Cl

Teach
Yourself

Complete
Vietnamese
Dana Healy
For UK order enquiries: please contact Bookpotnt Ltd,
130 Milton Park, Abingdon, Omn OX14 4SB.
Telephone: +44 (o) 1035 827720. l'd:x: +44 (o) 1235400454-
Lines are open 09.00-17.00, Monday to Saturday, with a 24-hour message
ODSlOefingsenice. Details about our titles and how to order are a.. Uable
at ~du'.2liiKII.2m1
For USA order enquiries: please contact M<:Graw-Hill Customer
Semces, PO Box 545, Blacklick, OH 43004-0545, USA.
Telephone: 1-800-7>2-47>6. Fdx: 1-614-755-5645.
For Canada order enquiries: please contact M<:Graw-HUI RJ"fson
Ltd, 300 WaterS~ Whitby, Ontario LtN 9B6, Canada.
Telephone: 905 430 sooo. Fd:x: 905 430 5020.
Long renowned as the authoritati"' source !Or self-guided learning-
with more than so mlll!on copies sold worldwide - the Thach Yourself
series includes aoer soo titles in the fields of languages. crafts, hobbies,
businesa, computing and education
Brit!eh Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: a catalogue record for
this title is available from the British LlbrO!'J'
LibraryofCongreee Catalog Card Number: on file.
First published in UK 1997 as Teach Yourself VIetnamese by
Hodder Education, part of Hachette UK, 338 Euston Road,
London NW1 3BH.
First published in US 1997 as Teach Yourself VIetnamese
by The M<:Graw-HUI Companies, Inc.
This edition published 2010.
The T.. ch Yourself name Is a registered trade mark of
Hodder HeadUne.
Copyright 0 1997,2003, 2oo;>; 2010 Dana Healy
In UK: All rights reserved. Apart from any permitted uee under
UK copyright law, no part of this pubUcation may be reproduced or
tranemitted in any !Orm or by any means, electronic or mechan!ca~
including photocopy; recording. or any inrormation, storage and retrieval
system, without perm!se!on in writing from the publlsher or under
Uoenoe from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further detaU.
ofsuch Ucences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from
the Copyright Lioens!ng Agency Limited, of Sa1fron House, 6-to Kilby
Stree~ London BCtN 8TS.

In US: All rights reser...d F.xoept as permitted under the United States
Copyright Act of 19]6, no part of this publication may be reproduoed
or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or
retrieval system, without the prior written permlesion of the publisher.
Typeset by MPS Limited, A Macmillan CompaiiJ'
Printed in Great Britain for Hodder Education, an Hachette UK
Company; 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.
The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs
!Or external webs!tes referred to in this book are correct and act!"'
at the time of going to press. Howe...r, the publlsher and the author
hove no respons!b!Uty !Or the websites and can make no guarantee
that a site will remain Uve or that the content will remain relevant,
deoent or appropriate.
Hachette UK's pollcy is to use papers that are natur~ renewable and
recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable roreste.
The logging and manufacturing processes are ezpected to con!Orm to
the environmental regulatione of the country of or!g!n
Impression number
Year 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
Contents

Meet the author vi

Only got a minute? viii
Only got five minutes? X
Only got ten minutes? xlv
Introduction XXII
Guide to pronunciation XXVI
Vietnamese alphabet xxlx
1 R't hAn h~nh dLIQ'c g~p c61 am very pleased to meet you 1
greeting people· introducing yourself· saying where you
are from • simple sentences and questions
2 Chjla thu kj, phil kh6ng? You are a secretary, aren't you? 12
stating your occupation • creating questions
• using new verbs
3 Tling Vltt c6 kh6 kh6ng? Is Vietnamese difficult? 24
asking and saying what something is like • using adjectives
·intensifying adjectives and adverbs· some initial and
final particles· counting from 1 to 10
4 Chi c6 mu6n xem bac anh gla Cllnh t61 kh6ng? Do you
want to see a photograph of my family? 37
talking about your family· kinship terms· question words
• more numbers • points of the compass
5 Ngay mal Ia tha m'y? What day is it tomorrow? 56
the days of the week and months • ordinal numbers
• demonstrative pronouns • comparative and
superlative adjectives
6 Xln lol, bAy giO' Ia m'y giO'? Excuse me, what's the time? 70
asking and telling the time· saying what the date is
·asking when?· specifying tense· asking how many?
7 Anh c6 mua gl nua kh6ng? Do you want to buy anything else? 87
asking for something in a shop· asking the price of items
·classifiers· forming the plural· colours

Contents III
 8 Chi con lam vltc & kh,ch s~n khOng? Do you still work in
the hotel? 106
describing your working day • saying that you have
finished doing something ·forming the genitive
·fractions, decimal numbers and percentages
9 Chi c6 ch'c Ia du'O'ng nay dl dtfn vltn bao tang llch sll' kh6ng?
Are you sure this is the way to the history museum? 119
asking how to get somewhere· giving directions
·forming the imperative· asking how long
something takes • saying approximately
10 T61 c6th,xem ng61 nha Aydu'Q'C khOng? Canlseethehouse? 134
talking about your house • describing your room and
its contents • prepositions • making a polite request
• saying what things are made of
11 Anh c6 bl s6t kh6ng? Do you have a temperature? 145
saying what is wrong with you· asking why something is
happening· du'c;tc and bl: attitude words
12 Anh c6 bltft hltu An nao ngon kh6ng? Do you know a
good restaurant? 159
ordering a meal in a restaurant· Vietnamese dishes and
ingredients • instead of • conjunctions n~u ... thl
(if then) • forming the vocative
13 Chi da xem dl,l' b'o thO'I tltft chua? Have you seen the
weather forecast yet? 17 5
the weather • the seasons • saying what you are wearing
·conjunctions khl •.• thl (when ... then)· saying not only ...
but also • using thea to express your opinion
14 Anh c6 nh'n gl kh6ng? Do you want to leave a message? 188
making a telephone call ·leaving a message· modal verbs
·construction tl,l' ... l~y and m¢t mlnh
15 Thu' dl Anh mit bao liu? How long does it take for a
letter to get to England? 200
the post office • writing a letter • saying the more ...
the more • saying apart from • using thtf/v•y (so)
16 T61 gh~t nh~c c6 dl'n I hate classical music 211
hobbies and leisure activities • expressing the meaning
although· saying that something is happening at the
same time as something else

IV
17 TOI c6 th4 bay din Vltt Nam qua dUO'ng H6ng KOng khOng?
Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kong? 222
travel arrangements • booking a hotel room
• buying a ticket • changing money • arranging a visa
·buying souvenirs· verbs expressing direction of
movement· means of transport· expressing the
meaning of returning from somewhere
18 Anh c6 bli't nul nao cao nh't O'VItt Nam khOng? Do you
know the highest mountain in Vietnam? 239
contemporaryVietnam •vocabulary for reading
newspapers • fermi ng passive sentences • using the
verbs trO' nAn and trO' thanh to become • using I~ I
Revision unit 252
Ti'anslations of dialogues 261
Ti'anslations of selected texts 290
Taking it further 293
Key to the exercises 297
Vietnamese-English vocabulary 327
English-Vietnamese vocabulary 344
Meet the author

Dana Healy is a Senior Lecturer in Vietnamese Studies at the School

of Oriental and African Studies in London and has been lecturing on
Vietnamese language, literature, cinema and culture for over 20 years.
Her main research focuses on modern Vietnamese literature, especially
literature of the renovation period and her publications examine the
representation of war in Vietnamese poetry, prose fiction and cinema
and literary explorations of gender.
Credits

Front cover: FoodCollection/Photolibrary.com

Back cover and pack: © Jakub Semeniuk/iStockphoto.com,

© Royalty-Freet Corbis, © agencyby/iStockphoto.com., © Andy Cook/
iStockphoto.com., © Christopher Ewing/iStockphoto.com,
© zebicho - Fotolia.com., © Geoffrey Holman/iStockphoto.com,
© Photodisc/Getty Images,© James C. Pruitt/iStockphoto.com.,
© Mohamed Saber- Fotolia.com

Pack:© Stockbyte/Getty Images

Only got a minute?
Vietnamese has two features that it shares with other east

Asian languages: a lack of grammatical endings (making

Vietnamese an 'isolating language') and tones.

Because Vietnamese is an isolating language,

endings are not added to words to change their

meaning. Languages belonging to the Indo-European

group, such as English and Russian, do add endings:

think of watch-+ watches, watched, watching.

In Vietnamese, meanings are conveyed by markers.

Suppose, in English, you were to say:'He (marker) watch

TV every evening' or 'We (marker) watch TV last night'-
'watch' doesn't change, but there is a marker in front

of it to explain which part of'watch'to use. This is

encouraging for the learner, because it means you won't

have to learn pages of rules for verb, noun and adjective

endings: the only change is in the marker. Of course, you

will have to learn (and remember!) which marker to use

when and the markers have a set order in the sentence.

This must also be learned- word order is crucial in

Vietnamese- but at least you know that when you see

a word on the page, or hear it spoken, that is how it

appears in a dictionary!

Vietnamese, delightfully, is a 'tonal language':

this means that the same word can have different

meanings depending on whether you say it with a

falling, a rising or a flat pitch- or even a combination

of pitches.
 dJ Onll:got five minutes?
--:;:::.

Vietnamese, as ~lned in 'Only got a minute?', has some delightful

~es, ~11'1-.~the facts that is both a 'tonal' and an 'isolating'
iit~~"ind in 'Only got ten minutes?' I'll give you a whistle-
stop tour through some of the main features of this fascinating and
ancient language.

Referring to people: kinship terms and

personal pronouns

The Vietnamese language does not have a full system of personal

pronouns ('he; 'she, 'they' etc.) and relies on the use of kinship terms
(terms indicating family relationships). The choice of a correct kinship
term depends on many factors such as age, gender, social status or
the intimacy of discourse. The most frequently used kinship terms
are anh (older brother), chj (older sister), em (younger sibling), Ong
(grandfather), ba (grandmother). So to say 'he', when referring to a
man older than yourself, to whom you want to show deference, you
would say Ong; but when referring to a male friend you would say an h.

Basic sentence structure

Simple sentences in Vietnamese follow the logical word order of subject-

verb-object. For example:

TO I Ia sinh vlin. I am a student.

TOI hQc tli'ng Vltt. I am studying (I study) Vietnamese.
£)Ay Ia chi Mal. Here is Miss Mai.
Negative sentences

Negation in Vietnamese is indicated using the word khOng ('no, not').

It always precedes the verb being negated. In sentences with Ia ('to be')
khOng phi\1 must be added before Ia.

TOI khOng phi\! Ia sinh viin. I am not a student.

TOI khOng hQc til1ng Vi.t. I don't study Vietnamese.
£)Ay khOng phi\! Ia chj Mal. This is not Miss Mai.

Asking questions

There are several ways of asking questions in Vietnamese. The easiest

sort of question is a 'tag' question, as when we add the tag 'isn't he? don't
you? weren't they?' at the end of a statement. In Vietnamese, the tag is
phi\1 khOng?

Anh Ia sinh vlin, phi\1 khOng? He is a student, isn't he?/You are

a student, aren't you?

In order to turn a statement ('You study Vietnamese') into a question

('Do you study Vietnamese?'), we add the formula c6 ••• khOng?

Anh c6 hQc til1ng Vl•t khOng? Do you study Vietnamese?

Anh c6 phi\! Ia sinh viin khOng? Are you a student?

Describing people and objects: how to use adi~-(J

~~\J vq
In Vietnamese, adjectives are always placed after th~ they describe.
For example: ~
~
G~
cO gal tri a young girl _
cal ban m6'1 anew table

Only got five mlnutltsl

I Adjectives in Viem-se act as verbs and therefore should be more
correctly thought o!meaning 'to be young' or 'to be new:

,"'~ To form the comp~\re of adjectives ('bette" younge" nicer~, the word
''~hO'n is placed aft;~~ adjective, and to form the superlative ('the best,
._,,,,,,,\~nicest~ the word nh't is used:
t6t- t6t hO'n - t6t nh't good- better- the best
tri- tri hO'n- tri nh't young- younger- the youngest
d'p- d'p hO'n- d'p nh't nice- nicer- the nicest

Demonstratives ('this, thar etc.)

The demonstratives nay ('this~, 'y ('that~ and kia ('that one over
there~ are placed in Vietnamese after the noun to which they refer.

sinh viin nay this student

c~i ban 'Y that table
c6 g" kia that girl over there

If the noun to which the demonstrative relates is already modified by

an adjective, the correct word order is as follows: noun-adjective-
demonstrative:

sinh viin chAm chi nay this hardworking student

c~i ban m6'i 'Y that new table
c6 g" d'p kia that beautiful girl over there

Using verbs: tense

Tense (present, past, future) in Vietnamese is created using specific

grammatical markers. To indicate the present tense, place dang before
the main verb:

T6i dang dQc. I am reading.

XII
To indicate the past tense, use da, vera or vera m6'1. Once again, these
grammatical markers should be placed before the main verb. vera and
vera m61 are used to indicate the recent past:

T61 da vilft thu. I wrote a letter.

T61 vera/vera m6'1 v~ nha. I have just returned home.

To indicate the future tense, Vietnamese uses se and dp, placed before
the main verb. S'p is employed to indicate near future.

T61 se di Vltt Nam. I will go to Vietnam.

TrO'i dp mu'a. It is about to rain.

Using nouns: classifiers

Classifiers are words that are used to 'specify' nouns and to 'classify' into
which category they belong. If a statement refers to a specific object,
person, activity, animal, etc., then an appropriate classifier must be used.
If the reference is general, the classifier is omitted. Classifiers are always
placed before the noun they relate to.

Con m~o cua t61 nho. My cat is small.

This sentence makes a specific reference to one particular cat, i.e. my cat,
and therefore a classifier for animals must be used.

B~m t61 thkh m~o. My friend likes cats.

In this sentence, we do not refer to one specific cat but to cats in general
(as a species), therefore no classifier is used. ,,,,,
4
Vietnamese has an extensive set of classifiers, whi~lained in this
course. E- -
~
I do hope this quick trip through some of the mai&atures of the
Vietnamese language has whetted your appetite fo'Piore!

~ ,. ',,<),
Only got five min~t
(v~.~i~m~o:::~:.~~~~~M
V'~wres, inc~ the facts that is a 'tonal' and 'isolating' language.
~-~ ·.~ y got five minutes?' I'll give you a whistle-stop tour
through some of the main features of this fascinating and ancient
language.

Creating plural
Plural forms are created in Vietnamese by using the plural markers c~c
and nhung. These are positioned before the noun they are related to.

sinh viin- c~c sinh viin student- students

con meo- nhCtng con meo cat-cats

C~c is used when referring to all of a given set (c~c b~n tOi, 'my friends;
i.e. 'all of my friends'), while nhung is used when referring to some,
several of a given set (nhung b~n tOi,'myfriends; i.e. 'some ofmy
friends').

Possessive case: cua

Cua is used to create the idea of ownership or possession. The possessive
phrase has the word order object - cua - owner:

my mother mterally, 'mother- of, belonging to - /'}

XIV
Question words

Some question words are placed at the end of a question.

£>ay Ia dii 9 n What is this? (lit. 'This is what?')

NguO'i kia Ia ai? Who is that man over there?
Ong 'y sinh f1 diu?
Ch! fiVI•t Nam bao liu?
Where was he born?
How long have you been living
in Vietnam?
Anh mu6n mua tadi'n nao? Which dictionary do you want to buy?

The question words bao giO'? khl nao? luc nao? ('when?~ are
positioned either at the beginning or at the end of a question, depending
on the tense the question refers to: at the beginning of the question to
indicate future tense; at the end of the question to refer to past tense.

