Meeting people in Vietnamese
How are you, what is your name, where are you from, I like it: the first five minutes. Play the ten Vietnamese words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Vietnamese phrases in this lesson
- Bạn có khỏe không?bahn koh KHWEH khong
- How are you?
- Tôi khỏe, cảm ơntoy KHWEH gahm UHN
- I'm fine, thanks
- Còn bạn?kon BAHN
- And you?
- Bạn tên là gì?bahn TEN la ZEE
- What's your name?
- Tôi tên là...toy TEN la
- My name is...
- Bạn từ đâu đến?bahn too DOW den
- Where are you from?
- Tôi đến từ...toy DEN too
- I'm from...
- Tôi thích lắmtoy TICK lahm
- I like it
- Đẹp quádep KWAH
- It's beautiful
- Mời vàomuh-ee VOW
- Welcome
Literally "are you healthy?". Swap bạn for anh (to an older man) or chị (to an older woman). Friends drop the có: "khỏe không?".
Khỏe means healthy or well. "Tôi khỏe lắm" is very well. Vietnamese does not need elaborate answers.
Còn turns the question around. Use the same pronoun you used before: "còn anh?", "còn chị?".
Literally "you name is what?". Expect follow-up questions about your age, which decides which pronouns everyone uses.
"Tôi tên là Anna". Vietnamese names put the family name first, and people are called by the last part of their name.
Literally "you from where come?". A common opener in taxis, cafes and on trains.
"Tôi đến từ Úc" (Australia), "từ Mỹ" (America), "từ Anh" (England). Or say "Tôi là người..." (I am a person of...) plus the country.
Literally "I like it very much". Thích is like, and "không thích" is do not like.
Đẹp is beautiful, for a view, a city or a person. Vietnamese are proud of places like Hạ Long Bay and Hội An, and this lands warmly.
Literally "please come in", what a shopkeeper or host says as you arrive. Reply with a smile and "cảm ơn". On signs you will see "chào mừng" (chow MUNG), welcome.