Learn idioms referring to comparisons
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Idioms Referring to Comparisons |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to VietnamesePod101.com. I'm John. |
| Nguyet: And I'm Nguyet! |
| John: This is Must-Know Vietnamese Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 22. In this lesson, you'll learn idioms referring to comparisons. |
| John: Using comparisons to describe something is very common in Vietnam. These phrases will help you express yourself in a more interesting way! |
| SLANG EXPRESSIONS |
| John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are: |
| Nguyet: tối như hũ nút |
| Nguyet: tối như đêm 30 |
| Nguyet: Vắng như chùa Bà Đanh |
| Nguyet: nồi đồng cối đá |
| John: Nguyet, what's our first expression? |
| Nguyet: tối như hũ nút |
| John: literally meaning "as dark as in a closed jar." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "pitch dark." |
| Nguyet: [SLOW] tối như hũ nút [NORMAL] tối như hũ nút |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Nguyet: tối như hũ nút |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Use this slang expression to describe a dark night or a very dark place. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Nguyet: [NORMAL] Trong hang tối như hũ nút. Tôi còn không thể nhìn thấy mặt người bên cạnh. [SLOW] Trong hang tối như hũ nút. Tôi còn không thể nhìn thấy mặt người bên cạnh. |
| John: "It's so dark in the cave that I could hardly see the face of the person standing next to me." |
| Nguyet: [NORMAL] Trong hang tối như hũ nút. Tôi còn không thể nhìn thấy mặt người bên cạnh. |
| John: Okay, what's the next expression? |
| Nguyet: tối như đêm 30 |
| John: literally meaning "as dark as New Year's Eve." The number 30 is referring to Dec 30th — the last night of the year. But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "pitch dark." |
| Nguyet: [SLOW] tối như đêm 30 [NORMAL] tối như đêm 30 |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Nguyet: tối như đêm 30 |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Use this slang expression to describe a dark night or a very dark place. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Nguyet: [NORMAL] Mới 9h mà trời đã tối như đêm 30. [SLOW] Mới 9h mà trời đã tối như đêm 30. |
| John: "It's only 9pm and it's already pitch dark outside." |
| Nguyet: [NORMAL] Mới 9h mà trời đã tối như đêm 30. |
| John: Okay, what's our next expression? |
| Nguyet: vắng như chùa Bà Đanh |
| John: literally meaning "as empty as Lady Danh Pagoda." This pagoda used to be located in a deserted area, where not many people were seen around." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "deserted, empty." |
| Nguyet: [SLOW] vắng như chùa Bà Đanh [NORMAL] vắng như chùa Bà Đanh |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Nguyet: vắng như chùa Bà Đanh |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Use this slang expression when you want to talk about an unfrequented place or location or even an event. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Nguyet: [NORMAL] Buổi khai trương sản phẩm ABC chiều hôm qua vắng như chùa Bà Đanh. [SLOW] Buổi khai trương sản phẩm ABC chiều hôm qua vắng như chùa Bà Đanh. |
| John: "There were not many people attending the ABC product launching yesterday." |
| Nguyet: [NORMAL] Buổi khai trương sản phẩm ABC chiều hôm qua vắng như chùa Bà Đanh. |
| John: Okay, what's the last expression? |
| Nguyet: nồi đồng cối đá |
| John: literally meaning "as enduring as a bronze pot and rock mortar." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "enduring, long-wearing, strong." |
| Nguyet: [SLOW] nồi đồng cối đá [NORMAL] nồi đồng cối đá |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Nguyet: nồi đồng cối đá |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Use this slang expression when you want to give a compliment about something being enduring and long lasting. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Nguyet: [NORMAL] Nhà tôi có một chiếc tivi nồi đồng cối đá từ năm 1995. [SLOW] Nhà tôi có một chiếc tivi nồi đồng cối đá từ năm 1995. |
| John: "My family has had an excellently long-lasting TV since 1995." |
| Nguyet: [NORMAL] Nhà tôi có một chiếc tivi nồi đồng cối đá từ năm 1995. |
| QUIZ |
| John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready? |
| John: The darkness in the room reminds you of New Year’s Eve. You say... |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Nguyet: tối như đêm 30 |
| John: "pitch dark" |
| John: You enter a dark corridor and you feel like you’re in a closed space. You say... |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Nguyet: tối như hũ nút |
| John: "pitch dark" |
| John: Your family has been using the same car for over 10 years, it’s... |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Nguyet: nồi đồng cối đá |
| John: "enduring, long-wearing, strong" |
| John: You go to the meeting spot and no one is around. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Nguyet: Vắng như chùa Bà Đanh |
| John: "deserted, empty" |
Outro |
|---|
| John: There you have it; you have mastered four Vietnamese Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at VietnamesePod101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time! |
| Nguyet: Tạm biệt. |
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