Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Becky: Hi everyone. I’m Becky. Welcome back to VietnamesePod101.com This is the Absolute Beginner series, Season 1, Lesson 5 - Saying Thanks in Vietnamese.
Huyen: Xin chào! I’m Huyen.
Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say thank you in Vietnamese. The conversation takes place at a university and is between An and the waiter.
Huyen: They are meeting each other for the first time, therefore, they’ll be speaking formal Vietnamese.
Becky: Let’s listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Waiter: Cà phê của chị đây.
An: Cảm ơn.
Waiter: Không có gì.
(At the cashier)
Waiter: Của chị 15 nghìn.
An: Gửi anh.
Waiter: Xin cảm ơn.
Waiter: Here's your coffee.
An: Thank you.
Waiter: You're welcome.
(At the cashier)
Waiter: 15,000 VND please.
An: Here you are.
Waiter: Thank you.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Becky: Huyen, do you often go to cafes?
Huyen: Yes, that’s my most favorite activity in my free time.
Becky: Is that popular in Vietnam too?
Huyen: Very popular. Nowadays, it’s very easy to find a cafe with free wifi anywhere in Vietnam.
Becky: I heard that Vietnamese people go to cafes for fun with friends, for a place to work by themselves, or even for business meetings. When is the most crowded time at those places?
Huyen: During the lunchtime or after office hours.
Becky: I guess these places are getting more popular because people can find a place to eat and drink and use free internet at the same time with reasonable prices.
Huyen: That’s right. Have you ever tried Vietnamese coffee?
Becky: Yes, I love it! Vietnamese coffee has a special taste which is popular among foreigners. I especially like the milk coffee. Vietnamese milk coffee is made by mixing condensed milk with coffee rather than fresh milk, so it’s a favourite drink of those who like sweets.
Huyen: In Vietnamese, “milk coffee” is Nâu sữa or Cà phê sữa.
Becky: So try one if you get a chance, listeners. Becky:So try one if you get a chance, listeners. Okay, now let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.
Vocabulary
Becky: The first word we shall see is,
Huyen: cà phê
Becky:coffee
Huyen: cà phê, cà phê
Becky: Next
Huyen: của
Becky: of
Huyen: của, của
Becky: Next
Huyen: đây
Becky:here
Huyen: đây, đây
Becky:Next
Huyen: cảm ơn
Becky:Thank you
Huyen: cảm ơn, cảm ơn
Becky:Next
Huyen: không có gì
Becky:You're welcome
Huyen: không có gì, không có gì
Becky:Next
Huyen: nghìn
Becky: thousand, thousand dong
Huyen: nghìn, nghìn
Becky:Next
Huyen:gửi anh
Becky:Here you are, formal when addressing a man.
Huyen: gửi anh, gửi anh
Becky:And last
Huyen: xin cảm ơn
Becky:Thank you, formal.
Huyen: xin cảm ơn, xin cảm ơn
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Becky: Okay, Let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is....
Huyen: ...Của.
Becky: This word means “Of”. This is the preposition showing possession. A phrase showing possession is composed of a main noun...
Huyen: ...followed by của...
Becky: ...and finally a noun or pronoun referring to the person who owns the noun at the first person.
Huyen: For example, sách của tôi, literally “book of me”, means “my book”.
Becky: In the dialogue, we hear...
Huyen: ...Cà phê của bạn.
Becky: This means “your coffee”.
Huyen: Next, we have Gửi anh...
Becky: ...meaning “Here you are” in a formal situation.
Huyen: Gửi anh is a polite phrase to use when you give someone something.
Becky: It can be translated as “let me give you” and can be used alone or followed by the thing you want to give.
Huyen: The pronoun anh, as we learned, is used when speaking to a man.
Becky: So depending on the person you are talking with, you use…
Huyen: ...gửi
Becky: and the pronoun referring to the other person plus the thing, which is optional. For example:
Huyen: Gửi chị hóa đơn.
Becky: “Here is your receipt.” This is being said to a woman.
Huyen: The pronoun here is chi
Okay, now onto the grammar.
GRAMMAR POINT
Becky: In this lesson you’ll learn how to say “thank you” in Vietnamese.
Huyen: Cảm ơn. Cảm means “to appreciate” and ơn means “favor” or “help”.
Becky: It can be understood as “I appreciate your favor” or “your help”. When someone says “thank you” to you, reply with...
Huyen: ...Không có gì, which literally means “not at all”.
Becky: But it of course can be understood as “you’re welcome”. How can we make this phrase more formal?
Huyen: You say Xin cảm ơn. Xin means “please”.
Becky: But in this case the whole phrase can be translated as “Let me give my thanks”. The reply to this phrase is also...
Huyen: ...Không có gì. In the dialogue, An said Cảm ơn when the waiter brought her coffee.
Becky: And the waiter replied...
Huyen: Không có gì.
Becky: And when An paid the bill, the waiter said:
Huyen: Xin cảm ơn, which is more polite.
Becky: Let’s hear another example.
Huyen: Cảm ơn bạn đã giúp đỡ.
Becky: “Thank you for your help.”
Huyen: Xin cảm ơn đã đón tiếp.
Becky: “Thank you for your welcome.” If you want to say “thank you very much”, add the phrase...
Huyen: ...rất nhiều…
Becky: ...which means “very much”. The whole phrase, then, will be…
Huyen: ...Cảm ơn rất nhiều.
Becky: To make it more formal, you can say...
Huyen: Xin cảm ơn rất nhiều.
Becky: I heard that there’s another way to say “thank you” in informal Vietnamese. What is it?
Huyen: True. In daily conversation, Vietnamese people are more likely to say cám ơn instead of cảm ơn. The first word cám has a rising tone which makes cám ơn easier to pronounce. Once more, cám ơn, cảm ơn

Outro

Becky: Okay, that’s it for this lesson. For more detailed explanation and examples, please check the accompanying PDF lessonnotes.
Huyen: We hope you have enjoyed this lesson.
Becky: Goodbye and see you next time.
Huyen: Tạm biệt!

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