Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Brandon: Hey there! I’m Brandon and welcome back to VietnamesePod101.com. This is lower beginner Season 1, Lesson 7. Can You Tell Me Your Symptoms in Vietnamese?
Huyen: Xin chào! I’m Huyen.
Brandon: In this lesson you will learn how to talk about your health conditions. The conversation takes place at a clinic and is between Tâm and the doctor.
Huyen: They are strangers, so they will be using formal Vietnamese.
Brandon: Let’s listen to the conversation.

Lesson conversation

Tâm: Chào bác sĩ.
Doctor: Chào anh, mời anh ngồi. Anh bị làm sao?
Tâm: Tôi bị nhức đầu và sổ mũi.
Doctor: Anh bị như vậy từ bao giờ?
Tâm: Từ hôm qua ạ.
Doctor: Để tôi kiểm tra nhiệt độ
Doctor: 38 độ. Anh bị cảm rồi. Để tôi kê đơn cho anh.
Tâm: Vâng, cảm ơn bác sĩ.
Brandon: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly.
Tâm: Chào bác sĩ.
Doctor: Chào anh, mời anh ngồi. Anh bị làm sao?
Tâm: Tôi bị nhức đầu và sổ mũi.
Doctor: Anh bị như vậy từ bao giờ?
Tâm: Từ hôm qua ạ.
Doctor: Để tôi kiểm tra nhiệt độ
Doctor: 38 độ. Anh bị cảm rồi. Để tôi kê đơn cho anh.
Tâm: Vâng, cảm ơn bác sĩ.
Brandon: Now let’s hear it with the English translation.
Tâm: Chào bác sĩ.
Brandon: Hi doctor.
Doctor: Chào anh, mời anh ngồi. Anh bị làm sao?
Brandon: Hi, please sit down. What seems to be the problem?
Tâm: Tôi bị nhức đầu và sổ mũi.
Brandon: I have a headache and a runny nose.
Doctor: Anh bị như vậy từ bao giờ?
Brandon: Since when have you been in this condition?
Tâm: Từ hôm qua ạ.
Brandon: Since yesterday.
Doctor: Để tôi kiểm tra nhiệt độ
Brandon: Let me check your temperature.
Doctor: 38 độ. Anh bị cảm rồi. Để tôi kê đơn cho anh.
Brandon: 38 degrees. You have a cold. Let me make you a prescription.
Tâm: Vâng, cảm ơn bác sĩ.
Brandon: Yes, thanks doctor.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Brandon: What do Vietnamese people do when they get sick? Do they often go to the clinic or hospital?
Huyen: They tend to self-medicate when they have a cold or a mild sickness. When going to the doctor, the phrase you use is “đi bác sĩ”. “Đi khám bệnh”, which means “go for a health check” is also commonly used. Vietnamese people prefer private clinics to public hospitals.
Brandon: Why’s that? Aren’t private clinics more expensive?
Huyen: They are, but they are also less crowded and have quicker service. You usually have to wait for a long time in the hospital.
Brandon: Do Vietnamese people use health insurance?
Huyen: Most Vietnamese people have health insurance cards, but they hardly use them. Using services covered by insurance takes more time and has complicated procedures.
Brandon: Oh, really? Are there any international hospitals?
Huyen: Yes, there are several big international hospitals where foreigners can go for treatment, such as the Vietnam-France hospital in Hanoi, or FV hospital in Ho Chi Minh city.
Brandon: Listeners, we recommend you check those hospitals and other health centers for foreigners carefully before visiting Vietnam. Okay, now let’s move on to the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
Brandon: The first word we shall see is:
Huyen: bác sĩ [natural native speed]
Brandon: "doctor"
Huyen: bác sĩ [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: bác sĩ [natural native speed]
Next:
Huyen: bị làm sao [natural native speed]
Brandon: what’s the matter?/ what’s wrong?/what’s the problem?
Huyen: bị làm sao [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: bị làm sao [natural native speed]
Next:
Huyen: nhức đầu [natural native speed]
Brandon: to have a headache
Huyen: nhức đầu [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: nhức đầu [natural native speed]
Next:
Huyen: sổ mũi [natural native speed]
Brandon: to have a runny nose
Huyen: sổ mũi [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: sổ mũi [natural native speed]
Next:
Huyen: như vậy [natural native speed]
Brandon: so, such, like that
Huyen: như vậy [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: như vậy [natural native speed]
Next:
Huyen: bao giờ [natural native speed]
Brandon: when
Huyen: bao giờ [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: bao giờ [natural native speed]
Next:
Huyen: kiểm tra [natural native speed]
Brandon: to check, to examine
Huyen: kiểm tra [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: kiểm tra [natural native speed]
Next:
Huyen: nhiệt độ [natural native speed]
Brandon: temperature
Huyen: nhiệt độ [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: nhiệt độ [natural native speed]
Next:
Huyen: cảm [natural native speed]
Brandon: cold (noun)
Huyen: cảm [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: cảm [natural native speed]
And Last:
Huyen: kê đơn [natural native speed]
Brandon: to prescribe, to make a prescription
Huyen: kê đơn [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Huyen: kê đơn [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Brandon: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. First we have
Huyen: “bị làm sao?”
Brandon: What’s the matter? What’s wrong? What’s the problem?
Huyen: You use this question when someone doesn’t look well.
Brandon: It does not necessarily relate to a health problem. You ask this when the other speaker looks unwell, or if you feel that they aren’t acting normal, or if they seem to be in some kind of health trouble. The question often ends with a particle. Let’s hear some sample conversations.
Huyen: Cậu bị làm sao thế?
-: Tớ hơi chóng mặt.
Brandon: What’s the problem?
- I feel a little dizzy.
Huyen: Anh bị làm sao vậy?
- Anh vừa bị mất điện thoại di động.
Brandon: What’s the problem?
- I have just lost my cellphone.
Huyen: The second word is: như vậy
Brandon: “so”, “such” or “like that". This adverb can complement a noun, like “such” in English, or an adjective or adverb, like “so” in English. It’s put right after the noun, adjective or adverb it complements.
Huyen: Tôi chưa bao giờ nghe một câu chuyện như vậy.
Brandon: I have never heard such a story.
Huyen: Tôi không biết tại sao cô ấy buồn như vậy.
Brandon: I don’t know why she’s so sad.
Huyen: Tôi không ngờ là cô ấy hát hay như vậy.
Brandon: I can’t believe that she sings so well.
Huyen: The last word is a question word: bao giờ
Brandon: Which means “When”
Huyen: To ask when something happens, put “bao giờ” at the beginning of the question, followed by the subject and a verb phrase.
Brandon: Here are some examples:
Huyen: Bao giờ cậu xong việc?
Brandon: When will you finish work?
Huyen: Anh hút thuốc từ bao giờ thế?
Brandon: Since when did you smoke?
Huyen: Tôi không biết bao giờ anh ấy mới đến.
Brandon: I don’t know when he’ll come. Okay, now onto the grammar.

