Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Xin chào các bạn! Tôi là Linh.
Hello, everyone! Linh is back.
So if you have been studying Vietnamese for a while, I guess that you really want to say something or you want to learn something to amaze native speakers, right and that’s why I made this video today for you to show you how or some ways to impress Vietnamese people.
And then today, let’s get started with our video.
10 Phrases to Amaze Native Speakers.
1. Cảm ơn bạn, nhưng thực ra tôi không phải là một người bản ngữ. "Thank you but I'm not a native speaker actually."
Okay. Let’s start with this one.
Cảm ơn bạn, nhưng thực ra tôi không phải là một người bản ngữ. Got it? Okay, so Cảm ơn bạn is “thank you” nhưng is “but” or “however” and thực ra is “actually” and không phải là một người bản ngữ. So here we have native speakers is người bản ngữ or “local people.” So in the sentence, we can say - Cảm ơn bạn, nhưng thực ra tôi không phải là một người bản ngữ.
So wow, this is really impressive but actually, if you look like foreigners, of course, we know that you are not a native speaker but let’s try because once you say this one, we get that you really try or you’ve been studying really hard Vietnamese and then you can say this one.
So Cảm ơn bạn, nhưng thực ra tôi không phải là một người bản ngữ. "Thank you but I'm not a native speaker actually."
2. Tôi chỉ mất 1 năm để trở nên thành thạo. "It took me only one year to become fluent."
Okay. So try to slow down. Tôi chỉ mất 1 năm để trở nên thành thạo.
You got it.
Tôi chỉ mất 1 năm để trở nên thành thạo.
Okay, so Tôi is “me” and một năm is “one year.” So basically, if you want to say how many years, you can just put the number before the word năm. For example, một năm is “one year”, hai năm is “two years” and ba năm is “three years.”
So in Vietnamese, we don’t have singular or plural words. So, you can just say the noun only, then it’s fine. And “fluent” is thành thạo.
So in a sentence, Tôi chỉ mất 1 năm để trở nên thành thạo. "It took me only one year to become fluent."
Yeah, okay, this one is really impressing because normally foreigners, they have to spend around 5 years or more or less something like that starting Vietnamese and also living or working here in Vietnam to be fluent. But if it took you only one year to become fluent. I have to say that it’s really impressive.
3. Tôi sẽ nói tiếng Việt như người bản địa trong 3 năm tới. "I’ll speak Vietnamese like a native speaker in 3 years."
Next one is, Tôi sẽ nói tiếng Việt như người bản địa trong 3 năm tới. "I’ll speak Vietnamese like a native speaker in 3 years."
Easy, right? I guess that is easy for you because you have been trying so hard to study Vietnamese.
Okay, so ba năm is “three years” as I mentioned a while ago. “One year” is một năm. “two years” is hai năm and “three years” is ba năm. So no singular or no plural. Just năm, then it’s fine for every year or for how many years is up to you. So…
Tôi sẽ nói tiếng Việt như người bản địa trong 3 năm tới.
Yeah, I guess that normally it takes around five years more or less to become native speaker but especially we have to live there and experience the local life as local people but only three years, yeah it’s really fast and you will amaze native speaker for sure.
4. Tôi đã học tiếng Việt 10 năm rồi. "I've been learning Vietnamese for 10 years. "
Tôi đã học tiếng Việt 10 năm rồi. Okay? So if you want to speak as a native speaker, then you are supposed to say quickly. Tôi đã học tiếng Việt 10 năm rồi. Okay?
So here we have tôi is “I” and đã is “something happened in the past.” So in Vietnamese, we don’t have so many past tenses as English but only one word đã you put before the verb, then it’s going to represent for every past tense.
For example, đã học is “I have learned” or “I have been learning” or “I’ve learned” or đã ăn is “I ate” or “I have eaten”.
So remember, just only one word đã before the verb that is going to be the past. So here we have Tôi đã học tiếng Việt 10 năm rồi. Of course, tiếng Việt is Vietnamese language. “Vietnamese,” Tiếng Việt.
So… Tôi đã học tiếng Việt 10 năm rồi.
That means, you’ve been studying Vietnamese and also you’ve been living in Vietnam for quite long and I have to say that if you study Vietnamese for that long, then you are supposed to be a really Vietnamese linguist.
5. Tôi có thể xem phim Việt Nam mà không cần phụ đề. "I can watch Vietnamese movies without subtitles."
Tôi có thể xem phim Việt Nam mà không cần phụ đề.
Okay? So here we have phim Việt Nam is Vietnamese movie. In Vietnamese, we don’t use Vietnamese for the adjective when talking about something that belongs to Vietnam but phim Việt Nam is different. You have to use phim as movie and Việt Nam is Vietnamese. So, phim Việt Nam, Vietnamese movie. Okay. And “without” is không. So basically không is “no” but it also can be used for “without” phụ đề is “subtitle” of course. So Tôi có thể xem phim Việt Nam mà không cần phụ đề is like, “I can watch Vietnamese movie without or no need subtitles” because cần is “need.” So mà không cần is “without.” Okay, so seriously, if you watch movie, Vietnamese movie with subtitle, Vietnamese subtitles and you understand. It’s really impressive of course but if you watch Vietnamese movie without subtitles, I have to say that you really, really, how to say speak Vietnamese like a native speaker, then it’s really amazing.
