Introduction

It's the most convenient way to start learning and also the answer to the most common opening questions from Vietnamese. My name is: Ten toi la... I come from…Toi la nguoi... I am married: Toi co Vo (I have a wife) Toi co chong (I have a husband). Toi chua co Vo / chong: (I don't have a wife / husband yet).I have ... children: Toi co ... con. I don't have any children yet: Toi chua co con. In the above example we have used 'Toi' to say I. Although correct, this form of ‘I’ is used only sparingly when one doesn't know the interlocutor well and wants to keep a certain distance. In all other cases... read on.

Asking directions - Useful Vietnamese

The tricky part here is to get them to understand your question but never give them a chance to simply answer by 'yes'. A question like 'Is this (pointing) the way to the Opera House?' will lead you nowhere as a 'yes' will mean either 'yes', 'no', 'I don't know', 'I have no clue what you're talking about' or 'I don't want to talk with foreigners'...Where is ... street? “Pho o dau?”. Excuse me, where are the washrooms? “Xin loi,ve sinh o dau?”. I need a taxi/mototaxi/ cyclo. “Toi can mot xe taxi/ mot xe om/ mot xi-clo”.

Diffusing situations

After having introduced yourself, you're definitely going to need some phrases for tricky situations to at least appear unruffled, even if you're feeling the opposite. This way you won't embarrass any Vietnamese by yourself losing face and thus making them feel bad for you! Khong sao dau (often shortened to khong sao) - is the king of them all, and translates roughly as 'never mind', 'no problem' or 'don't worry'. Will be invaluable in countless situations. Vo tu di! - is an invitation to ‘take it easy’, ‘slow down’ and just generally chill our. Quen di! 'Forger it', 'let it drop', useful for defusing and cutting short a difference of opinion. Thoi! Meaning 'cease', is a milder way of ending a conversation that is getting out of hand.

Other expressions

Comrade (dong chi) is still used sparingly in the North as a means of addressing people. You will hear it mostly at the market. Southerners will smile if you use it there... Southerners are more inclined to forego the strict family nomenclature and use “toi” (I) and “ban” (friend) more frequently. DON'T be put off by the different accents. Northern Vietnamese is considered as the official one and will be understood by all... once you master it. If you happen to start learning in Ho Chi Minh City, that should not be a problem either as the national television features presenters using either accents so most people will understand a Southerner... and maybe even a foreigner with a Southern accent!

The ‘di’ family

The ‘di’ family is an endless one (di on its own means 'go'), since when tacked on to something else, it becomes an invitation or an imperative, giving possibilities such as: Vao di! - (please) come in. An di! - (please) eat. Im di! - shut up! Ngoi di! - (please) sit down. Uong di! - (please) drink. Di di! - go away...and so on.

Asking for help

You will notice that most Vietnamese, among themselves, when dealing with officials, sales clerks, or colleagues always place themselves in the position of 'asking for help'. This seems to be the polite and usual way of ‘getting things done’ in this country. Excuse me...“xin loi”. (Please) help me...giup toi Please give me ... xin cho toi. I need ... toi can. I ask your permission to ... toi xin phep...