Bao giO' anh di Ha N~l? When will you go to Hanoi?

Khl nao b6 v~ nha? When will father return home?
Anh di Ha N~l bao giO'? When did you go to Hanoi?

l>a ... chua? Have you done something yet?

A question created using the grammatical construction da ... chua?
expresses the meaning 'Have you done something yet?' £)a is placed
before the main verb (and can be omitted), chua is placed at the end of
the question.

Ch! da thim Vl•t Nam chua? Have you visited Vietnam yet?
Anh (da) l•p gla d'lnh chua? Are you already marrie~(1/ljrt!~'PJ~
youformedafam~~~r)J '" · · /t 1

These questions require different replies: an affirm~ reply uses rcSI

('already'), while a negative answer uses chua ('n~tl

R6i, t61 (da) l•p gla d'lnh reS I.

Chua, t61 chua l•p gla d'lnh.
( Modal verbs ('want;

TOI mu6n thAm Hul.

Anh nin l'y xkh 16.
fli· phal vltft thu cho gia
'should; 'must; 'can; 'need')
I want to visit Hul
You should take a cyclo (tricycle rickshaw).
I must write a letter to my family.
dill!'llh -·~~
B~m tOI c6 th~ n6i titfng My friend can speak French.
Phap.
TOI c'n dl chQ'. I need to go to the market.

Modal verbs are negated in the usual way with khOng.

Complex sentences

Here are some of the main constructions used to link sentences together
to form a complex sentence.

vl ... nin ('because ... therefore')

Vl trO'I mU'a nin chung tOI Because it was raining, we could

khOng chal b6ng da. not play football.

ntfu ... thl ('if ... then')

Ntfu trO'I khOng mila thl tOI se If it does not rain I will go
dl tham quan. sightseeing.

khl •.• thl ('when ... then')

Khl tO I lin tau thl tOI g~p When I got on the train I met
cO glao cua tO I. my teacher.

m~c da (tuy) ... nhung ('although, despite')

M~c da ch! 'Y con tre nhung Although she is still young,
ch! 'Y da l'y ch6ng r61. she is already married.

XVI
 khOng nhung ... rna con ••• (nua) ('not only ...
but also')

Chi 'Y khOng nhung tre She is not only young but
rna con cr,p nOa. also beautiful.

ngoal, ngoai •.. ra ('apart from, in addition to')

Ngoai ti~ng Vi•t (ra), t61 cling In addition to Vietnamese

bi~t ti~ng Trung Qu6c. I also know Chinese.
Ngoai ra, t61 r't thrch chai Apart from anything else I also
b6ng ban. like playing table tennis.

cang ••• cang ('the more ... the more')

Cang .•• cang is used in Vietnamese to create the meaning of'the more ...
the more:

ChC.ng t61 cang hQc nhi~u The more we study, the more
cang bi~t nhi~u. we know.

The construction cang ngay cang (or just ngay cang) expresses the
meaning that something is increasing day by day (every day).

Mua ve rn'y bay cang Buying plane tickets is getting

ngay cang ct't more expensive every day.
Trltl ngay cang ,rn. The weather is getting warmer
day by day.

v~a ..• v~a ('at the same time?

The use of v~a ••• vaa indicates that something is happening a,J Dl$. ••e
time as something else. For example: -· .

)
T61 thuong vaa An v~a I often read neptfpapers while
ctQc b,o. I'm eating.

Only got tet!J'P*Iutts't XV I I

( Denoting quantity (nhieu, It, thieu, du,
thua, dong, vang, day)
nhi~u ('much/ many?

rt ('a small amount/ little/ few 1

)

TOirtti~n. I have little money.

Em trai tOI luOn luOn thi~u ti~n. My younger brother always

lacks money.

du tto have enough')

TOI khOng du ti~n d~ mua 0 tO. I don't have enough money to

buy a car.

theta ('to have too much, too many?

Phong nay theta ban. There are too many tables in this room.

dOng ('(to be) full (with people), to be crowded?

Khach s~n nay thu'O'ng dOng ngu'O'I. This hotel is often crowded.

v' ng ('(to be) empty (of people), to be deserted?

Vao bu6i t6i cac duO'ng ph6 In the evening the streets of
Ha NOI v'ng ngu'O'I. Hanoi are deserted.

d'y ('to be full (of), filled with?

This bottle is full of water.

XVIII
b~ng ('by means of')

The word bling has many uses in Vietnamese.

bling ('by means of transport')

Anh 'y da di Hutf bling may bay. He went to Hul by plane.

Ong Quang thu'O'ng di bling Mr Quang often goes by cyclo
xrch 10. (tricycle rickshaw).

bling ('eating with')

Ngu'O'I Vltt Nam An bling dua. Vietnamese people eat

with chopsticks.

bling ('speaking a language')

ChC.ng tO I n61 chuytn v6'1 We spoke together in English.

nhau bling titfng Anh.

bling ('made ofsomething')

Cal ao d~li nay bling h,1a. This dress is made of silk.

Cal nhan nay bling vang. This ring is made of gold.

Expressing passive meaning

The passive can be expressed in Vietnamese with du'Q'c orb!. du'Q'C is
used when talking about something considered pleasant, a-00~111~
discussing something considered bad and unpleasant. .; "J pj '· 11 ·l./(

Em Tu'n du'Q'c khen. Tudn was praJJed.

Em Tu'n du'Q'c m, khen. Tudn was prais~d by mother.
Sinh viin b! cO giao phi blnh. A student was criticized by
the teacher.
 Another way to express passive meaning in Vietnamese is by using do
( (tau sed by, the result of').

Tl'u thuyit No I buSn chlin The novel Sorrow of War [that was]
tranh do nha \fi,n,Bio Nlnh vlit written by Bao Ninh.
/~Jil~~~ d~,•;ntt6·11 ~'u ngon I'm. The meal [that was] prepared by
'I '.hI ·1\_.,
· · "'. ' /i /I,,I/ ,I,)1 ,111,,,k my mother 1's "ery tasty..
lr'

'Everything, everybody, everywhere ..:

A special grammatical construction can be used to express the meaning

of 'everything: 'everybody', and 'everywhere'. You can use either a
question word such as ai ('who'), diu ('where') or bao giO' ('when'),
followed by cling, or a noun followed by nao cling:

ai cling everybody
ngu'O'I nao cling everybody (every person)
diu cling everywhere
cho naocling everywhere (every place)
baogiO'cling always
luc naocling always (every moment)

All these constructions can be negated using khOng ('no, not'). Notice
that cling does not appear in the negative versions.

kh6ng ai nobody
kh6ng ngu'O'I nao nobody (no person)
kh6ng diu nowhere
kh6ng cho nao nowhere (no place)
khOng bao giO' never
khOng luc nao never (no moment)
tra thimh/tra nen ('to become1

Both the constructions tr6' thanh and tr6' nAn mean to 'become';
however, trO' thanh is followed by a noun while tr6' nAn is followed by
an adjective or adverb.

Ngay mal thai titft se tr6' nAn d'u. The weather will become
bad tomorrow.
Sau khi teSt nghltp d~i hQc After graduating from university,
anh tO I mu6n tr6' thanh lu•t su. my older brother wants to
become a lawyer.

In these short summaries, I haven't been able to do much more than

to draw your attention to some of the main features of the Vietnamese
language, but I do hope that this has left you wanting to know more.
If so, turn to the Introduction to Complete Vietnamese!
 Introduction

Language

Learning Vietnamese is both easy and difficult. The difficult part will
confront you at the very start - your enthusiasm and determination
in the pursuit of new linguistic skills will be put to the test from the
moment you open your textbook for the first time. Only now will you
vaguely recollect reading somewhere that Vietnamese is a tonal language
and you must first, before moving on, tackle the tones - all six of them!
Vietnamese words are pronounced with different pitch levels (higher or
lower) and with rising, level or falling intonation, imbuing the speech
with a singing quality. A person unaccustomed to tonal languages can
feel it is unusual at first to have to alternate between low and high tones
ignoring in the process the natural intonation dictated by your mother
tongue. It pays off to master the tones properly because they form an
intrinsic part of each word and its meaning. Many foreigners have been
caught out by mispronouncing their tones, only to find that they have
inadvertently provided amusement to their listeners by imparting a
completely different message from the one they intended.

Vietnamese grammar, by way of contrast, is relatively easy. As an

isolating language, Vietnamese words do not change or add any endings.
Each grammatical category is formed by an appropriate grammatical
word, which is inserted into a predetermined position in the sentence.
Word order is, therefore, crucial.

Vietnam itself is a fascinating country with a rich and unique cu1 tural
heritage, exquisite natural beauty and hospitable people. Years of war
and Cold War antagonism kept the country for a long time closed to
most of the western world. Following the launch of renovation, Vietnam
opened itself up to the international community. It remains one of
the increasingly few countries where it is possible to let yourself be
overwhelmed by the pioneering spirit of discovering something new.
The more surprised the Vietnamese are when they encounter somebody

XXII
who has bothered to learn their language, the more they are friendly and
generous with their hospitality.

Vietnamese is the official language ofVietnam. It is the mother tongue of

the Vi~t (or Kinh) people and, at the same time, the common language of
the ethnic minorities living in Vietnam. Each ethnic minority has its own
native language thus making the linguistic map of Vietnam very varied.

Vietnamese is a tonal language, which means (to put it simply) that

words are pronounced with different pitch levels (higher or lower)
and with rising, level or falling intonation. The tones have a distinctive
function. Standard Vietnamese (defined as the language spoken by an
educated person from the Hanoi area) has six tones. There are several
other dialects, the most important being the central and southern
dialects. These differ mainly in phonetics (for example, they have fewer
tones than standard Vietnamese) and lexicology, but not as regards
grammar. Vietnamese is a 'not inflected' language (words do not have
different forms according to the number, case, tense, modality etc.).
Vietnamese is a monosyllabic language (each syllable has one meaning)
with a large number of compounds (the majority are two word-syllable
compounds but there also exist three word-syllable and even four
word-syllable compounds).

Script

Throughout many centuries, Chinese was used as the official and literary
language in Vietnam. Later there developed a special script for recording
Vietnamese based on Chinese chu n6m. When n6m first appeared is
not known exactly but the oldest surviving documents are from the
fourteenth century. In the seventeenth century a romanized script qu6c
nguwas devised. Its origin is closely connected with the Roman Catholic
missions in Southeast Asia. The early missionaries - Portuguese,
French, Italian and Spanish - needed a simple way of transcribing the
Vietnamese language. Outstanding among the many missionaries was
Alexandre de Rhodes, a French Jesuit, who made a great contribution
to the study of Vietnamese. He published one of the first dictionaries
ofVietnamese- Dictionarum Annamiticum, Lusitanum et Latinum
(Annamese-Portuguese-Latin Dictionary) and the first Vietnamese

Introduction XXIII
 grammar. Initially, qu6c ngil' was used only in Catholic circles but, with
the arrival of the French and the onset of French colonial rule, qu6c ngil'
was officially introduced. Early opposition to qu6c ngil', owing to its
being perceived as an instrument of colonial rule, gradually faded.
Its undoubted advantages as a writing system and especially the fact
that it was relatively easy to learn won over its critics.

How to use this course

You will notice that each unit in the book follows the same structure.
Units are divided into the following sections:

Conversations A unit starts with one or more dialogues between people

talking about everyday matters. These dialogues show you how the
language is used in a given situation.

New words and expressions Words and phrases used in the dialogues
are translated after each dialogue.

Activities This section is intended for you to practise language patterns

and vocabulary as you acquire them.

Grammatical points In this section, you are given some background

information on the language and the people who use it. There are also
grammatical explanations, which will help you determine why and how
particular words are used in order to put across a particular meaning.

Reading passages In this section, you are given a reading passage to

practise your comprehension ofVietnamese.

Cultural information This section gives more information on the

various aspects of the language and life in Vietnam.

Dialogues and other items marked with .0 appear on the recording

which accompanies this book. To develop good pronunciation and
listening skills you are strongly advised to use the recording as much as
possible.

XXIV
At the back of the book there is a Key to the exercises section, to which
you can refer and check that you got the answers right. At the end
there are Vietnamese-English and English-Vietnamese vocabularies,
containing some of the words used in the book.
 Guide to pronunciation

From now on you will depend on the recording (or if you are lucky
enough on a native Vietnamese speaker).

Tones

oO TR 1, 1.05

Vietnamese is a tonal language and learning the tones is one of the most
difficult - and rewarding! - parts of learning Vietnamese. Unless you
are familiar with another tonal language, the concept of tones is going to
seem unusual. Each word (syllable) in Vietnamese is pronounced with a
different pitch level of voice (the best comparison is that with singing).
The tone is an integral part of each word and when learning new
vocabulary you must carefully learn each word with the right tone. The
tones have a distinctive function, and two words which to a European
may seem quite similar, have completely different meanings.

Standard Vietnamese (which you are going to learn in this textbook) has
six tones. The tones are marked by special diacritics. Study carefully the
following table which lists the six tones, their names and the diacritics
used to mark them. Tone diacritics are written above (or in one case
under) the vowel in a syllable. The tones in the following table are
illustrated on a simple word 'rna'.

XXVI
~w •

rna
._....w• ._....~ ........-• ._....'11'-W'-W~~·~·~·u•u•L•L•._.....w.-9'11w•-•uw~~·._....~

ghost none
•....-.w•._....w•._......w.L91w•-•c..ww•._....-.'11w•.._......w.'11w•-•uww
thanh high, level
kh6ng/ tone
kh6ng
d'u

rna but, thanh/d'u low (falling)

nevertheless huy~n level tone

rna horse thanh/d'u rising broken

de tone with a
glottal stop

rna grave, tomb thanh/d'u falling-rising

hoi tone

rna cheek thanh/d'u rising tone

nga

m~ rice seedling d'u n~ng sharp falling

(underneath tone with
the word) a heavy
glottal stop

Note: Dictionaries vary a lot as to the sequence of tones. You will have to
check your own dictionary to see which sequence it uses.

•TR 1,2.06

It's time to put the theory into practice. Listen and repeat carefully.

1 ba ba ba ba ba b~
2 rna rna rna rna rna m~

3 be bi! be be b~ b'
4 me mil me me m~ m,

Guide to pronunciation XXV II

5 le I~ le li le I'
6 vi vl vi vi vr VI
7 bo bo bo bo b6 bQ
8 to to to to t6 tQ
9 go go go go g6 gQ
10 mo mo mo mo m6 mQ
11 lo lo lo lo 16 IQ
12 ban ban ban ban ban b~n
13 in ln in in rn !n
14 ve v~ ve ve ve v,
15 tu tl) tu tu t(i tl,l
16 mu rna mu mu m.:i ml,l
Vietnamese alphabet
a A a b c (ch) d ct e i g (gh) (gl) h I k (kh) I m n (ng) (ngh) o 6 f1 p
(ph) q r s t (th) (tr) u u' v x y

The above is the established order of the Vietnamese alphabet. As you

can see, the letters without any diacritics precede those with diacritics.

Let us familiarize ourselves with the way the alphabet is pronounced.

