth: đánh răng (hit + tooth)
Sun: mặt trời (face + sky)
Heart-broken: đau lòng (hurt + bowels)
Nervous: sốt ruột (fever + intestines)
Kind: tốt bụng (good + belly)
Warmest Greetings To All from Tracy Do! Talented and experienced Tracy’s team offers Vietnam tours and Vietnam travel services, especially Ho Chi Minh City Day Trips including HO CHI MINH MOTORBIKE TOUR, HO CHI MINH FOOD TOUR, MEKONG DELTA TOUR, CU CHI TUNNELS TOUR, HO CHI MINH TRANSFER SERVICE and SHORE EXCURSION. Let us have a chance to show you Vietnam to the fullest. If you have any questions about Vietnam including Vietnam tours, do not hesitate to contact me.
- Tel (Call/SMS/Whatsapp): (+84) 909190247
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