LinguaWhat this unit gave you
One idea runs through all three lessons: a Vietnamese greeting is never a single word. chào, cảm ơn and xin lỗi are verbs, and each of them names the person in front of you with an address word – anh, chị, em, cô, bạn. Politeness is added at the end with ạ, not with a magic word for please.
| Situation | What you say |
|---|---|
| meeting a man a little older than you | Chào anh. |
| greeting a whole group | Xin chào các bạn. |
| a pupil greeting a female teacher | Em chào cô ạ. |
| leaving | Tạm biệt anh. |
| closing a meeting warmly | Hẹn gặp lại chị. |
A yes-or-no question puts the word you ask about between có and không, and the answer repeats that word instead of saying yes: Tôi khỏe. Put không in front of it to deny: Tôi không khỏe. The honest middle answer is Bình thường.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Anh có khỏe không? | Cảm ơn anh, tôi khỏe. |
| Chị có mệt không? | Tôi không mệt. |
| Bạn có khỏe không? | Bình thường. |
Thanks and apologies are built the same way as greetings – formula plus address word – but they are answered differently. Thanks gets Không có gì; an apology gets Không sao. Learners mix these two more often than anything else in the unit.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ạ | politeness at the end of a sentence |
| có ... không | the yes-or-no question frame |
| không có gì | the reply to thanks |
| không sao | the reply to an apology |
| dạ | respect placed before an answer |
Em chào cô ạ.Hello (politely, to a female teacher).
If you remember only one thing from this unit, remember that the choice of address word is the whole of politeness. Get anh, chị, em and cô right and a plain sentence sounds respectful; get them wrong and no extra word will save it.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| chào | to greet | Em chào anh ạ. Hello (politely, from a younger person to an older man). |
| xin chào | hello (polite) | Xin chào cô. Hello (to a woman of your parents' age). |
| ạ | polite final particle | Dạ, em cảm ơn cô ạ. Thank you (respectfully, a pupil to a female teacher). |
| khỏe | well; in good health | Chị Lan rất khỏe. Lan is very well. |
| bình thường | so-so; as usual | Tôi vẫn bình thường. I'm the same as always. |
| cảm ơn | to thank; thank you | Cảm ơn bạn nhiều. Thank you very much (to someone your own age). |
| xin lỗi | sorry; excuse me | Xin lỗi anh, tôi mệt. I'm sorry, I'm tired. |
| không có gì | you are welcome | Vâng, không có gì. Yes, you're welcome. |
| tạm biệt | goodbye | Tạm biệt các bạn. Goodbye, everyone. |
Exercises
This lesson has 11 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 4
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which sentence would a pupil say to her female teacher?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.