Learn some phrases your professor won't teach you
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Giang: Hi everyone! Welcome back to VietnamesePod101.com. I’m Giang. |
| Jason: And I’m Jason. This is the All About series, lesson 13 Top 5 Phrases your Teacher Will Never Teach You. |
| Giang: I'm telling you right now, this lesson is really fun! |
| Jason: That’s because we'll go over some phrases your teacher might not teach you! |
| Giang: Now we don't want you to get the wrong idea. You won't find any swear words or anything here! |
| Jason: No, they are conversational phrases that may only be learned in daily life, rather than from books. |
| Giang: These are words that you will encounter EVERY DAY in Vietnam. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Jason: Yeah, they are that common. The first word we’ll go over is... |
| Giang: "Đợi chút nhé!." The entire phrase means “wait a minute”. “đợi chút” is the same as “wait a minute” or “wait a moment”. “Nhé” is an interjection added at the end of a sentence to make it more melodic and intimate. |
| Jason: This kind of interjection is used very frequently in daily Vietnamese. |
| Giang: That’s right. Now pay attention to the tones. “Đợi” is the heavy falling tone, while “chút” and “nhé” are the high rising tone. |
| Jason: The whole phrase, again, is... |
| Giang: “Đợi chút nhé!” |
| Jason: Our next phrase is… |
| Giang: "Chuyện gì thế? " |
| Jason: Literally this is translated as “What happens?” or “What’s up?”. It can also mean “what is happening here?” Use it when you feel something is wrong, and you want to ask someone to confirm what it is. |
| Giang: It can also be used to reply to someone suddenly wanting your attention. For example, if a friend suddenly calls me “Giang ơi”, which means “Hey Giang”, then I can reply with “Chuyện gì thế?”. Literally, “What’s up? or What do you need me for?” |
| Jason: Listen again for a better sense of the tones. |
| Giang: “Chuyện gì thế?” |
| Jason: What's our next phrase? |
| Giang: "Tuyệt" or “Tuyệt quá” |
| Jason: This is quite similar to the English “cool” and is used the same way too. |
| Giang: Yes, it is used to compliment something that is very good or great or to respond to good news. |
| Jason: Let’s hear an example. If your friend says “I have just been promoted. Let’s go celebrate.”, then your reply is... |
| Giang: Tuyệt! or Tuyệt quá |
| Jason: You will definitely surprise Vietnamese people with this response. A very fun phrase, so remember it! |
| Giang: Right. And our next phrase is “Thật không?” |
| Jason: It means the same as “Seriously?” or “Are you serious?” |
| Giang: Yes, use it to respond when you can’t believe what you’re hearing and need confirmation. |
| Jason: This word has more or less the same usage as in English. |
| Giang: Again, “Thật không?” Another more slang-y version of this is “Thật á!?” “Thật á!” is more informal and show a higher level of astonishment. |
| Jason: What's our last phrase? |
| Giang: "Đúng không?" |
| Jason: This is the Vietnamese way of saying; “Right!?” |
| Giang: It can be used to ask for someone’s confirmation or agreement on a matter |
| Jason: A good example is “We have a day off tomorrow, right?” |
| Giang: In Vietnamese “Mai được nghỉ, đúng không?” “Mai” means “tomorrow”, “được nghỉ” means “have a day off” and “đúng không” means “right?” as in the question. |
| Jason: But there’s another phrase that can be used interchangeably with this one, right? |
| Giang: True. It is “phải không”. Anyway, it is a bit more difficult for learners to pronounce, so just stick to the one we explained earlier “đúng không?” |
Outro |
| Jason: All right, all these phrases are good to know. |
| Giang: Yeah, even if you don't use them, just knowing them for when you come across them is good enough. |
| Jason: And believe us, you'll come across them at some point! |
| Giang: Well, that's it for this lesson! Tạm biệt. |
| Jason: Bye everyone! |
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