Vowels and diphthongs

o481TR 1,4.04

a A a e i l(y) o 6 f1 u u'; li, u6, ltd

a ba, Ia, rna

A An
A bAn, l'n
e m,, ve, ctem, len
i v•, dim, lin
I In, rt, mrt
0 to, lo, bo
6 h6, b6
u hut
u' u'a
y y,y
ii/yi viin, quy41n, ml.n, yin
u6 bu6n, mu6n, u6ng
ltd vu'O'n, m u'Q'n, xu'dng

Vietnamese alphabet XXIX

 Consonants

~TR 1,5.40

b b~n, bam
c ca, c6, hQc, de
ch chao, ch6, ch•m
d dam, din, d!p
cr eta, ct~i, ctoan
g ga, g6c
gh gh~t. ghl
gl gla,glup
h hat. h,t, h6
k kim, kla, kl'm
kh khat, khoe, kh6, kh6c, khuyin
I Ia, lo~i, lua
m m~o, m't, m6'
n nam, nil, nu'6'c
ng/ngh ngu, ngon, nghl, ng6i, nghiim, nghln, nghi
final position- ti,ng, rAng, phong
p pan
r ra, r~t. r61, r~p
s se, sat, s,p, sau, sf!
t tal, tim, tl'p
v va, vl,t, vAn, vi
X xa, xin, xe
nh nha, nho, nh~c, nh6'
final position- anh, tlnh, mlnh
ph phim, ph6', ph~n
th thAm, th,p, thi, thO', thu', thu•n
tr tra, tri, trong, tr6'

~TR 1,8.03

To help you understand the different pronunciation of some difficult

sounds, listen to and repeat the following contrasting combinations:

XXX
a -A ~m, t£m; b,n, b'n; b,m, bAm; bing, b'ng; b,t, b't; hAm,
ham; m,t, m't; s,t, dt; lam, I'm

a -A -A ~m, t£m, tim; b,m, bAm, b'm; m,t, m't, m't; chAm,
cham, chAm; chAn, chan, chin; hAm, ham, him

e- i d~n, d~n; de, d'; ke, k'; len, lin; nen, nin; nem, n~m; quen,
quin; phe, phi; tern, tim; xep, x~p; ve, v~; h~, h~; het, h~t

0 - o cO, co; tO, to; h6, ho; tOI, t61; trOng, trong; tro, tr6; thO, th6; ph6,
ph6; phong, phOng; g6c, g6c; g61, g61

0- o- cJ ho, ho, hO'; tOm, tom, tcJm; chOm, chom, chcJm

lid hu'6'ng; phu'cJng; tu'cJng; nu'6'c; lu'cJng; khu'6'c; gu'cJm; u'O'ng; du'c;tc

u'o'i ngu'O'i; lu'O'i; ru'O'i; m u'O'i; tu'o'i; cu'6'i

uOI bu61; tu61; chu61

ua- u'a chC.a, chua; cua, cll'a; vua, veta; mCia, mu'a

Ilia glua

ai- ay mai, may; hai, hay; bai, bay; vai, vay

ui- uy tCii, tuy

h - kh h,t, kh't; hQc, kh6c

c - kh c", khal; c6, khO; cu, khu; cOng, khOng; cam, kham; can,
kh,n; c,p, kh,p; can, khAn
 n - ng/ngh nal, ngal; nanh, nganh; neo, ngh~o; nla, nghia; nll'a,
ngl,l'a; n't. ng't

nh- ng nha, nga; nhltp, nghltp; nhl,l'a, ngl,l'a

t- th t6i, th6i; ur, thu'; thuy, t~y; tin, thln; tu~n, thu~n; thu, tu; to,
tho; t,p, th'p

~TR 1,11.47

A few examples from a Vietnamese textbook will show you how

Vietnamese children learn their alphabet. Listen and repeat.

Be lon ton ra ngo d6n ba. M~t trO'IIin 'm d't qui ta
Ba cho be qui cam. Th6n x6m vui c'y c~y g~t h,i,

M, b~ be di nha tre. E>im h~ trO'i d~y sao

C6 in c~n d6n be. C6 h6n be. be nlim ngu thiu thiu
LA cAy reo rl rao

Thu v• cue nO', sl,l'c ml'c m~l Nhu' ru cho be ngu.

tham.

Buosen nho Conga m" m,

Bin bO'ao C~m c1,11 tlm m61
Nhutay be d~ dan con nho
Vay trO'i cao. NhO'n nha vui chai.

Moi t'cd~t TrO'i ren ret

Th'm bao gi~t m6 h6i T~td~n r6i
Cho b't cam tham b~i E>ao, mai nO'
Cho em vul ca h't. Th.tla vul

Triu 0'1 ta bilo trAu nay,

TrAu An no cO' trAu cay v61 ta.

XXXII
 1
Rat han h'nh auc;1c g'p co
I am very pleased to meet you
In this unit you will learn
How to greet someone
How to introduce yourself and say where you are from
How to form simple sentences and ask simple questions

H{»i thoct~i himg ngay Everyday conversation

David is a journalist. He arrived in Vietnam two months ago. He is

learning Vietnamese and hopes to write a travel book about Vietnam.
He has already made a few friends in Vietnam. He has just bumped into
Nam in the street.

Nam A! Anh David! Ch~o anh!

David Ch~o anh Nam!
Nam Lau r6i khOng g~p an h. D~o n~y anh c6 kh6e khOng?
David Cam an. TOi kh6e. Con anh?
Nam Cam an. TOi blnh thl1bng. A, xin lc~i. TOi xin gi(1i thi~u v(1i
anh, day I~ Li~n, b~n tOi.
David CMo cO! T~n tOi I~ David. R~t han h~nh duqc g~p cO.
Llin Ch~o anh! Anh I~ ngl1bi My, phai khOng?
David KhOng phai. TOi I~ ngl1bi An h.
Nam TOi khat qua! ChCing ta di u6ng c~ ph~ di!

Unit 1 I am very pleased to meet you 1

 chao hello, to greet
anh older brother (here: you)
IAu (bao IAu?) long (how long?)
r61 already
kh6ng no, not
g~p to meet
d,o nay these days
khoe healthy, strong (here: well, all right)
o,o nay anh c6 khoe kh6ng? How are things these days?
cim an thank you
t61/
Con anh? Andwhataboutyou?
blnh thUO'ng normal, usual
xln lol excuse me
gl6'1 thltu to introduce

e v6'1 with
dAy here, this
~ Ia to be
!II:
u
c6 Miss
~ b'n (b'n t61) friend (my friend)
tin (tin t61) name (my name)
rAt very
hAn h,nh pleased
RAt hAn h,nh dUQ'c g~p c6./ am very pleased to meet you (Miss).
ngUO'I My American
Anh Ia ngUO'I My, phil kh6ng? You are American, aren't you?
kh6ng phil no
ngUO'I Anh English
khat to be thirsty
qua very
u6ng to drink
dl togo
ca phi coffee
Chung ta dl u6ng ca phi dl! Let's go and have some coffee!
(Let's go and drink some coffee)
Activities

1 True or false?
a Liin va Nam g~p David.
b C6 Liin Ia ngu'O'i Vi•t Nam.
c David Ia ngu'O'i My.
d D~o nay David khoe.
e Nam gi6'i thi•u Liin.
f Nam kh't qu,.

2 Try to fill in the missing sentences in the following conversation:

a Chaoanh!
Chaoc6!

Cilm O'n. T6i khoe. _ __

Cilm O'n. T6i blnh thu'O'ng.
b Chao ba!
Chao6ng!
Xin gi6'i thi•u v6'i ba, d'y Ia 6ng Green.

3 Translate into Vietnamese:

a Hello Mark! How are you?
I am all right, thank you. What about you?
I am well thank you.
b Allow me to introduce you to Mr Hai.
I am very pleased to meet you, Mr Hai. My name is David.
David McDonald.
c Excuse me, are you American?
No, I am English.

Terms of personal address

Vietnamese use terms denoting family relationships (kinship terms)

when addressing each other (even when talking to a person to whom
they are not related). In effect, they replace personal pronouns. The
system is rather complicated and the choice of the correct expression
depends on many things such as sex, age, social status, the family

Unit 1 I am very pleased to meet you 3

 relationship, the relationship between the speaker and the person he or
she is addressing or the overall degree of intimacy between them.

It is very difficult for foreigners always to be sure which term to use and
you will need a little bit more experience to get it right. However, it is
possible to use Vietnamese effectively with a limited number of kinship
terms, the most common of which are:

anh Oiterally, it means older brother; use it when addressing a young

male; less formal)

chj (older sister, female equivalent ofanh; less formal)

em Oiterally, it means younger sibling -brother or sister; use it when

addressing children, both male and female, or anybody a lot younger
than you are)

ling (means grandfather; use it when addressing an older man, can be

translated as Mr or Sir, formal, respectful)

ba (means grandmother; use it when addressing a married woman or a

woman much older than you are, formal, respectful)

ell (can be translated as Miss)

Greeting

The Vietnamese greet each other using the word chao to greet. This is
followed by either a name or a kinship term (or both). However, if you
use chao only, it will be considered not very polite. For example:

Chao Liin! Hello Li~n!

Chao ell! Hello Miss!
Chao ling! Hello Mister!

Chao means both hello and goodbye and therefore the above examples
also mean Goodbye Li~n!, Goodbye Miss!, Goodbye Mister!

4
There are no Vietnamese equivalents for English Good morning,
Good evening, Good afternoon, etc. and chao can be used at any time
of the day.

Insight
The easiest way to greet somebody in Vietnamese is to say Xin
chao! This way you avoid having to go through a daunting process
of trying to dedde which kinship term to use and still be polite.
You can also greet a group of people in this way without having to
choose the correct kinship term for each individual in the group.
Later on, when you get to know a person better, you will find it
....................................................................................................
easier to select the appropriate form of address .

Grammatical points
A word of encouragement before you begin!

You are entering the exdting world of Vietnamese grammar. You will
be pleased to hear that Vietnamese grammar is relatively simple (with
the emphasis on relatively, which is just as well, given the difficulty of
Vietnamese pronundation). Vietnamese is an isolating language, which
means that the words do not change according to cases, they do not take
any endings. Words are put together like a mosaic. Each grammatical
category has its special grammatical particle (or particles) that is simply
added to the sentence. Word order is crudal and each of the grammatical
particles has a strictly determined position in a sentence.

1 T61 Ia lam

A simple statement in Vietnamese is not very different from a simple

sentence in English. It follows the logical word order of subject-
verb-object. In the following sentences the subject is joined to the
object by the copula Ia to be.

Unit 1 I am very pleased to meet you 5

TOi Ia nha b,o, I am a journalist.
(/) (to be) (journalist)

£)Ay Ia Ong Hang. This is Mr Hung.

(This, here) (to be) (Mr Hung)

COLlin Ia ngu'ltl Vi•t Nam. Miss Li~n is

(Miss Li~n) (to be) (Vietnamese) Vietnamese.

£)Ay Ia b~n tOi. This is my friend.

Tin tOila David. My name is David.

2 TOi khOng phil Ia I am not

Negation in Vietnamese is formed using the negative particle khOng no,

not. It precedes the verb being negated. In sentences with Ia, khOng is
used in combination with phai.

TOi khOng phaila nha b,o. I am not a journalist.

£)Ay khOng phaila b~n tOi. This is not my friend.
co Llin khOng phaila ngultl Miss Li~n is not Vietnamese.
Vi.tNam.
Tin tOi khOng phaila David. My name is not David.

3 Questions

There are several ways of creating a question in Vietnamese. One of the

easiest questions is an affirmative question. Let's imagine you want to
make sure and ask This is Mr Hung, isn't it?

In Vietnamese you say

£)Ay Ia Ong Han~ phai khOng?

And similarly

co Llin Ia ngUO'I Vltt Nam, Miss Li~n is Vietnamese,

philkhOng? isn't she?

As you can see, this type of question has the tag phrase phil khOng
(or c6 phil khOng) at the end.

~"-~!~~!:~~~-~~~~~~-=~~-:~:~~~:~·:~:~:~::~·::·~:::~:~:~·::·;~··············]
(to be) use khOng phil instead of just khOng. Don't make this
....................................................................................................
mistake .

4 Nationality

Stating your nationality is very simple in Vietnamese. The word ngUO'I

(person) is used followed by the country's name:

ngUO'I Anh English

ngUO'I Vltt Nam Vietnamese
ngUO'I Ph'p French
ngUO'I My American
ngUO'I £Krc German
ngUO'I Trung Qu6c Chinese
ngUO'INh.t(Nh.tBin) Japanese
ngUO'I Thai Lan Thai
ngUO'I Ca-na-da Canadian

When you want to ask someone Which country are you from? you ask:

Anh/Ch! Ia ngUO'I nU6'c nao?

(You) (to be) (person) (country) (which)

Unit 1 I am very pleased to meet you 7

 H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

You should now be able to understand the following conversation

between Binh and Mark.

Blnh Ch~o an h.
Mark Ch~o chi. TOi I~ Mark. Con chi, t~n chi I~ gl?
Blnh ~n tOi I~ Blnh. Ra't han h~nh dllqc g~p an h.
Mark TOi cung r!t han h~nh dllqc g~p chi. Day I~ Peter, b~n tOi.
Blnh Chao anh Peter.
Peter Ch~o chi Blnh.
Blnh Anh I~ ngllai nll(1c n~o?
Peter TOi I~ ngllai Anh.
Blnh V~ anh Mark? Anh cung I~ ngllai Anh, phai khOng?
Mark KhOng, tOi khOng phai I~ ngllai Anh nhll Peter, tOi I~
ngllai Ca-na-da .

• , tin ch! your name (addressing a woman)

I•• gl? what?
!II! cung also
vi and
i"'' nhlllike, such as

Exercises

1 Introduce the following people to Mr Howard:

a Mr Hoang, your friend
b Miss Lan, she is Vietnamese
c Mr Herbert, he is German
d Miss Sato, she is Japanese
e Mrs Douglas, she is American

8
2 Look at the example, then create questions from the following sentences:
Chi Sato Ia ngUO'I Nh.t.
-Chi Sato Ia ngUO'I Nh•t. phil khOng?

a C6 Lan Ia ngUO'I Vl•t Nam.

b Ong Ha Ia ngUO'I Trung Qu6c.
c Ong Green Ia ngUO'I Anh.
d Ba Robinson Ia ngUO'I My.
e Tin chi Ia Tuy~t.
f Anh Pronvlt Ia ngUO'I Th~l.
g £)Ay Ia ba Mal.

3 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

Is Kurt German?
This is Mr Brown, isn't it?
Is Miss Sato Japanese?
Is Mr Chang Chinese?
Ralf is German, isn't he?
Mr Chang is Japanese, isn't he?
Is this David?

4 Answer these questions, using the following example:

£)Ay Ia 6ng Khoa, phil khOng? (6ng Ha)
KhOng, dAy khOng phil Ia 6ng Khoa, dAy Ia 6ng Ha.

a Chi Loan Ia ngUO'I Trung Qu6c, phil kh6ng?

(ngUO'I Vl.t Nam)
b £)Ay Ia anh Mark, phil kh6ng? (Richard)
c Gerard Ia ngUO'I £)1J'c, phil kh6ng? (ngUO'I Ph~p)
d Anh Nam Ia ngUO'I Anh, phil kh6ng? (ngUO'I Ca-na-da)
e £)Ay Ia chi Hoa, phil kh6ng? (chi Nguy.t)

5 Ask what nationality the following people are and reply, using the
country of origin suggested in brackets:
Blnh (VI.t Nam)
Blnh Ia ngUO'I nu6'c nao? Blnh Ia ngUO'I Vl•t Nam.

Unit 1 I am very pleased to meet you 9

 Maurice (Ph~p)
Peter (Ca-na-da)
Pornvit (Th" Lan)
Ulrich (£Krc)
Natasha (Nga)
Minh (Vi•t Nam)

6 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

a Hello, I am Helen.
Hello, my name is Hoa.l am very pleased to meet you. You are
American, aren't you?
No, I am English.
b Excuse me, where are you from?
I am German. And what about you? Where are you from?
lam French.
c Oh, hello, Jane!
HelloNam!
Howareyou?
I am fine, thank you. And what about you?
I am also all right.
d Excuse me, you are Mr Howard, aren't you?
Yes, I am Mr Howard.
My name is John, John Francis. I am very pleased to meet you.