Lesson focus

Brandon: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about your health conditions.
Huyen: Tôi bị nhức đầu và sổ mũi.
Brandon: "I have a headache and a runny nose". To talk about your medical condition or symptoms, use the phrase:
Huyen: “Tôi bị”
Brandon: Followed by the word indicating that specific condition or symptom.
Huyen: “Tôi” is the general equivalent of the pronoun “I”. “bị” is literally understood as “be subject to” or “be the victim of”. The phrase “Tôi bị” implies “I’m suffering from…” a disease in this case. “bị” is the passive voice and refers to negative things that happen beyond your own intention or expectation.
Brandon: Let’s learn some vocabulary to do with diseases or sickness in Vietnamese.
Huyen: nhức đầu/đau đầu
Brandon: headache
Huyen: đau bụng.
Brandon: stomach ache
Huyen: cúm or cảm cúm
Brandon: flu/influenza
Huyen: ốm
Brandon: sick or ill
Huyen: sốt
Brandon: fever.
Huyen: Now, let’s use those words in a sentence: Tôi bị ốm.
Brandon: "I’m sick"
Huyen: Tôi bị đau bụng.
Brandon: "I have a stomache"
Huyen: Tôi bị cảm cúm.
Brandon: “I have the flu.”
Huyen: There are several ways to ask about someone’s health conditions.
Brandon: You can ask “what’s the problem?” as we learned in the vocabulary section.
Huyen: Start with a 2nd person pronoun followed by: bị làm sao thế or bị làm sao vậy? For example: Anh bị làm sao vậy?
Brandon: You can also ask, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Huyen: Start with a 2nd person pronoun followed by: không khỏe à? For example: Cậu không khỏe à? literally meaning “Are you not well?
Brandon: You can also ask, “Are you okay?”
Huyen: Start with a 2nd person pronoun followed by: “ổn không?” or “ổn chứ?”. For example “Chị ổn không?”
Brandon: Let’s hear some sample conversations.
Huyen: Cậu bị làm sao thế?
-Tớ bị nhức đầu.
Brandon: “What’s the problem??”
- “I have a headache.”
Huyen: Anh không khỏe à?
- Ừ, anh bị ốm từ hôm qua.
Brandon: “Are you feeling unwell?
- Yes, I’ve been sick since yesterday.”

Outro

Huyen: And that’s it for this lesson! You can learn more health vocabulary in the lesson notes.
Brandon: Try to practice what we have learned with a Vietnamese friend, as these phrases are going to come in handy when you travel to Vietnam.
Huyen: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you in the next lesson. Tạm biệt.
Brandon: Bye!

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