Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

Introduction
Eric: Welcome to 3-Minute Vietnamese Season 1, Lesson 10 - Asking How Much Something Costs. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask how much something costs in Vietnamese.
Body
Eric: Here's the formal way to ask "How much does this cost?" in Vietnamese.
Hoang Anh: [Normal] Cái này bao nhiêu tiền vậy?
Eric: First is a noun meaning "this"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] cái này [Slow] cái này
Eric: Next is the phrase meaning "how many, how much"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] bao nhiêu [Slow] bao nhiêu
Eric: Next is the noun meaning "money"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] tiền [Slow] tiền
Eric: Last is the sentence-ending particle.
Hoang Anh: [Normal] vậy [Slow] vậy
Eric: Note the rising intonation. Listen again to the formal question meaning "How much does this cost?"
Hoang Anh: [Slow] Cái này bao nhiêu tiền vậy? [Normal] Cái này bao nhiêu tiền vậy?
Eric: Now, imagine you're speaking to a stranger. Here's the informal way to ask, "How much does this cost?"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] Cái này bao nhiêu?
Eric: First is a word meaning "this"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] cái này [Slow] cái này
Eric: Last is the phrase meaning "how many, how much"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] bao nhiêu [Slow] bao nhiêu
Eric: Note again the rising intonation. Listen again to the informal question meaning "How much does this cost?"
Hoang Anh: [Slow] Cái này bao nhiêu? [Normal] Cái này bao nhiêu?
Eric: Here's a response meaning "OK, I'll take it."
Hoang Anh: [Normal] Được, tôi lấy cái này.
Eric: First is an adjective meaning "fine” or “okay"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] Được [Slow] Được
Eric: Next is the pronoun meaning "I"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] tôi [Slow] tôi
Eric: Next is the verb meaning "to take"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] lấy [Slow] lấy
Eric: Last is the word meaning "this"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] cái này [Slow] cái này
Eric: Listen again to the response meaning "OK, I'll take it."
Hoang Anh: [Slow] Được, tôi lấy cái này. [Normal] Được, tôi lấy cái này.
Eric: Here's a response meaning, "No, thanks. it's too expensive."
Hoang Anh: [Normal] Không, cảm ơn. Nó đắt quá.
Eric: First is an expression meaning "No, thanks."
Hoang Anh: [Normal] Không, cảm ơn. [Slow] Không, cảm ơn.
Eric: Next is the pronoun meaning "it"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] nó [Slow] nó
Eric: Next is the adjective meaning "expensive"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] đắt [Slow] đắt
Eric: Last is the adverb meaning "too"
Hoang Anh: [Normal] quá [Slow] quá
Eric: Listen again to the response meaning "No, thanks. it's too expensive."
Hoang Anh: [Slow] Không, cảm ơn. Nó đắt quá. [Normal] Không, cảm ơn. Nó đắt quá.
Cultural Insight
Eric: Now it's time for a quick cultural insight.
Hoang Anh: At outdoor markets in Vietnam, you'll notice there's no price tags - you have to ask the cost and bargain for better deals. Bargaining isn’t easy even for locals, but it can be a fun experience. Try saying: Đắt quá. Giảm giá chút đi. meaning “Too expensive. Please reduce the price a little.” You may not get a better deal, but at least it shows them you won’t be ripped off easily.

Outro

Eric: And that’s all for this lesson. Don’t forget to check out the lesson notes, and we’ll see you in the next lesson!
Hoang Anh: Tạm biệt.

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