7 Fill in the missing diacritics (accents):

£)ay Ia anh Nam. Anh Nam Ia nguoi nuoc nao? Anh Nam Ia nguoi
VietNam. Dao nay ch! Hoa co khoe khong? Cam on, toi binh
thuong. Chao anh. Rat han hanh duoc gap an h. Anh Ia nguoi My
phai khong. Toi khong phaila nguoi My, toila nguoi Anh.
 SUMMARY
At the end of the first unit, you should be able to do the following:

1 Handle basic greetings and introductions

Chao anh! Anh c6 khoe kh6ng?
Cam O'n chj, t6i khoe.
T6i r't wi du'Q'C g~p an h.
Xin gi6'i thi•u v6'i anh, diy Ia 6ng Chung.
Tin t611a Peter.
Tin chi Ia gl?

2 State your nationality and ask about other people's nationality.

For example:
Nha bao Tuin Ia ngu'O'i nu'6'c nao?
T6i Ia ngu'O'i Nh•t nhu'ng b~n t6i Ia ngu'O'i Phap.
Chi Lan Ia ngu'O'i Vi•t Nam.
C6 Mai kh6ng phai Ia ngu'O'i Trung Qu6c.
B~n t6i kh6ng phili Ia ngu'O'i Nh.t, b~n t6i Ia ngu'O'i E>ll'c.

3 Create simple Vietnamese sentences and negative versions of them:

Anh HCmg Ia sinh vlin.
Ba Malia bac si nhung chi E>ao kh6ng phil Ia bac si.
Chi Tuyit Ia b~n t61.
Tin t61 kh6ng phil Ia David.
E>iy kh6ng phai Ia khach s~n.

Unit 1 I am very pleased to meet you

 2
Chi Ia thu kj, phai khong?
You are a secretary, aren't you?

In this unit you will learn

How to state your occupation
How to create questions in Vietnamese
How to use new verbs

H{»i thoct~i himg ngay Everyday conversation

Peter introduces himself and Mark to Hoa.

1\"1
.................................................................
a: : Peter, Mark
.... Chao chi!
...
•. : Hoa
: Peter
Chao cac anh!

cua anh Nam.

:
Xin h~i, chi Ia chi Hoa, phai khOng?TOi Ia Peter, b~n :

...: Hoa A, anh Nam. Lau r6i tOi khOng g~p anh Nam.
D~o nay anh Nam th~ nao?
: Peter Anh Nam kh6e. Xin h~i, day Ia b~n tOi Mark.
: Hoa Han h~nh duqc g~p an h. Cac anh lam gl fJ Ha NQi?
Cac anh d~n day du lich hay lam vi~c?
TOi Ia sinh vi~n. TOi d~n day d~ hQc ti~ng Vi~t.
..: Peter Con anh Mark ...
: Mark TOi lam vi~c fJ cOng ty du lich. TOi d~n day du lich.
Con chi Hoa, chi lam ngh~ gl?

12
 Peter Chi Ia thll Icy, pMi khOng?
Hoa KhOng, tOi Ia y ta. TOi lam vi~c ~ b~nh vi~n B~ch
Mai. Cac anh ~ dau?
Peter ChCing tOi ~ khach s~n SOng H6ng.
Hoa 6, xin 16i, bay gib tOi phai di. H~n g~p l~i.
Peter, Mark Chao chj!

die anh you (plural; male); [cac = plural marker]

cua (b~n cua anh Nam) belonging to, of ... (Nam's friend)
th' nao? how?
lam (lam gl?) to do (what do you do?)
d'n to come, to arrive
du ljch travel, journey, tourism
hay or
lam vi•c to work
sinh vi in student
d~ in order to
hQc to study, to Jearn
ti,ng (ti,ng Vi.t) language (Vietnamese language)
& in, at, to live
cOng ty (cOng ty du ljch) company, firm (travel agency)
nghi occupation, profession
thll k9 secretary
yta nurse
b•nh vi•n hospital
diu? where?
khach s~n hotel
sOng river
h6ng (SOng H6ng) pink, red (Red River)
biygiO'now
chang tOI we
phil must
dl to go
h,n to hope
g~p 1~1 to meet again

Unit 2 You are a seaetary, aren't youl 13

 Activity

1 True or false?
a Hoa Ia thu' kj.
b Peter Ia b~n cua anh Nam.
c Mark Ia sinh viin.
d Peter kh6ng phil Ia sinh viin, Peter lam vi•c b'c6ng ty
du l!ch.
e Peter va Mark l1 kh,ch s~n S6ng H6ng.
f Mark hQc tii'ng Vi•t.

Vietnamese names

The name of a Vietnamese person usually consists of three parts (some,

however, have only two parts and some have four parts). The first name
is the family name (surname). The last name is the equivalent of the
first name in English. This is the name the Vietnamese use to address
each other (both in formal and informal contact). In addition, parents
may add a middle name as well. Nguyen VAn H~ng is the name of a
man whose family name is Nguyen. He will be referred to as H~ng.
It is more polite to add some kinship term (a word referring to a family
relationship) before the name, so in this case our Mr Hung would be
addressed, for example, as anh H~ng or 6ng H~ng, etc.

Vietnamese names usually have a specific meaning. Based on old

Confucian tradition, parents often choose a name for their offspring
that they think reflects an aspect of the child's character or physical
appearance or, indeed, their hope for the child. It is not surprising,
therefore, that many Vietnamese boys are given names such as H~ng
(Brave), Dung (Courageous), Cu'ang (Strong), while girls are called Lan
(Orchid), Hoa (Flower), Liin (Lotus), Tuyit (Snow), Nguy•t (Moon),
Huang (Perfume), etc.

In contemporary Vietnamese, each part of the name is written as a

separate word beginning with a capital letter. No hyphen is used in
between them (Nguyen Phan Ch,nh).

14
Insight
Remember that Vietnamese people never address one another by
their 'family' name but use what we would call first name/ given
name instead (even in formal contact). Please make sure you are
polite by adding the appropriate kinship term to the given name.

Notes

Languages

The names of various languages are created using the noun tli'ng
language followed by the name of a country. Look at the following
examples:

tli'ngVI.t Vietnamese language

tli'ngAnh English
tli'ng Ph&1ip French
tli'ngE>Il'c German
tli'ng Trung Qu6c Chinese
tli'ng Nh•t Japanese
tli'ngTh&1il Thai
tli'ng Nga Russian
tli'ngY Italian

Grammatical points

1 Verbs

In this unit, you are going to learn some new verbs. As with sentences
containing Ia, a simple statement follows the subject-verb-object
pattern:

T61 hQc tli'ng Vl•t I study Vietnamese.

(I) (to learn) (Vietnamese language)

Unit 2 You are a seaetary, aren't youl 15

 As we already know, negation is formed by a negative particle khOng
(no, not) placed before the verb being negated:

TOi khOng hQc tii'ng Vitt. I don't study Vietnamese.

(I) (no, not) (to learn) (Vietnamese language)

2 Questions

In the previous unit, we learnt an affirmative question. Lefs continue our

discussion about questions in Vietnamese.

A common way to form a question in Vietnamese is using the

construction (c6) ... khOng? For example:

Anh David hQc tii'ng Vitt David studies Vietnamese.

Anh David (c6) hQC tii'ng Vitt khOng? Does David study Vietnamese?

Llin s6ng ~ Ha N~i. Li~n lives in Hanoi.

Llin (c6) s6ng ~ Ha N~i khOng? Does Li~n live in Hanoi?

Blnh lam vitc ~ cOng ty du ljch. Binh works in a travel agency.

Blnh (c6) lam vitc ~ cOng ty Does Binh work in a travel
du ljch khOng? agency?

C6 is positioned before the main verb in the sentence and khOng is at

the end of the sentence. Sometimes c6 may be left out.

Lefs discuss some examples using sentences containing Ia. We already

know that the sentence I am a journalist is in Vietnamese TOila nha
b~o. If you want to ask someone Are you a journalist?, you use the
following grammatical construction:

Anh c6 phiila nha b~o khOng?

In order to form a question that contains Ia you use c6 phil before the
verb Ia and khOng at the very end of the sentence. Here are a few more
examples:

16
£)Ay c6 phil Ia Ong HCmg khOng? (Is this Mr Hung?)
CO Llin c6 phil Ia ngUO'I Vltt Nam khOng? (Is Miss Li~n Vietnamese?)

Have you realized that you should already know how to answer these
questions? The question '£)Ay c6 phil Ia Ong HC.ng khOng?' can be
answered either positively

C6, dAy Ia Ong HC.ng. (Yes, this is Mr Hung.)

or negatively:

KhOng, dAy khOng phil Ia Ong HC.ng. (No, this is not Mr Hung.)

3 Pronouns

Vietnamese does not have a complete system of personal pronouns like

English. Their role is normally fulfilled by kinship terms (see Unitt).
Study the following table carefully; it lists some of the main expressions
used to mark the first, second and third person (adopting the role of
personal pronouns).

tO I we chCing tOI, chCing ta

you em, anh, Ong, chj, you c-'c anh, c-'c Ong,
ba,cO,etc. c-'c chj, c-'c ba, etc.
he, she, it anh ,y, Ong ,y, they hQ
chi ,y, ba ,y,
cO ,y, etc.
n6

Notes:

'y is a demonstrative pronoun meaning that; chj

'y 'y
therefore means
that woman(= she), Ong means that man(= he), etc.

c-'c is a plural marker; c-'c anh therefore means older brothers (you
older brothers) and c-'c chj means older sisters (you older sisters).

Unlt2 Youareaseaetary,aren'tyoul 17
 H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

Do you remember David, Li@n and Nam whom we met in Unit 1? After
their formal introduction, David, Li@n and Nam decided to stop in a
small coffee shop to have a chat. Try to follow their conversation.

......"'. Llin Anh Ia ngllbi Anh a?

,...; David vang, tOi s6ng va lam vi~c {:J Lua n DOn - thu dO nll&c Anh.
a: Llin A, anh cung {:J thu dO nhlltOi. TOi s6ng {:J Ha NQi- thu
....
9 dO nll&c Vi~t Nam. Anh David lam ngh~ gl?
David TOi Ia nha bao. Con chi? Chi c6 phai Ia bac si nhll anh
Nam khOng?
Llin Di;l khOng. TOi Ia thll Icy.
Nam co Li~n lam vi~c {:J nha xua't ban.
Llin Anh David lam gl {:J Ha NQi?
David TOi d~n day du ljch nhllng tOi cung mu6n hQc ti~ng
Vi~t. TOi mu6n n6i chuy~n v&i ngllbi Vi~t Nam d~ hi~u
nll&c nay.
Nam Anh hQc ti~ng Vi~t bao Iau?
David Khoang hai thang. Ti~ng Vi~t kh61~m!

a final particle indicating question

s6ng to live
thu era capital city
nu'6'c country
Anh (nu'6'c Anh) England, Britain

itJ d~ particle expressing politeness

nha xu't ban publishing house
nhu'ng but
- mu6n want
a n6i, n6i chuytn to speak, to talk
v6'i with
hi'u to understand
nay this, these
bao liu? how long?
khoang approximately, about, around

18
hal two
th~ng month
kh6 difficult
I'm very

Activities

2 True or false?
a David khOng hQc th1ng Vltt
b David d'n Vltt Nam du ljch.
c co Llin lam vltc f:J Ha NO I.
d LuAn £>On Ia thu dO nu6'c An h.
e CO Liin Ia b~c si.
f Ti,ng Vitt kh6 I'm.
g David Ia nha vAn.
h Liin khOng s6ng f:J Ha NOi.

3 Can you answer the following questions?

a David s6ng f:J diu?
b Anh 'y
lam vltc f:J LuAn £>On, phil khOng?
c David lam ngh• gl?
d co Llin Ia thu k9 f:J btnh vltn, phil khOng?
e Anh Nam c6 phil Ia nha b~o khOng?
f Ha NOi c6 phii Ia thu dO nu6'c Vitt Nam khOng?

Exercises

1 Using the additional vocabulary provided below, answer the following

questions, using the example:
Anh Nam c6 phil Ia sinh vlin khOng? (lu•t sU)
Anh Nam khOng phil Ia sinh vlin, anh Nam Ia lu•t su.

a CO PhUO'ng Ia b~c si, phii khOng? (y ~)

b Helen c6 phii Ia nha b~o khOng? (thu k9)

Unit 2 You are a seaetary, aren't youl 19

 c Ong Dung c6 phil Ia nha vAn khOng? (th'y gl~o)
d Chi Tuy't Ia k' to~n, phil khOng? (lu•t sU)
e Anh HC.ng c6 phil Ia sinh vlin khOng? (b~c si)
f CO Mal c6 phil Ia lu•t su khOng? (sinh vlin)

o481TR3,2.40

th'y gi~o teacher (male)

• k' to~n accountant
s:;~ lu•t su lawyer
IS sinh vi in student
J nha vAn writer
nha b~o journalist

2 Look at the example and create questions:

Anh Dung hQc ti,ng Vi•t
Anh Dung hQc ti,ng Vi•t, phii khOng?
Anh Dung c6 hQc ti,ng Vi•t khOng?

a Ch! Hoa s6ng f1 Ha N~i.

b Helen lam vl•c f1 Paris.
c Ong Khoang hQc tl,ng Nh•t.
d Ba Huang lam vl•c f1 b•nh vl.n.
e David s6ng fiVI•t Nam.
f Anh £>1l'c hQc tl,ng Ph~p.
g Ong Taylor lam vi•c f1 cOng ty du l!ch.

3 Say that the following people study the languages suggested in

brackets, using the example:
Anh Nam (Chinese)
Anh Nam hQc ti,ng Trung Qu6c.

Mrs Smith (French)

Mr Taylor (Japanese)
Miss Sato (English)
Helen (Vietnamese)
Mrs Morton (German)
David (Chinese)

20
4 Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese.
Peter is an accountant. He works in London.
Hoa is a secretary. She works in a publishing house.
Mark is a student. He studies Vietnamese and Chinese.
Does Miss Lan work in a travel agency? No, she works in a hospital,
she is a nurse.
David is not a doctor, he is a journalist.
Julian lives in Brighton but works in London.
Helen does not know French but she knows Chinese.
Nam is a student, he studies Japanese.
Mary came to Vietnam to study Vietnamese.
Rosamund does not work in a travel agency.
Is Mr Brown a doctor?
Mrs Blnh is a lawyer. She works in Hanoi.
Is Mr Baker a teacher? Yes, he is a teacher.
Allow me to introduce you to Mr Howard; he is a writer.

bitft to know

5 Fill in the missing parts of the conversation:

a
HCmg
Maurice TOi Ia ngllbi PMp.
HCmg
Maurice KhOng, tOi khOng phai Ia nha b~o, tOi Ia nha van

Hung TOi Ia lu~t sll.

b
Hoa
Marie Vang, tOi hQc ti~ng Vi~t. Chj Hoa c6 bi~t ti~ng PMp
khOng?
Hoa _ _ nhllng tOi bi~t ti~ng f>l1c.

6 Introduce yourself in a few sentences to your Vietnamese friends.

Unit 2 You are a seaetary, aren't youl 21

Reading

£)Ay Ia b~n tOI CUO'ng. Anh CUO'ng khOng phil Ia ngUO'I Anh nhU tO I.
Anh CUO'ng Ia ngUO'i Vi.t Nam. TOi g~p anh CUO'ng ~ Ha N~i. CUO'ng
Ia k~ toan. Anh'Y lam vi•c ~cOng ty du l!ch. Anh CUO'ng bi~t ti~ng
Phap. BAy giO' anh 'Y mu6n hQc ti~ng Anh. TOi cling Ia k~ toan nhu
anh CUO'ng. TOi s6ng va lam vi•c ~ LuAn £)0n. Nhung bAy giO' tOi ~
Vi•t Nam. TOi mu6n hQc ti~ng Vi•t

Can you answer the following questions?

a What is the narrator's occupation?
b And what about his nationality?
c What is he doing in Vietnam?
d Does CuC1ng speak any foreign languages?
 SUMMARY
It is time to test how well you have learnt this unit.

