Lesson Notes

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Grammar

The focus of this lesson is Self Introduction in Vietnamese

Topic 1: How to introduce yourself in an informal situation

 

Sentence from the lesson:
 Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Rất vui được làm quen với bạn.
"Hi, I'm Giang. Nice to meet you."


  2. Start by saying Xin chào. Xin chào means "Hi" or "hello" and it is used in both formal and informal situations. It can also be used at any time of the day. Though the equivalents of "good morning, good afternoon" and "good evening" do exist, Vietnamese people don't normally use them in their daily conversation. So you have to remember only two words Xin chào.
  3. Say Tôi là and your name. Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Tôi là ... is similar to "I am" and you simply need to add your name to this. Using Tôi là + "your name" is neutral and sounds ok in any circumstances.
  4. You say Rất vui được làm quen với bạn. Rất vui means "I'm very happy" and được làm quen với bạn means "to get to know you." or "to get acquainted with you." Vietnamese people usually look forward to a closer relationship in the future, so they tend to say "I'm happy to get to know you" rather than just "I'm happy to meet you."



Topic 2: How to introduce yourself in a formal situation

Sentence from the lesson:
 Xin chào. Tôi tên là Giang. Rất hân hạnh được làm quen với bạn.
"Hi, I'm Giang. Nice to meet you. "

  1. The word Xin chào doesn't change.
  2. The way you say your name is longer. One more word is added Tôi tên là instead of Tôi là. So instead of saying "I am," you say, "My name is...." Tôi tên là Giang: "My name is Giang."
  3. The last sentence: Rất hân hạnh được làm quen với bạn. means "It's my pleasure to get to know you." So hân hạnh means "my pleasure." It should be noted that the formal way is mostly used in business situations, rather than in daily conversations. So unless you go to Vietnam for business, it is advisable that you stick to the previous introduction.

 

Language Tip

Vietnamese people are not familiar with personal touches when meeting each other. So kissing or hugging is not recommended though business people and male friends do shake hands when they meet. For the first meeting, simply introducing yourself with a smile is the best way to get to know a Vietnamese person.

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Lesson Transcript

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Welcome to VietnamesePod101.com’s “3 phút học tiếng Việt”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Vietnamese.
Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Rất vui được làm quen với bạn. Hi, I'm Giang. Nice to meet you.
In this series, we’re going to learn basic Vietnamese expressions. It’s super easy and it only takes three minutes!
In this lesson, you’re going to learn how to introduce yourself in Vietnamese. There are only two sentences you need to remember. You will first learn a neutral way to introduce yourself which sounds ok in both formal and informal situations.
Let’s first see how Vietnamese people generally introduce themselves
Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Rất vui được làm quen với bạn. Hi, I’m Giang. Nice to meet you.
[slowly] Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Rất vui được làm quen với bạn.
Start by saying: Xin chào, tôi là ... then, say your name, then Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Finally, say Rất vui được làm quen với bạn.
Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Rất vui được làm quen với bạn.
Let’s break this down and see what it means.
Xin chào means “Hi” or “hello” and it is used in both formal and informal situations. It can also be used at any time of the day. Though the equivalents of “good morning, good afternoon” and “good evening” do exist, Vietnamese people don’t normally use them in their daily conversation. So you have to remember only two words “Xin chào”. Isn’t it convenient?”
Tôi là Giang. That’s how Vietnamese people introduce themselves. Tôi là … is similar to “I am” and you simply need to add your name to this. Though there’s a more formal way to introduce your name in Vietnamese, which I’ll mention later, using “Tôi là + your name” is neutral and sounds ok in any circumstances. Tôi là Giang, pretty easy, right?
And now let’s look at the last sentence.
Rất vui được làm quen với bạn. “Rất vui” means “I’m very happy” and “được làm quen với bạn” means “to get to know you.” or “to get acquainted with you”. Vietnamese people usually look forward to a closer relationship in the future, so they tend to say “I’m happy to get to know you” rather than just “I’m happy to meet you.” So again, “Rất vui được làm quen với bạn” (slowly)
Let’s put everything together. “Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Rất vui được làm quen với bạn.” Hi, I’m Giang. Nice to meet you. Not very difficult, right?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, there’s a more formal way to introduce yourself in Vietnamese. That is, “Xin chào. Tôi tên là Giang. Rất hân hạnh được làm quen với bạn.”
So, what has changed from the previous introduction?
Let’s take a close look at these together.
It can be noticed that the word “Xin chào” doesn’t change but the way you say your name is longer. One more word is added “Tôi tên là” instead of “Tôi là”. So instead of saying “I am”, you say, “My name is...”. Tôi tên là Giang: My name is Giang.
And the last sentence: “Rất hân hạnh được làm quen với bạn.” It’s my pleasure to get to know you.” So “hân hạnh” means “my pleasure”.
It should be noted that the formal way is mostly used in business situations, rather than in daily conversations. So unless you go to Vietnam for business, it is advisable that you stick to the previous introduction.
One more time: The general way to introduce yourself in Vietnamese is Xin chào, tôi là Giang. Rất vui được làm quen với bạn.
The formal way to introduce yourself is
Xin chào, tôi tên là Giang. Rất hân hạnh được làm quen với bạn.
Now it’s time for Giang’s Insights.
Vietnamese people are not familiar with personal touches when meeting each other. So kissing or hugging is not recommended though business people and male friends do shake hands when they meet. For the first meeting, simply introducing yourself with a smile is the best way to get to know a Vietnamese person.
Do you know how we say “thank you” in Vietnamese? You’ll learn how to say this and many other words in the next lesson. Hẹn gặp lại các bạn! See you then!
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