Learn the top five phrases teachers want to hear
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Giang: Hi, everyone, and welcome back to VietnamesePod101.com! I’m Giang. |
| Jason: And I’m Jason. This is the All About series, lesson 15 – Top 5 Vietnamese Phrases from the Hosts. In this lesson, we'll go over our top five favorite phrases! We chose phrases that we find useful or interesting and that are used a lot in Vietnam. |
| Giang: That's right. And you will learn the most natural way to say them. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Jason: So, what’s the first phrase? |
| Giang: Dạo này khỏe không? or Dạo này thế nào? |
| Jason: What do they mean? |
| Giang: They mean “how are you doing”. The first phrase “Dạo này khỏe không?” literally means “Are you feeling good these days?” The second phrase “Dạo này thế nào?” means exactly as “How are you doing” or “How’s everything”? |
| Jason: Which one is more common? |
| Giang: You can use both. The first one “Dạo này khỏe không?” refers more to health, while “Dạo này thế nào?” asks about everything in general. |
| Jason: Are these slang? |
| Giang: No, but they’re a little too casual for a business meeting. You’d only want to use them with someone who is around your age. Otherwise it comes off as too informal and not polite enough. |
| Jason: Ok, great! What about the next one? |
| Giang: Tôi vẫn khỏe/ or Tôi vẫn ổn. |
| Jason: And what do these mean? |
| Giang: These phrases are the answers to the above two questions. “Tôi vẫn khỏe” means “I’m still fine”, and mainly refers to health and “Tôi vẫn ổn” means “I’m doing ok” or “Everything is ok”. |
| Jason: Let’s combine the question and answer. |
| Giang: The question is “Dạo này khỏe không?” - “How are you?” and the answer is “Tôi vẫn khỏe” - “I’m still fine.” |
| Jason: And the other pair... |
| Giang: The question “Dạo này thế nào?” - “How is everything?” And the answer is “Tôi vẫn ổn” - “I’m doing ok.” |
| Jason: Now, let’s continue with the next phrase. What is it? |
| Giang: "ở đâu” , which means “where” |
| Jason: It is a useful phrase, short, concise, and easy to use, and you normally use it for things you are having difficulty finding. Note, though, that the order of words in the Vietnamese question is opposite to the English order. |
| Giang: Right. “ở đâu” comes AFTER the item in Vietnamese. For example, Bưu điện means post office, and so “Where is the post office?” in Vietnamese is...Bưu điện ở đâu? |
| Jason: All right. And our next phrase is... |
| Giang: Trời ơi! |
| Jason: Which means? |
| Giang: “Oh my god”. You’ll say it when something unfavorable happens and it’s like the start of a complaint. It’s a very common phrase in daily Vietnamese. |
| Jason: This is a very fun phrase. Vietnamese people would be totally surprised if they heard you say this. |
| Giang: Yeah. You can hear it everyday when you go to Vietnam. |
| Jason: So, what is our last phrase? |
| Giang: “Tất nhiên rồi”. |
| Jason: Ah, I know this. This is another way to say “yes” to a question and it is used in the same way as “Sure” in English. It shows that you willingly and happily agree to the question. |
| Giang: That’s right. |
| Jason: For example, you can use it when replying to an invitation to go to the cinema. The entire question is... |
| Giang: “Tôi nay đi xem phim chứ?”... |
| Jason: “Shall we go to the cinema tonight?”. Then you reply with... |
| Giang: “Tất nhiên rồi.”... |
| Jason: “Sure, why not?” Great. So, can we wrap up this lesson here? |
| Giang: Tất nhiên rồi! |
Outro |
| Jason: So there you have it! Five phrases that we find really useful that we have now passed on to you! Try using them the next time you have a conversation in Vietnamese! |
| Giang: And this is the end of our All About series! We hope you all enjoyed these lessons. |
| Jason: Don’t forget to visit Vietnamesepod101.com and check out our other series, like Basic Boot Camp, Absolute Beginner, Pronunciation, and Survival Phrases. Bye everyone! |
| Giang: Bye in Vietnamese |
Comments
Hide