Can you understand the following sentences?

1 B~n t6i s6ng ~ Ha N~i nhu'ng lam vi•c ~ Hai Phong.

2 C6 Mai c6 phai Ia lu•t su' kh6ng?

3 Anh Chung c6 bli't tling Trung Qu6c kh6ng? Kh6n~ anh

Chung bli't tling Nh•t.

5 Em Liin c6 phai Ia sinh viin kh6ng?

6 Anh Francois c6 hQc tii'ng Vi•t kh6ng?

7 Ch! Lan lam ngh~ gl? Ch! Lan Ia thu' ky.

8 Chung t61 ~ kh,ch s~n Qui Huang.

 3
Th!ng Vi't co kh6 khong?
Is Vietnamese difficult?
In this unit you will learn
How to ask and say what is something like
How to use adjectives
How to intensify adjectives and adverbs
How to use some initial and final particles in a Vietnamese
sentence
How to count from 1-10

H{»i thoct~i hang ngay Everyday conversation

Having just arrived at the Hanoi N<)i Bai airport, Richard and Tom are
facing the difficult task of finding some accommodation. They have
just approached an information counter at the airport.

Nhin viin Chao anh.Anh mu6n hoi gl?

Richard Chao chj. Chdng tOi mu6n tlm m¢t nha khikh
hay m¢t kMch s~n nh6 g~n trung tam tMnh ph6.
Chi c6 th~ giai thi~u cho chdng tOi m¢t kMch ~n t6t
khOng?
Nhin viin Ha N¢i c6 nhi~u khach s~n du ljch. Khach s~n Bb
H6 ~ trung tam thanh ph6 d~p l~m nhllng thubng
dOng khach. Thanh ni~n thl1bng chQn khach s~n
Hoa Blnh ho~c nha khach Thap Rua.

24
 Richard Khach s~n Hoa Blnh nhll th~ n~o?
NhAn vlin Khach s~n n~y ian v~ d~p l~m. N6 g~n bb H6 Ho~n
Ki~m trin ph6 B~ Tri~u.
Richard Con nh~ khach Thap Rua?
NhAn vlin Nh~ khach n~y nho v~ yin tin h.
Tom Nh~ khach n~y c6 d~t khOng?
NhAn vlin KhOng d~t l~m.
Tom T6t l~m. Chi l~m an cho chjjng tOi d~t m¢t phong
dOi l:J nh~ khach Thap Rua trong hai tuan.
NhAn vlin D~,vang ~·
Tom C~m an chj.
NhAn vlin KhOng c6 gl.

nhAn viin employee

hoi to ask
gl what
tlm to look for
ho~c or
nha khach guest house (nha =house/ khach =guest)
nhO small little
g~n near
trung tAm centre
thanh ph6 town city
c6 th' canr be able to
t6tgood
nhi~u man,Yt a lot
ct,p (ct,p I'm) nicer prett.Yt beautiful (very nice)
nhllng but
thllO'ng often
ct6ng crowded
khach guestr visitor
thanh nlin young peopler youth
chQn to choose
nhll thi nao? what is (something) like?
l6'n larger big
trin on (preposition)
ph6 (ph6 Ba Tri.u) streetr road (Ba Tri•u street)

Unit 3 Is Vietnamese difficult?

 yin tinh tranquil, quiet
d't expensive
lam an please
d~t to book
phong (phong d6i) room (double room)
hai two
tu~n week

Activity

1 True or false?
a Richard va Tom mu6n & mOt kh~ch s~n nhO.
b HQ kh6ng mu6n &trung tim thanh ph6.
c Thanh niin thrch & kh~ch s~n Hoa Blnh hay nha kh~ch Th~p
R~a.
d Kh~ch s~n Hoa Blnh g~n bO' H6 Hoan Ki~m trin du'O'ng ph6
Ba Tri.u.
e Nha kh~ch Th~p R~a kh6ng yin tinh I'm.
f Nha kh~ch Th~p R~a d't I'm.

Notes

Initial particles

As the name suggests, these appear at the beginning of a sentence

and their function is to signal the character of the sentence they
introduce .

..., d~ is a polite particle that signals a courteous reaction (positive or

negative) to what somebody else said. For example:

Chjlam an cho chung t6i d~t mOt Please book a double room for us
phong d6i & nha kh~ch Th~p R~a. in the Thdp Rua guest house.
D~ ring~· Yes (very politely).

26
 Final particles

Final particles are positioned at the end of a sentence. They cover a whole
variety of meanings. Here are some examples:

~ ~ is a final particle which indicates politeness:

Ch! lam O'n cho chung t61 d~t m~t Please book us a double room in
phong d61 f1 nha kh&1ich Th&1ip Rua. the Thdp Rua guest house.
D~ YAng~· Yes.

~ a is used when you are seeking confirmation, it can also reflect mild
surprise:

Anh bhft thfng Vl.t a? So you know Vietnamese?

Ch!m.U? You are tired, aren't you?
Ving, t61 m.t. Yes, lam.

~ nh~ could be translated into English as all right?, OK? It is used

when the speaker expects agreement with his or her statement or
suggestion:

Chung ta dl xem phlm nh~? Let's go to the cinema, all right?

~ chll'- an emphatic interrogative particle:

Ong Ia ngu'ltl Ph&1ip chll'? You are French, am I right?

~ d'y usually accompanies a question word (such as gl what,

diu where, al who, bao giO' when) and is used in questions:

Anh dl diu d'y? Where are you going?

C6 dQC s&1ich gl d'y? What are you reading?

Unit 3 Is VIetnamese dlflicultl 27

 Grammatical points

1 Adjectives

In the opening conversation, some Vietnamese adjectives were

introduced. One of the most noticeable differences between an English
and a Vietnamese adjective is its position. A Vietnamese adjective comes
after the noun that it describes. For example:

kh,ch S\'n nho a small hotel

(hotel) (smai/J
thanh ph6 cd an oldtown
(town, city) (old, ancient)
c6g" tri a young girl
(girl) (young)

Another important difference is the fact that Vietnamese adjectives act

as verbs and therefore do not need to be accompanied by an additional
verb (this means that adjectives such as tri, kh6, d't should be more
correctly translated as to be young, to be difficult, to be expensive, etc.).

Thanh ph6 Ha NOI c:r,p. Hanoi is beautiful.

town, Hanoi (to be) beautiful
Kh,ch S\'n Hilton d't. The Hilton hotel is expensive.
hotel Hilton (to be) expensive
TllfngVI•t kh6ng kh6. Vietnamese is not difficult.
language- Vietnamese not, (to be) difficult

Notice also that all Vietnamese adjectives can be negated in a regular way
using kh6ng (placed before the adjective being negated). For example:
kh6ng c:r,p not nice, kh6ng kh6 not difficult, etc.

.OTR4, 1.35

tri young cu old (opposite to new)

gla old (opposite to
young)

28
n6ng hot l6'n, to big, large
l~nh cold nho small
m6'1 new rOng wide
h,p narrow de simple, easy
cao tall, high kh6 difficult
th'p low cr,p nice, pretty, beautiful
dai long x'u bad, ugly
ng'n short glau rich
bu6n sad ngh~o poor
vul cheerful, happy thOng mlnh clever
s~ch clean chAm chi industrious, hardworking
b'n dirty IUO'I lazy
d't expensive n61 tl41ng famous
re cheap

2 Th41 nao? What is it like?

When asking what is something or somebody like, the Vietnamese use

th41 nao or nhu th41 nao.

Tl41ng Vl•t th41 nao? What is Vietnamese like?

Tl41ng Vl.t kh6. Vietnamese is difficult.

C6 Hoa nhu th41 nao? What is Hoa like?

C6Hoacr,p. Hoa is beautiful.

lna~!:~~:~~::·~::~·:::~~~·:::~·~~=~=~~:·:~:·:~::··············
question words must be placed at the end of a sentence .
. . .1
....................................................................................................

Unit 3 Is VIetnamese dlflicult1 29

 3 Neither ... nor

The meaning neither ... nor is expressed in a very simple way in

Vietnamese. For example:

Thanh ph6 Ha N~i kh6ng nho cung Hanoi is neither small nor big.
kh6ng 16'n.
(You are in fact saying that Hanoi is not small and also not big.)
Ong Dung kh6ng gla cung Mr Dung is neither old nor
kh6ng tre. young.

4 Emphasizing things: rdt!l"m/qud

There are several expressions that can be used to intensify the meaning of
adjectives and adverbs. The most frequent ones are:

very, very much

very, greatly
too, excessively

RAt occurs before the word whose meaning we intensify, while I'm
occurs after the intensified word; qu' can be placed both before and
after. For example:

Thanh ph6 Ha N~l rAt d,p. Hanoi is very beautiful.

Til1ng Vi•t kh6 I'm. Vietnamese is very difficult.
Kh,ch s~n Hilton d't qu,. The Hilton hotel is too expensive.

o@TR4,2.14

5 Numbers

Here is a list ofVietnamese numbers from 1-10. Learn and practise them
carefully. You will learn more in subsequent units.

1 m~t
2 hal
3 ba

30
4 b6n
5 nAm
6 s-'u
7 biy
8 t-'m
9 mu'O'I

H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

Nam and Mark are sitting next to one another on the plane bound for
Hanoi. Follow their conversation.
................................................................. ,.., ~

.
: Nam Xin 16i, tOi tha'y anh dang dQc tCI b~o Vi~t Nam. Anh c6
n6i duqc ti~ng Vi~t khOng?
ri
or/
: Mark C6, nhung It thOi. TOi dang hQc. TOi nghe thl hi~u 11:11:
.....
nhLing n6i khOng gioi. ~
: Nam Anh hQc ti~ng Vi~t {J dau?
: Mark C1 Luan DOn v~ H~ N¢i.
: Nam Th~ ~. Anh th!y ti~ng Vi~t th~ n~o? Ti~ng Vi~t c6 kh6
khOng?
: Mark vang, tOi th!y ti~ng Vi~t hay nhLing kh6 hQc.
: Nam Anh phat am r!t t6t.

.................................................................
: Mark 6, cam an an h. .
th'y see, perceive
dang be engaged in doing something (grammatical particle for
present tense)
ctQc read
(tO') b-'o (classifier) newspaper
n61 (n61 du'Q'c) speak, talk (to be able to speak)
i:
1: '
It thO I only a little bit
hQc study, learn
I
nghe listen
thl then
hi41u understand

Unit 3 Is VIetnamese dlflicult1 31

glol be clever, good, skilful
Thi a. Is that so? Really?
ph~t Am pronounce

Exercises

1 Fill in the missing diacritics:

A: Anh co noi duoc tieng Viet khong?

B: Vang nhung it thoi.
A: Anh thaytiengViet the nao?
B: Phat am tieng Viet kho lam.
A: Anh noi tieng Viet tot lam.
B: Cam on an h. Toi nghe hieu nhung noi khong gioi.

2 Ask what is something or somebody like. Reply using the adjectives

suggested in the brackets, as in the example:
Thanh ph6 H6 Chr Minh (16'n)
Thanh ph6 H6 chr Minh thi nao?
Thanh ph6 H6 chr Minh l6'n.

a Tling Ph~p (khOng kh61,m)

b Kh~ch s~n BO' H6 (ct6ng ngu'O'i)
c Ong Nam (gia nhu'ng khoe)
d Thanh ph6 Hui (yin tinh)
e B•nh vi•n Vi•t-My (m6'i)
f B~c si Quang (teSt)
g Sling H6ng (dai)
h C6 Lan (bu6n)
1 Nha kh~ch 'Hoa Blnh' (re)
j C6ng ty du ljch nay (t6t)
3 Form questions according to the following example:
Thanh ph6 Hu' (16'n)
Thanh ph6 Hu' c616'n khOng?

a Ong Dung (gia)

b Nu6'c Anh (nho)
c Ti,ng Nh.t (kh6)
d C6ng ty du l!ch 'Vietnam Tourism' (teSt)
e Ph6 Nguyen Hu• (yin tin h)
f B~c si Huang (teSt)
g H6 Hoan Kl'm (d,p)
h C6 Llin (khOe)
I Kh~ch s~n 'Th~p RQa' (d,t)
J Trung tAm thanh ph6 (s~ch)
k Nha xuA't bin 'VAn ngM' (n61 tl,ng)

4 Give negative answers to the following questions. For example:

Ti,ng Nh•t c6 kh6 kh6ng?
Ti,ng Nh•t kh6ng kh6, ti,ng Nh•t de.

a Kh~ch s~n Hilton c6 d't khOng?

b Chi Mal c6 khOe khOng?
c B•nh vl•n B~ch Mal c6 m6'1 khOng?
d Thanh ph6 Ha Nl)l c6 d'p khOng?
e Trung tAm thanh ph6 LuAn £>6n c6 b'n khOng?
f Lu•t sl,l' Quang c6 teSt kh6ng?
g C6ng ty du l!ch c6 teSt kh6ng?
h Ph6 Ba Tri•u c6 yin tinh kh6ng?
I B~c si Liin c6 gia kh6ng?
j Nha vAn Shakespeare c6 ncSi ti,ng kh6ng?

5 Translate these sentences into English:

ThO'I tl't khOng Am cung khOng l~nh.
Ong TuA'n khOng tre cung khOng gla.
B~n t61 khOng vul cung khOng bu6n.
Anh David khOng bl't tl,ng Ph~p cung khOng bl't tl,ng £Krc.
C6 Liin kh6ng thkh di xem phim cung kh6ng thkh di xem h~t

Unit 3 Is VIetnamese dlflicultl 33

 Ong Trr khOng glau cling khOng ngh~o.
Ong Baker khOng thrch bla cling khOng thrch ca phi.
Kh,ch s~n 'Th'p RQa' khOng d't cling khOng ri

thO'I tl41t weather fm warm bla beer

6 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

Vietnamese is very difficult.
Hanoi is not big but beautiful.
The Bach Mai hospital is old.
My friend Mai is young and pretty.
Saigon is a modern city.
This book is neither interesting nor boring.
The Hotel Metropole is very expensive.
My father is old but healthy.
Mr Hung is a good journalist.
The S6ng HtSng publishing house is near the centre of Hanoi.
My friend lives in a small hotel called B6ng Sen.
The centre of the town is not very peaceful.

7 Find the opposites to these adjectives:

nhO l~nh ngh~o

de t6t ng'n
l6'n m6'1 thfp

8 a Read and write the following numbers in Vietnamese:

7, 9, 10, 4, 2. 8, 5, 1
b Read and translate the following numbers:
mu'O'I, t,m, b6n, s,u, hal, chrn, bily, ba, nim, m~t

9 Hannah has picked up the following leaflets advertising hotel

accommodation. Help her with her choice: she is looking for a small
hotel, quiet, not far from the centre of town. Being a student, she wants
something reasonably cheap.