6. Tôi có thể nhắn tin bằng tiếng Việt có dấu. "I can send text message in Vietnamese with the tone marks."
Okay. So here nhắn tin is “texting” nhắn tin. Tiếng Việt is of course “Vietnamese” and có dấu, dấu. Dấu here is the tone mark, the one that we have in Vietnamese. That also decides the accent of Vietnamese is really strong sometimes and I have questioned my foreign friend that how does Vietnamese sound like when we speak Vietnamese to each other. We Vietnamese speaking Vietnamese to each other and he said that, it sounds like you guys are fighting. Or it’s up down, up down, up down, like this, and he is really funny because I don’t – I have no idea how Vietnamese sounds like when we speak Vietnamese because we get used to it but if you say that - Tôi có thể nhắn tin bằng tiếng Việt có dấu.
So that means, you can not only speak Vietnamese but also you can write really well because the tone mark, I have to say it is not easy to see the difference. Of course, it’s really different but for a foreigner, it is not easy at all.
So, Tôi có thể nhắn tin bằng tiếng Việt có dấu.
Impressive!
7. Tiếng Việt rất thú vị và dễ học. "Vietnamese is fun and easy to learn!"
You got it? So Tiếng Việt is Vietnamese. And, actually, here, sometimes in Vietnamese, we don’t use to be verb like something Vietnamese is or Vietnamese is something, but we can just use word rất.
Rất is “very” or “really”. So this one is going to represent for the to be verb, then you can just use the verb. Use the word rất then it’s fine. So, Tiếng Việt rất thú vị và dễ học.
Thú vị is “fun” or “exciting”. And dễ học is “easy to learn”; dễ is “easy,” học is “learn”. So here we don’t have to use preposition as “to” but only dễ học, then it’s fine. It’s like learning easily, something like that.
So, Tiếng Việt rất thú vị và dễ học.
Okay? So you see Vietnamese is fun. I agree because sometimes in Vietnamese, we don’t have any rule or we don’t have any specific way to express one opinion or one idea but sometimes we use so many ways especially it really depends on your flexibility or your knowledge about Vietnamese or your personality also. So if you want to say that Vietnamese is fun, I guess that is really fun sometimes and I have to say that it’s really challenging but if you say that it’s easy, I don’t think so. But because you say, “Vietnamese is fun and easy”, Tiếng Việt rất thú vị và dễ học, then I have to say that you are really good at it.
8. Ngoài biết tiếng Việt, tôi cũng có thể nói một số ngôn ngữ khác nữa. "Apart from knowing Vietnamese, I can speak a few other languages as well."
Okay, so here we have ngoài, it’s “aside of” or “apart of.” Biết tiếng Việt is “knowing Vietnamese.” Tiếng Việt is “Vietnamese” and cũng is “as well” or “too” or “also.” So you can use cũng for all of them.
tôi cũng có thể... “I also can” or “I can as well”, okay?
nói một số ngôn ngữ khác nữa
Here we have một số ngôn ngữ khác nữa, “some other languages” or “some different languages.”
Okay, so this one I have to say that’s really impressive because not only Vietnamese, but also you can speak other languages. But yeah, I’ve heard that some people, they really enjoy studying languages and once they already can speak one language or two languages, then, we will know about the rule or the grammar, the common things in grammar or the common rules between languages. So, I have to say that if you can speak also other languages, then I think you’re really talented, not only in Vietnamese but any language. So you also hopefully can be a linguist.
Ngoài biết tiếng Việt, tôi cũng có thể nói một số ngôn ngữ khác nữa.
9. Tôi đang tự học tiếng Việt. "I'm learning Vietnamese all by myself."
So here you’ll see the word đang, okay. So đang is representing for the present continuous. So for example, the word đang is representing for the past but đang is representing for present continuous. So you can just put the word đang before the verb, then it’s okay. You don’t have to conjugate the verb anymore. Okay, so Tôi đang tự học tiếng Việt. Of course, Vietnamese is tiếng Việt and tự học is self-study or learning by yourself, okay. So this one is really interesting because I have to say that it’s really hard to find the resources or the document to study Vietnamese online. So if you say that you can study by yourself without any other support or any help, then it’s really, really talented and you are not only good in language but also in analysing because Vietnamese grammar is very difficult.
Tôi đang tự học tiếng Việt.
10. Tôi hoàn toàn hiểu rõ tất cả mọi thứ bạn nói. "I completely understood everything you said."
Okay. So hoàn toàn here is “completely” or “absolutely.” Hoàn toàn.
And hiểu rõ is “understand” or hiểu rõ is “understand clearly”, rõ here is “clear,” “clearly”.
And tất cả mọi thứ is “everything” or you can just use tất cả or mọi thứ, then it’s fine but if you say tất cả mọi thứ then it’s going to be really strong, much stronger than only tất cả. So bạn nói is “what you said” Okay so, “I completely understood everything you said.” Tôi hoàn toàn hiểu rõ tất cả mọi thứ bạn nói.
Okay, it’s done I guess and 10 Phrases to Amaze Native Speakers. 10 Phrases to Amaze Vietnamese People. So I have to say that if you can speak all of this, it’s really talented. Not only you are good in Vietnamese, but also you understand very well about our culture, our music, our tone mark which is not easy to foreigners at all. Here, we have today in this video 10 Phrases to Amaze Native Speakers and thank you very much for watching the video and if you have any questions or recommendations or if you want to study or to learn anything else about Vietnamese especially the language or the culture, just let me know with a comment below.
Thank you so much again and see you next time.

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