34
a 00~ ~ttQlrn® llil~
Nha kh,ch'QuA huang' Ia ml)t nha kh,ch nho. Phong
trong nha kh,ch nay nho nhung s~ch si. Nha kh,ch
kh6ng c6 nh' An riing. Nhi~u ngUO'i tre thkh ~day.

b Khdch sq.n Metropole

15 Ph6 NgO Quy~n
-khach ~n lon v~ sang trQng, g~n Nh~ hat lon
-109 phong sang trQng voi Ti-vi, Video, may di~n tho~i ri~ng

c Khdch s9n Ddn chu

29 Ph6' Trimg Ti~n
-~ trung tam thanh ph6 g'n H6 Hoan Kh1m

Unit 3 Is VIetnamese dlflicultl 35

 SUMMARY
Having reached the end of this unit, you should now be able to describe
objects and people and ask what they are like:
a Xe d~p cua t6i cu.
b Khach s~n nay c6 d't kh6ng? Kh6ng d't cling kh6ng re I'm.
c Mua ve may bay d't l,m.
d Bat phO' ga nay ngon I'm.
e HQc titfng Vi•t kh6 I'm.
f C6 Mal thtf nao? C6 'Y tre.
g Thanh ph6 Hutf nhuthtf nao? Thanh ph6 Hutf c:r,p I'm.
h Phlm nay c6 vul kh6ng?
I Em gal t61 c:r,p va th6ng mlnh.
J Quy'n sach nay chan qua.
k E>i may bay nhanh.
I M~a thu O'Vi•t Nam r't l~nh nhUng m~a he r't n6ng.
m Lu•t su Quang c6 t6t kh6ng?
n An CO'm blnh din re.
o Trung tim Thanh ph6 H6 Chr Minh c6 yin tinh kh6ng?
p 86 t6i khoe.
q E>Ay Ia quy'n ter dl'n teSt.
 4
Chi c6 muon xem buc anh gia
dinh toi khong?
Do you want to see a photograph
of my family?

In this unit you will learn

• How to talk about your family
How to use kinship terms
How to use question words diu? gl? al? bao IAu?
Use the question construction 'da ••• chua?'
How to use more numbers
How to use points of the compass

HC)i tholt'i hang ngay Everyday conversation

Mary and Hoa work together. Mary teaches English conversation at

the same school where Hoa is also a teacher. During their lunch break
they are having a chat.

Hoa Chi l1Vi~t Nam baa lau r6i? "'

cc:
.....
Mary Nam thang r6i. Day Ia l~n d~u ti~n tOi xa gia dlnh lau 9
nhuv~y.
Hoa Qu~chj l1dau?
(Contd)

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl 37

 Mary TOi ~ mi~n Nam mJ(1c Anh ~ th~nh ph6 bi~n Brighton.
Con chj Hoa, qu~ cua chj ~ dau?
Hoa TOi sinh ra t~i m¢t l~ng nh6 ~ mi~n B~c Vi~t Nam. Tinh
H~ B~c.
Mary A, th~ ~.
Hoa Gia dlnh chj c6 dOng khOng?
Mary DOng ... Chj c6 mu6n xem bllt anh gia dlnh tOi khOng?
Hoa C6chll'!
Mary Day I~ to~n th~ gia dlnh tOi- nhan djp sinh nh~t cua m~
tOi. Day I~ b6 m~ tOi, b~n c~nh I~ anh tOi v~ chj tOi.
Hoa Ngl1bi gi~ ng6i b~n c~nh chj Mary I~ ai?
Mary A, d61~ Ong ngQai cua tOi. Ong 78 tu6i nhung bay gib
Ong da m!t.
Hoa Con b~ cua chj?
Mary B~ cua tOi thl con s6ng. Chi Hoa c6 bao nhi~u anh
chj em?
Hoa TOi c6 m¢t em gai v~ m¢t em trai.
Mary Th~ thl Hoa I~ con ca trong gia dlnh.
Hoa Dllng th~. Con Mary I~ con llt trong gia dlnh ~?
Mary Con llt nghia I~ gl?
Hoa Con llt nghia I~ con nh6 nh!t trong gia dlnh.

bao IAu how long?

l'n (d'u tlin) time, turn (first time)
qui home, birthplace, native land, village
Ia ng village
bi~nsea
a c6 chll' yes, ofcourse
> bll'c ilnh photograph
tS toan th~ all, whole, total
5 nhAn djp on the occasion
sinh nh•t birthday
b6 father
m,mother
b6 m,parents
anh older brother
chi older sister
bin qmh next to, by
ngo~l on the mother's side
Ong ngo~l grandfather on the mother's side
m't to die
ba grandmother
con co\ the oldest child in the family, first-born child
ctCmg correct, right
con child, baby
con Ot the last-born child
nghia (nghia Ia gl?) meaning (what does it mean?)

Activities

1 Comprehension:
a How long has Mary been in Vietnam?
b Where is she from?
c Where was Hoa born?
d Is Mary's grandfather still alive? And what about her
grandmother?
e Is Mary the oldest or the youngest child in the family?
f How many brothers and sisters does Hoa have?

2 True or false?
a Mary O'VI•t Nam b6n thang r61.
b £)iy khOng phi\! Ia l~n ct~u tlin Mary xa gia d'lnh liu
nhu'v.y.
c Thanh ph6 Brighton Ia m~t thanh ph6 bl41n.
d Mary c6 m~t anh va hal chi.
e Chi Hoa sinh 6' m~t lang nhO 6' ml•n Nam Vl•t Nam.
f Gla d'lnh cua Mary khOng l6'n.
g Chi Hoa mu6n xem i\nh gla d'lnh cua Mary.
h Chi Hoa Ia con co\.
Chi Mary khOng phi\! Ia con co\ trong gla d'lnh, Mary
Ia con Ot

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl 39

 The traditional Vietnamese family

The ties within a Vietnamese family are traditionally very close.

A Vietnamese family usually includes extended family members.
Confucianism strongly determines the place and role of each member
of the family. Filial piety and the cult of ancestors are the two most
important principles ruling the Vietnamese family. Despite many
changes that have led to the loosening of traditional family structures,
the family clan with all its rules and traditions still represents a major
element in the life of every Vietnamese.

As a contrast to English, in Vietnamese the terms describing family

relationships differentiate between older and younger siblings and
between relatives on the father's and the mother's side.

anh (tral) older brother

ch! (g&1il) older sister
em trai younger brother
em g&1il younger sister
b6, cha father
m,mother
Ong grandfather
ba grandmother
Ong n(li grandfather (father's side)
Ong ngo~i grandfather (mother's side)
ch6ng husband
Vf!Wife
b&1ic, chCI, c•u uncle
cO, ell aunt
ch&1iu grandchild
anh r~, em r~ brother-in-law
con r~ son-in-law
ch! dAu, em dAu sister-in-law
con dAu daughter-in-law

40
Notes

Age

Stating age in Vietnamese is done by using the word tucSi (years of age).

For example:

M' tO I 63 tucSi. My mother is 63 years old.

Anh bao nhiiu tucSi? How old are you?
you-older brother how many years of age
....................................................................................................
Insight
Don't be surprised if many Vietnamese whom you have only just
met start inundating you with personal questions about your age,
marital status etc. This is not a sign of tactlessness on their part but
a necessity dictated by the nature of Vietnamese language: they
need to get an idea about your age, marital status etc. to determine
how to address you.

ln·a~!~:~~~=~·:~·:::~:~~~.:·:~~-~~:·~~:~·::::~·:~~:·····················1
tucSi (years of age); you cannot use the word nAm (year) in this
....................................................................................................
context.

Nha Spouse

In colloquial Vietnamese, nha is often used to mean spouse. Its use is

limited to situations when one partner from a married couple refers to
the other partner. For example:

Nha tOI tin Ia Mal. My wife is called Mai.

Nha tOI Ia b'c si. My husband/wife is a doctor.

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl 41

 Insight
The word nha has several additional meanings, one of the most
frequently used meanings is a house. Only context will help
you determine which of the many meanings of nha is used in a
particular sentence.

Phrases referring to couples

Take care when translating the following:

a hal Vf1 ch6ng (m(lt Vf1 + m(lt ch6ng); husband and wife, Mr and Mrs
b hal Vf1 ch6ng tOI my husband and //my wife and I
c hal Vf1 ch6ng Ong Baker Mr and Mrs Baker
d hal Vf1 ch6ng anh Hang Mr Hung and his wife
e hal Vf1 ch6ng chj Mal Mrs Mai and her husband
f anh em (m(lt anh + m(lt em)
(hal anh em tOI = my older brother and Vmy younger brother and I)
g hal m, con (m(lt m, + m(lt con)
(hal m, con tO I my mother and //my child and I
hal m, con ba Mal Mrs Mai and her child)

(The numeral indicates the number of persons; what follows specifies

these persons and the family relationship between them.)

Points of the compass

b'c north dOng east

nam south tiy west

When stating a direction which lies between two main points on the
compass (e.g. southeast, northwest), Vietnamese lists the main directions
in reverse order.

crong-nam tiy-b'c
(east-south) southeast (west-north) northwest

Vietnam is geographically divided into three parts- North Vietnam,

Central Vietnam and South Vietnam. These are referred to in
Vietnamese in several ways, e.g. using the word mi~n area, region:
mi~n B'c (North Vietnam), mi~n Trung (Central Vietnam), mi~n Nam

42
(South Vietnam). Other terms used to denote the three parts ofVietnam
are B'c B(l (North Vietnam), Trung B(l (Central Vietnam) and Nam B(l
(South Vietnam).

Grammatical points
1 (e1) diu? (where?); gl? (what?); ai? (who?); bao liu?
(how long?); nao? (which?)

The above question words are used when identifying someone,

something, some place or some time.

In a question, they occupy the same position as the words specifically

replying to them in the answer.

Anh O'diu? Where do you live?

T61 6' Ha N(li. /live in Hanoi.

NgUO'i gia kla Ia al? Who is that old man?

NgUO'I gla kla Ia 6ng HCmg. That old man is Mr Hung.

ChjO'VItt Nam bao liu? How long have you been living in Vietnam?
T61 O'VItt Nam ba th,ng. I have been in Vietnam three months.

Chj mu6n gl? What do you want?

T61 mu6n g~p 6ng Baker. I want to meet Mr Baker.

Anh thkh c" nha nao? Which house do you like?

T61 thkh c" nha nay. /like this house.

.0 TR 5, 1.32

2 More numbers

In the previous unit, we learnt numbers from 1 to 10. As you can see from
the following table, numbers higher than 10 are formed by a combination
of two numbers: e.g. number 11 is formed by combining number 10 with

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl 43

 number 1, 12 is 10 plus 2, etc. In the same way numbers 20, 30, 40, etc. are
created. (20 is a combination of number 2 and 10, 30 is 3 and 10 etc.).

11 mUO'I mOt
12 mUO'I hal
13 mUO'I ba
14 mUO'I b6n
15 mUO'IIim
16 mUO'I sau
17 mUO'I biy
18 mUO'I tam
19 mUO'I chrn
20 hal mUO'I
30 ba mUO'I
40 b6n mUO'I
50 nim mUO'I
60 sau mual
70 biy mUO'I
Bo tam mual
90 chrn mual
100 mOttrim
21 hal mUO'I m6t
22 hal mUO'I hal
31 ba mUO'I m6t
32 ba mUO'I hal
100 (mOt) trim
200 hal trim
500 nim trim
1,000 (mOt) nghln/(m0t) ngan
2,000 hal nghln/hal ngan

Pay attention to the following irregularities:

1 Notice the change from nim to lim. Nim changes into lim after mUO'I
or mUO'I (nim means 5 or a year in Vietnamese.) MUO'I nim means 10 years
(instead of15 as we would expect) and therefore 15 must be mUO'IIim.

2 Although 10 in Vietnamese is mUO'I, in numbers from 20 upwards

this changes to mUO'I (the tone changes from dfu huy~n into kh6ng

44
d'u), or to put it in another way, mUO'I after another number becomes
mUO'I.

3 m(lt in numbers from 21 upwards becomes m6t (e.g. 11- biy mUO'I
m6t, 91- chrn mUO'I m6t)

4 Zero between other numbers is read as llnh or le e.g. 108 = m(lt trim
llnh t~m. 207 = hal trim le biy, etc.

5 As an alternative for number b6n (4), tu is often used in higher

numbers (hal mUO'I tu, b6n mUO'I tu, etc.)

In colloquial Vietnamese you also often hear the following expressions:

him= hal mUO'I20 ch1,1c 70 hal Chi,IC20

bAm = ba mUO'I3o v~m 1o,ooo hal v~m 2o,ooo

lr15"f9iit························································································
Some of the exceptions in the system of numerals may cause you
problems. Make sure you remember that number five (nim)
becomes lim when it is preceeded by another number (i.e. in
combinations such as fifty, twenty-five etc.) and mUO'i turns into
mUO'I when it is preceeded by another number (ba mUO'I thirty).

3 £>a ... chua? Haveyoudonesomethingyet?

In unit 3, we learnt a regular question construction. In this unit's

conversation, we find another question containing era ... chu'a? This type
of question expresses the meaning Have you done something yet?

Anh (da) l•p gla Cllnh chua?

Are you already married? mt. Have you formed a family yet?)
This question requires a different reply. An affirmative reply uses
r61 already, instead of normal vAng yes, and the whole reply can be
emphasized by an additional r61 at the very end of the sentence:

R61 t61 (da) l•p gla Cllnh r61.

Yes I am already married.

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl 45

 A negative answer to this type of question uses chua not yet, which is
positioned before the verb it relates to. The initial no, not, where we
would normally use khOng no, not, is in these types of question replaced
by chua (suggesting that there is a possibility of the action concerned
taking place in the future).

For example:

Chua, t61 chua l•p gla d'lnh.

(Not yet) (I) (not yet) (form) (family)
I am not married yet.
Chua, t61 chua g~p 6ng HCmg.
(Not yet) (I) (not yet) (meet) (MrHung)
I have not met Mr Hung yet.

[ ·····i;;~~~~::·=~~-~-~~:~~:~·::~~-:~·=~-~~-~~~:::·:~::::~·············
.....................................................................................................
should not be kh6ng but chua .

H~i tho' I 2 Conversation 2

Mark and Nam are discussing their families.

Nam Anh Mark, anh l~p gia dlnh chua?

Mark Chua, tOi chua l~p gia din h. TOi c6 ngUbi y~u nhung
ch~ng tOi chua cU&i. Con anh Nam?
Nam TOi c6 vq r6i. NM tOi t~n I~ PhUang. C6 le ng Ubi Vi~t Na m
la'y vq s&m han ngUbi chau Au.
Mark Nam nay anh bao nhi~u tu6i?
Nam Hai muai ba. Vq tOi tre han tOi.
Mark Anh c6 con chua?
Nam TOi c6 hai con- m¢t con gai v~ m¢t con trai. Con gai tOi
t~n I~ Mai con con trai tOi t~n I~ Quang.

l•p gia d'lnh to form a family, to get married

B; ngUO'i yiu girlfriend/boyfriend
cU6'1 to wed
vqwife
nha (here) spouse
c6 li perhaps, maybe
s6'm early (earlier)
tre hO'n younger
con gal daughter
con trai son

Exercises

1 Answer the following questions, using the expressions suggested in

the brackets.
a Ong E>lmg O'diu? (Hal Phong)
b Anh David hQc gl? (tl~ngVI.t)
c Bac si Hung lam vi•c 6' diu? (E>a N~ng)
d Kim dQc gl? (bao 'Ha N~i M6'11
e BaLan sinh O'diu? (lang)
f Anh Peter hQc ti~ng Vi•t bao liu? (mu'O'I thang)
g Chi Liin u6ng gl? (ca phi)
h Khach s~n BO' H6 6' diu? (trung tim Thanh ph6 H6
chrMinh)
I Nha bao Quang tlm ai? (lu•t su' Dung)
J Nha xuA't ban 6' diu? (g'n H6 Hoan Ki~m)
k Anh Richard 6' Hu~ bao liu? (ba thang)
I Chj Mal di diu? (dl hQc)
m B•nh vi•n 6' diu? (g'n khach s~n)

2 Translate into Vietnamese:

a How old are you? I am 26.
b Where do you live? /live in the Hotel Ba H6.
c Where is the hotel? It is in the centre of Hanoi.
d Who is this? This is Doctor Hung.
e /s Peter married? No, he is still single.
f My parents live in North Vietnam but my older sister lives in
South Vietnam.

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl 47

3 Give Vietnamese equivalents:
a Have you met Miss Lan? No, not yet.
b Have you visited Central Vietnam? Yes, I have already visited
Central Vietnam but I have not yet visited South Vietnam.
c Have you seen a photograph of my family? Yes, I have.
d Have you ever been far from your family?
e Are you married yet? Not yet.

4 Ask questions, using the following example:

Anh David (dl xrch 10)
Anh David da dl xrch 10 (bao giO') chua?

a Ong HC.ng (dl thAm chAu Au)

b cO Mal (g~p nha vAn TrO
c em Llin (vl~t thu' cho b6 m,)
d ch! Helen (hQc tl~ng Vl.t)
e die b~n (che11 b6ng ban)
f anh David (u6ng ca phi Vl•t Nam)

xkh 10 cyclo, pedicab, rickshaw

chAu Au Europe
chO'I to play
b6ng ban table tennis

5 State that the person has never done the suggested activity. For example:
Ch! Mal dl thAm chAu Au.
Ch! Mal chua dl thAm chAu Au.

a 86 m, tO I g~p th'y glao Tu,n.

b Anh tOI chCta xe d~p.
c CO Llin l'y ch6ng.
d ChOng tOI xem phlm Vl•t Nam.
e David hQc bal nay.
f M' tOI thAm ml~n Nam Vl•t Nam.
g 86 tOI n61 chuy•n v611u•t su' Quang.

chCta repair
6 Give English equivalents for the following dialogue:
a QuA anh & diu?
b QuA tOI & Hil Phong.
c Hil Phong & diu?
d Hi\ I Phong & ml~n B'c Vl•t Nam.

7 Translate into Vietnamese:

a Where do you live?
I /live in London, the capital of England.
II What is London like?
Ill London is very big but beautiful.
b Where were you born?
I In Hanoi.
II How old are you?
Ill I am 36 years old.
c What does Martin do?
I He is a student, he studies Vietnamese.
II How long has he been studying Vietnamese?
Ill Six months.
d How many brothers and sisters have you got?
I I have one younger brother and one older brother.
II /s your older brother married?
Ill No, he is divorced.

ly hOn, ly dj divorce ngUO'IIy dj vQ'/ch6ng divorcee

8 a Write down the following numbers in Vietnamese:

56, 87, 21, 106, 65, 1996, 40, 88, 94, 104, 55, 608, 31, 17, 2735,
410, 91,10

b Read and translate the following numbers:

hal mUO'IIAm, chrn muo1 hal, nAm trAm, t'm trAm llnh ba, mUO'I
t,m, b6n mUO'I m6t, nAm trAm llnh nAm, ~m muo11Am, s'u
mUO'I, mUO'I ba, mOt trAm, bi\y mUO'I bi\y, ba mUO'I tu, nAm mUO'I
lAm, mUO'I chrn, b6n trAm le chrn, b6n nghln, s'u mual m6t,
mUO'I mOt. bi\y nghln ba trAm s'u muo11Am, nAm trAm llnh s,u,

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl 49

9 Practise your times tables in Vietnamese.

For example:
a Hall'n mOt Ia hal.
Two times one is two.
b Hall'n hal Ia b6n.
c Ba l'n bily Ia hal mu'O'I m6t.

10 Translate into Vietnamese:

Hoa lives in Hue but her birthplace is HaiPhOng. HaiPhOng is
in North Vietnam. Hue is in Central Vietnam. Hoa is young and
va
beautiful. She has one younger brother named and one younger
sister named Mai. va va
is a journalist and Mai is a student. is
already married; his wife is a nurse. They have one son. He is three
years old.

11 Using a family photograph describe all the members of your family

to a friend.

12 Have a look at the map ofVietnam that you see here and say in
which part ofVietnam the named places are. Note also the correct
Vietnamese spelling of geographical locations.

d6ng bling delta

a a
For example: Hue c1du? Hue mi~n Trung Vi~t Nam.
Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my family? 51
 Reading

Read the following text carefully and answer the questions.

Ong Binh Ia chong cua ba Hlldng. HQ song

l1 mien B~c Vi~t Nam. HQ co 2 nguoi con:
m9t con trai ten Ia Tuan va m9t con gai ten
Ia Mai. Nim nay Tuan 19 tuoi va Mai 23 tuoi.
Tuan chua co gia dinh nhllng Mai co gia
dinh roi. Chong cua Mai ten Ia Chung. Mai
va Chung chua co con.

Co Loan Ia thu kj. Nim nay co ay 19 tuoi.

Co ay con d9c than va con song vOi bo m~.
Co lam vi~c l1 m9t cong ty thudng m.,i l1 Ha
NQi. Co thuang phai di mien Nam Vi~t Nam.

Emanuelle Ia nglloi Phap. Chj ay dang hqc

tieng Vi~t l1 Ha NQi. Nim nay Emanuelle 24
tuoi. Emanuelle chua co gia din h. Bo m~ cua
Emanuelle song l1 Pa-ri, thu do nlloc Phap.
Bo con lam vi~c nhllng m~ cua Emanuelle
ve huu roi.

d9c than single thlldng m.,i trade, commerce ve hllu retire

Can you find answers to these questions?

a Ong Binh co gia dinh chua?
b Chi Emanuelle da lay chong chua?
c Co Loan song voi bo m~ phai khong?
d Ba Hlldng Ia ai?
e Ong ba Binh co may dua con?

52
f Chung Ia al?
g CO Loan lam vltc O'dAu?
h 86 m, cua Emanuelle con lam vltc, phil khOng?
I Mal c6 con chua?
j Loan thUO'ng phii di diu?

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl 53

 SUMMARY
Once again you have reached the end of the unit and it is time to test
your knowledge.

1 Which of the following numbers indicates the number of days in a

year?
a Ba trim sau mu'O'I tam
b Ba trim sau mu'O'I lim
c Ba trim b6n mu'O'I lim

2 Identify the following numbers:

a MOt nghln chrn trim tam mu'O'I biy
b Ba trim llnh sau
c Chrn mu'o'illm
d B6n ngim hal trim ba mu'O'I m6t
e Nlm trim li nlm
f Mu'O'I biy nghln
g Nlm trim nlm mu'O'I lim

3 How would you ask your colleague where he was born?

a Anh sinh nlm nao?
b Anh sinh O'dAu?
c Sinh nh•t b~n vao ngay nao?

4 Your roommate aks you: 'Anh da thlm mi~n Nam Vi•t Nam
chua?' Does he want to know
a if you have travelled to Central Vietnam?
b which part of VIetnam you like most?
c if you have ever visited South Vietnam?

5 Your Vietnamese boss asks you: 'Anh s6ng 6' £)0ng Nam A bao
IAu?' Does he want to know
a if you have ever travelled around Southeast Asia.
b when did you arrive in Southeast Asia.
c how long have you been living in Southeast Asia.
 Final checklist

Here is a summary of some useful questions you can use to enquire

about your friends and their family:

Tin anh/chj Ia gl? What is your name?

Anh/chj Ia ngu'O'i nu'6'c nao? Where are you from (which country
are you from)?
Nim nay anh/chj bao nhiiu tu6i? How old are you this year?
Anh/chl c6 mAy anh chj em? How many brothers and sisters
do you have?
Anh/chjl•p gla dlnh chua? Do you have a family yet?
a
Anh/chj s6ng diu? Where do you live?
Anh/chjlam nghi gl? What do you do?
Anh/chj lam vi•c ~diu? Where do you work?

1 b 2 (a) 1987 (b) 306 (c) 95 (d) 4231 (e) 505 (f) 17 000 (g) 555
3 (b) 4 (a) 5 (c)

Unit 4 Do you want to see a photograph of my famllyl

 5
Ngay mai Ia thu may?
What day is it tomorrow?
In this unit you will learn
How to say the days of the week and months of the year
How to form ordinal numbers
How to use demonstrative pronouns
How to form the comparative and superlative degree of
adjectives

HQi tho~i hang ngay Everyday conversation

Richard wants to invite Dung to the cinema. Finding a suitable time is
proving rather difficult.

Richard Ng~y mai anh c6 r6i khOng?

Dung Sao anh hoi v~y?
Richard TOi djnh mbi anh di xem phim vai tOi.
Dung Th~ ~. Ng~y mai I~ thcr mgy?
Richard Thcrnam.
Dung Thcr nam ~? £>~ tOi nghi xem sang mai tOi phai di chq
mua thl,(c phgm, vi~t thlt cho gia dlnh tOi, bu6i chi~u tOi
phai l~n lap ti~ng Anh v~ sau d6 tOi c~n ch11a xe d~p.
Con bu6i t6i tOi phai di thLtvi~n. TOi rgt thlch di xem
phim vai anh nhltng hlnh nhlt ng~y mai tOi b~n l~m!
.
: Richard Thet ti~c qu~! Anh lam vi~c nhi~u qu~! Anh n~n nghT.
. Con ngay kia? Anh c6 ben gl khOng?
: Dung Thl1 b~y, chi~u th11 b~y tOi thllong chai b6ng d~
nhllng bu6i t6i, tOi r6i.
: Richard T6t qu~! Th~ thl chdng ta se di xem phim t6i th11 b~y.

ngay mai tomorrow

roi spare time, free
(t\'1) sao why?
v•y (like) so
djnh to decide
mO'I to invite
Thi a. Is that so? Really?
Ngay mai Ia thl1 m'y? What day (in a week) is it tomorrow?
di xem phim to go to the cinema
thl1 sau Friday
d~ t6i nghi xem let me (think and) see
chQ'market
mua to buy
thl,l'c ph'm food
l~n l6'p go to school
chua to repair
xe d\'P bicycle
(bucSI) t61 evening
thll vi•n library
hlnh nhll it looks like
b•n busy
tii'c qua what a pity!
nin should, ought to
nghi to have a rest
ngay kla the day after tomorrow
thl1 biy Saturday
(bucSI) chl~u afternoon
chO'I to play
b6ng da football

Unit 5 What day Is It tomorrow? 57

Activity

1 True or false?
a Richard mu6n mO'i anh Nam di xem phim.
b S&1ing thll' nlm anh Dung phil vhft thu' cho gla Cllnh.
c Chi~u thll' bily anh phil lin 16'p hQc thfng Anh.
d Thll' nlm anh Dung roi.
e S&1ing thll' bily anh b•n I'm.
f Anh Dung khOng thrch chai b6ng d&1i.

Notes
VIetnamese calendar

Vietnam uses a solar calendar (du'O'ng l!ch) for official purposes but
religious activities and celebrations are governed by the lunar calendar
(Am l!ch) formed by a 6o-year cycle divided into five 12-year groups.
Each year is associated with an animal. (The names of the animals are
traditionally referred to using a Sino-Vietnamese expression.) The table
on the following page lists one 12-year cycle and the Sino-Vietnamese
terms together with their Vietnamese and English equivalents.

The New Year festival

The Vietnamese have many festivals and celebrations but without

doubt the biggest one is the New Year festival (Tift nguyin d&1in). The
Vietnamese celebrate the New Year according to the lunar calendar.
Tift nguyin d&1in is an opportunity for the whole family to meet together.
It is a festival that marks the beginning of the spring and it is filled with
hopes and expectations that the new year will be happier and better than
the previous one. Tift nguyin d&1in is rich in customs and traditions
and many special dishes are prepared. Firecrackers (ph&1io) are set off to
welcome in the new year.

Vietnamese folk prints are used to decorate houses on the occasion of

Tift. These are £)0ng HcS prints made in a village of the same name.
 Sino-Vietnamese Vietnamese

ty chu~t mouse, rat

situ triu ox
cMn h& tiger
mio meo cat
thln r6ng dragon
ty ~'in snake
ng9 ngl:fa horse
mui eli goat
than khl monkey
~u ga rooster
~t ch6 dog
hl1! l.;m pig

The year 2010 is known as Canh ~n In Vietnamese.

Vletnamesefolk prints.

Grammatical points

1 Ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers are formed from cardinal numbers by adding the

ordinal designator tha This element precedes the cardinal numbet:

Unit 5 What day Is It tomorrow? 59

 thl:i' nh't first thl:i' mUO'I m(lt eleventh
thl:i' hal* second thl:i' mUO'I hal twelfth
thl:i' ba third thl:i' mUO'IIAm fifteenth
thl:i' tU** fourth thl:i' hal mUO'I twentieth
thll' nAm fifth thll' b6n mUO'I fortieth
thll' sau sixth thll' m(lttrAm hundredth
thll' bi\y seventh thll' m(lt trAm sau
thll' tam eighth mUO'I ba 163rd
thll' chrn ninth
thl:i' mUO'I tenth

* thll' nhl is sometimes used instead ofthll' hal (second)

** -note that tu rather than b6n is used in ordinal number fourth

(thll'tU)

·····i;;~~9~!:~::::::~:~·;~-~~~~~-:~~-=~-~~~::~::~:~-~~:~··············
[ ....................................................................................................
2 Parts of a day

Parts of a day make use of the word bucS I time, session, thus bucSI
t61 evening.The main distinction between the daytime and night-time
is expressed in Vietnamese by ban ngay (daytime) and ban dim
(night-time).

bucSI time, session

sang trua chl~u t61 dim, khuya
morning lunch afternoon evening night, late night

o@TR6,0.57

3 Days of the week

a In Vietnamese, the terms denoting the days of the week are, with the
exception of Sunday, ordinal numbers. Their week starts from Sunday,
and therefore Monday is the second day in the week, Thesday the third
day, Wednesday the fourth day, etc.

6o
chu nh•t Sunday thll'nAm Thursday
thll'hal Monday thll's'u Friday
thll'ba Tuesday thll'biy Saturday
thll'tU Wednesday

The expression for Sunday (chu nh.t) means the Master's Day.

b The following question is used to ask What day is it today? (What day
in a week is it today?)

HOm nay Ia (ngay) thll' m'y?

(today) (to be) (day) (ordinal (how many)
designator)
HOm nay Ia (ngay) thll' ba.
(today) (to be) (day) (Tuesday)
Today is Tuesday.

Ngay mal Ia thll' m'y? What day is it tomorrow?

Ngay mal Ia chu nh.t. Tomorrow is Sunday.
hOm nay today
hOm qua yesterday
ngaymal tomorrow
hOm kla the day before yesterday
ngay kla the day after tomorrow

On Monday, on Wednesday in Vietnamese use the preposition vao: vao

thll' hal, vao thll' tu, etc.

4 Demonstratives nd,Yt dy, kia

Demonstratives nay this, 'y that and kla that one over there are placed
after a noun.

For example:

kh,ch s~n nay this hotel

kh,chs~n 'y that hotel
kh,ch s~n kla that hotel over there

Unit 5 What day Is It tomorrowl 61

 The difference between 'Y and kia: 'Y is used to refer to something that
is far from the speaker but near to the person being spoken to; kia refers
to something or somebody located far away from both the speaker and
the person being spoken to.

The correct word order, if the noun is already modified by an adjective,

is as follows:

noun adjective demonstrative

kh,ch S\'n nay this nice hotel

kh,ch S\'n
kh,ch S\'n
'ykia
that nice hotel
that nice hotel (over there)

It is important to distinguish between kh,ch S\'n ct,p nay this nice hotel
and Kh,ch S\'n nay cr,p This hotel is nice.
····y.;s-f9iii···················································································
Students ofVietnamese have often problems with the correct word
order, especially when a word is modified by several grammatical
words. Remember that adjective comes immediately after a noun
and only then comes a demonstrative, for example cO g" cr,p nay
(this beautiful girl).

To express that something or somebody is equal to something or

somebody else, the Vietnamese use the word bllng be equal:

Helen tri bllng Peter. Helen is as young as Peter.

M, tOi gia bling b6 tOi. My mother is as old as my father.

6 Adjectives- comparative and superlative

1 comparative: han more than

Han is used in Vietnamese to form the comparative. Its position (after

the adjective) is illustrated in the following examples:

62
Helen tre h<1n Peter.
(Helen) (to be young) (more than) Peter.
Helen is younger than Peter.
Ha N9i nho h<1n SaiGon.
(Hanoi) (to be small) (more than) (Saigon)
Hanoi is smaller than Saigon.

2 superlative: nhat

The superlative is formed using nhat. The position of nhat (after the
adjective) is illustrated in the following examples:

sai Gon Ia m9t thanh pho I an nhat b Vitt Nam.

Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam.
Helen tre nhat trong lap hQc.
Helen is the youngest in the class.

HQi tho,i 2 Conversation 2

David and Thao are making plans for the weekend.

0
Thao
David
TrOi hom nay n6ng l~m! Anh c6 thfch di chdi dau khong?
C6, toi rat thfch di ch<1i. Toi biet roil Ngay mai Ia thli bay
...""!
con ngay kia Ia chu nh~t-nghia Ia hai ngay nghf. Chung
"'
lliC
....
Thao
ta co the di ra bien.
Tot l~m. Chung ta di vjnh H~ Long dil •
David Baogiodi?
Thao Chung ta di sang mai.
Chieu mai chung ta c6
the ~m bien dll~C roil
David Con toi mai chung ta di
d~o d9c bo bien. Toi
nghe n6i H~ Long c6
nhieu hitu an ngon!
(Contd)

Unit 5 What day Is It tomorrow? 63

 .
: Thio Sang chu nMt chang ta c6 th~ thu~ thuy~n va di tham
. quan vjnh Hi;~ Long .
...: David 0, tOi qu~n m!t! T6i chu nMt tOi ph~i di san bay d6n
anh bi;ln tOi. Bao gib chllng ta tr~ v~ Ha N¢i?
: Thio Th~ thl chi~u chu nh~t ch(ing ta tr~v~.

trO'IIiterally, sky (here: the weather)

n6ngwarm
nghia Ia it means ...
ngay nghi holiday
c6 th4 can, be able to
bl4n (ra bl4n) sea (go [out] to the sea)
vjnh (vjnh H~ Long) bay (H~ Long bay)
bao giO'? when?
., t'm (c6 th4 t'm du'Q'c) bath, bathe (to be able to bathe)
••
~ dl d~o go for a walk
IS dQc along
j nghe n61 they say
hl•u An restaurant
ngon tasty
thui to rent
thuy~n boat
tham quan to go on a trip, excursion
quin mAt forget
sin bay airport
d6n welcome, meet
trO' v~ to return

Exercises

1 Answer the following questions, using today as your starting point.

HOm nay Ia ngay tha mAy?
Ngay mal Ia tha mAy?
HOm kia Ia thl1 mAy?
HOm qua Ia thl1 mAy?
Anh sinh ngay thl1 mAy?
2 Translate into English:
HOm nay tOI mu6n dl cho'l.
BucSI s'ng tOI thrch u6ng ca phi.
Ngay kla anh Quang phil dl sAn bay.
BucSI t61 ba Phu'O'ng thkh xem vO tuy~n hay nghe ra-dl-0.
Ngay mal tOI phil chila xe d~p.
HOm nay Ia chu nh.t, tO I khOng phil d•y s6'm.
T61 qua cO Blnh dl thu' vl.n.

vo tuy~n truyin hlnh television nghe listen to, hear

3 Using the clues provided, ask what somebody does at a certain time
and then reply following the example:
t61 chu nh•t (6' nha)
T61 chu nh•t anh thu'O'ng lam gl? (6' nha)
T61 chu nh•t tO I thu'O'ng 6' nha.

a cO Hoa/thll' biy (khOng dl lam vl.c)

b em g'l tOI/bucSI s'ng (t•p th41 d1,1c)
c tOI/thll' hal (hQc tl~ng An h)
d anh Nam/chliu thll's'u (chO'I b6ng d')
e cO Mal/chU nh•t (dl thAm m(lt ngu'O'I b~n dmg lam vl.c)
f tOI/khuya (dQc s'ch)
g b'c si HCmg/s,ng thll' hal (phil d•y s6'm)
h lu•t su'Tu,n/chliu thll' tu' (dl hQp)
I tOI va anh b~n t01/t61 thll' biy (dl hl•u An)

t•p th41 d1,1c do physical exercises

b6ng d' football
hQp meeting
m(lt ngu'O'I b~n dmg lam vl•c colleague
hl•u An restaurant

4 Can you provide an English translation of these sentences?

SOng Cll'u Long dal hO'n sOng H6ng.
M' tO I gla hO'n b6 tO I.
ChQ'E>6ng XuAn nho hO'n chQ' B~n Thanh.
Thanh ph6 Hu~ nho hO'n Ha N(ll.
Ch! lan tre nh't trong 16'p hQC nay.

Unit 5 What day Is It tomorrow? 65

 Hltu An Qui Huang ngon b'ng hltu An BOng Sen.
Xe d~p Trung Qu6c teSt han xe d~p Vltt Nam.
Thanh ph6 H6 Chr Minh l6'n nh't & ml~n Nam Vltt Nam.
£)1 xem phlm hay han cho1 b6ng ban.
Tl~ng Vltt kh6 b'ng tl~ng Nh•t
Alia ngUO'I tre nh't trong gla dlnh anh?
May bay nhanh han tau hoa.
HOm nay ch! Nguytt vul han hOm qua.
Khach s~n Metro pole sang trQng nh't & Ha N~l.
NU6'c Anh nhO han nu6'c Phap.

5 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

a What are you doing tonight?
I am going to the cinema.
And tomorrow night?
I have to go to the airport to meet a friend.
b Are you free in the afternoon?
No, I have to go to the library.
And in the evening?
In the evening I am free.
c I want to meet Mr Smith. Is he free tomorrow morning?
Tomorrow morning he is busy but in the afternoon he is free.
d What is the largest city in Vietnam?
Saigon or, more correctly, Ho Chi Minh City.
And what about Hue?
Hue is smaller than Saigon and also smaller than Hanoi.
(d(mg = correct, right)

6 Imagine that you are Mr Hung's secretary. Consult his diary and then
answer the following questions.
 thll' hal thll' ba thll'tU thll'nAm
g~p 6ng d•ys6'm vitft billi gQi di•n
Baker d' dl sAn b'o cho th0\'1 dl
bayd6n b'o'Kinh LuAn£>6n
kh,ch ttfVi.t
Nam'
14-00 - cu~c hQp b•nhvi•n thAm b'c si An trua v6'i
Thao lu.tsUDung
19.00-dl
xem h't

thll's'u thll' bay chu nh•t

ra Hutf mua b'n ~ chQ' nghi
g~p nha b'o 18.00- 14.00-
£>1l'c d' hi.uAn chO'i
thaolu•n B6ng Sen ten-nrt
bal b'ocho (An t61)
b'o'Kinh v61 b\'n)
ttfVI.t Nam'

thao lu•n discuss klnh ttf economy

a S'ng thll' hal 6ng c6 rol kh6ng?

b Anh dl thAm b'c si vao ngay nao? Vao lllc nao?
c Tu'n nay 6ng si gQI c:h•n tho\' I dl LuAn £>6n phal kh6ng?
d Chi~u thll' s'u 6ng H~ng si lam gl?
e Bao giO' H~ng si chO'i ten-nrt?

7 Compare the following objects and people, using the example.

s6ng Clhl Long/sling H6ng/r~ng.
S6ng Clhl Long r~ng hO'n s6ng H6ng.

a thanh ph6 Ha N~l Thanh ph6 H6 chr Minh ccS

b hQC tltfng Ph'p hQC tltfng Vl.t kh6
c m,t61 b6t61 gla
d bal dQc h6m nay bal dQc h6m qua de
e trung tAm Ha N~i trung tAm Hutf yin tinh
f di nha h't di r\'P chitfu b6ng hay

Unit 5 What day Is It tomorrow? 67

Reading

Ong Baker Ia nha klnh doanh. Ong Ay luOn b•n vllam vltc nhl•u va
nghl rt. Ngay lam vitc cua Ong Baker b't d'u s6'm. Ong d•y s6'm, An
sang va di cCI quan. Bu6i sang Ong lam vitc ~ cCI quan - vi~t thu', gQi
ditn tho~i, n6i chuytn v6'i thu' ky v.v. Bu6i chi•u Ong thu'O'ng ti~p
khach hay di hQp. Bu6i t6i Ong v• nha mu~n. Ong mtt I'm. Ngay
lam vitc cua Ong Baker th•t Ia b•n! Chl vao chu nh•t Ong c6 th~
nghl. Tru6'c dAy Ong thu'O'ng dl xem b6ng da nhung bAy giO' thrch ~
nha hCin.

nha klnh doanh businessman

Find answers to these questions:

a What is Mr Baker's occupation?
b When does he usually have a meeting?
c Does he still play football?
d What does he do on Sundays?

Here's a short end-of-unit test for you to complete.

 SUMMARY
1 How do you ask your friend about his plans for Saturday night?
a T61 thll' biy anh si lam gl?
b T6i chu nh.t anh c6 roi kh6ng?
c Sang thll' biy anh di diu?
2 You invite your neighbour to come to the cinema with you. He
replies: 'T6i r't thkh di xem phim v6'i anh nhu'ng ngay mai t6i
b•n qua: Is he:
a very happy to accept your invitation because he loves going to
the cinema?
b sorry but he cannot come with you because he is very busy?
c sorry but he does not like going to the cinema?
3 How do you ask your friend when is he going to see his doctor?
a Anh di thlm bac si vao ngay nao?
b Ngay mai anh c6 di thlm bac si kh6ng?
c Thll' biy nay bac si c6 lam vi•c kh6ng?
4 Your colleague asks you: 'Bu61 sang anh c6 thrch u6ng ca phi
kh6ng?' Is he asking you
a if you already had some coffee today?
b if you prefer tea or coffee?
c if you like to drink coffee in the morning?
5 Your friend asks you: 'Thanh ph6 nao 16'n nh't ~ nu'6'c Anh?'
What does he want to know?
a In which English town you live?
b Which English town is the largest in the country?
c Whether you like living in England?
6 Your friend says: 'Ngay mal Ia chu nh.t, t61 kh6ng phil d•y s6'm:
Is he
a informing you that he has to go to work tomorrow?
b telling you that on Sunday the office is closed?
c glad that tomorrow he does not have to get up early because it
is Sunday?

1a2b3a4c5b6c

Unit 5 What day Is It tomorrowl

 6
Xin loi, bay gia Ia may gia?
Excuse me, what's the time?
In this unit you will learn
How to ask and tell the time
How to say what date it is
How to ask when?
How to specify tense in vietnamese
How to ask how many?

H{»i thoct~i himg ngay Everyday conversation

Jane and Mark plan to go to Hu~. They are at the information counter to
arrange their flight.
•.••..•..•..•.....•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•....•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.
""" : Mark CO lam an cho bi~t khi nao c6 may bay di Hu~? :
~ : Nhin vlin M6i tuAn ba IAn. Vao thll' hai, thll' nam va thll' bay. :
9
: Bao giCI Ong mu6n di Hu~?
: Mark TOi mu6n bay vao thll' nam. M~y giCI may bay di Hu~ :
c~t canh?
: Nhinvlin May bay di Hu~ c~t canh ICic mLtCii giCI rLtai.
: Mark Con may bay d~n Hu~ ICic m~y giCI?
: Nhinvlin MLtCii hai giCI kern mLtCii.

70
 Mark Lam an cho hai ve khl1 h6i. Con ch6 vao ngay th11
nam khOng?
NhAnvlin Con vai ch6.
Mark M!ygibtOi phai c6 m~t lJ san bay?
NhAnvlin Ong can phai c6 m~t ?J san bay tru(1c chrn gib ruai
hay Ia tam gib sang c6 m~t lJ van phong hang
khOng Vi~t Nam a~ ra san bay.
Mark Cam an.
NhAnvlin KhOng c6 gl.

Ia m an please, do somebody a favour

CO lam an cho bli't ••• Please tell me ...
khl nao? when?
m~y bay plane
bay fly
mfy gilt? (at) what time?
eft c~nh take off
ve (khl1 h6l) ticket (return ticket)
chop/ace
val a few, some
c6 m~t be present (m~t = face)
vAn phong office
hang khOng airlines
d4 in order to
ra to out (to)

Activity

True or false?
a Anh Mark mu6n dl Hui.
b M~y bay dl Hui mol tu'n hall,n.
c Anh Mark mu6n bay vao thl1 biy.
d M~y bay din Huiluc mUlti hal gilt kim mUlti phut

Unit 6 Excuse me. what's the tlmel 71

 e Anh Mark phil c6 m•t & sAn bay tru6'c chrn giO'.
f nm giO' s'ng anh 'Y
phil c6 m•t & vAn phong hang khOng Vltt
Nam d'
ra sAn bay.

Some local place names

HaN~l - the capital of Vietnam, situated on the banks of Red River

(Sling H6ng). Previously called Thing Long (The Soaring Dragon),
the name was changed in 1831 to Ha N('>i. After 1954 Ha N('>i became the
capital ofNorth Vietnam (Vietnamese Democratic Republic) and after
the reunification of the country in 1976 became the capital of the whole
of Vietnam.

Sal Gon/Thanh ph6 H6 Chr Minh - the largest city in Vietnam, located
in the southern part of the country. After reunification in 1976 the city
was renamed ThAnh ph6 H6 Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City) after the
famous Vietnamese revolutionary leader. The city is still frequently
referred to as Saigon.

Hu.f - former royal capital located in Central Vietnam on the banks of

the Perfume River (Sling HUO'ng). Famous for its Royal City (protected
and renovated under the auspices of UNESCO) and numerous
mausoleums of the Nguyen kings (the founder of the Nguy~n dynasty,
king Gia Long, transferred the capital in 1802 from Ha N('>i to Hu~.
Hu@' is a traditional centre of Buddhism in Vietnam.

V!nh H~ Long (H~ Long bay, H~ Long = descending dragon, a name

based on a legend connected with the origin of the rock formations in
the bay) - 180 kilometres north of Ha N('>i; scattered about the bay are
around tooo beautiful lime rocks rising from the sea, full of grottoes
and surprising views.

H~I An - a famous port (originally called Fa 1-Fo ), a landing place of

many merchants and adventurers arriving to explore Vietnam in the
seventeenth century.
Grammatical points
1 Telling the time

When telling the time we need the following words:

glahour
ph Cit minute
giAy second

When asking What time is it? the Vietnamese use one of the following
questions:

M'ygiO'r61? How many hours already?

BAy giO' (Ia) m'y giO'? Now is how many hours?

Stating time in Vietnamese is simple. Making use of numbers, you need

to read the number ofhours, minutes and seconds.

g.oo chrn giO' nine hours

8.2o t'm giO' hal mUO'I (ph Cit) eight hours twenty (minutes)
10.35 mUO'I giO' ba muo11Am (phc.t) ten hours thirty-five (minutes)

There is a special expression rUO'I for half past.

8.30 t'm giO' ba mUO'I ph Cit eight hours thirty minutes

or
t'm (giO') rUO'I eight (hours) half
10.30 mUO'I giO' ba muo1 ph Cit ten hours thirty minutes
or
mUO'I (giO') rUO'I ten (hours) half

Another expression used when telling the time is kern minus. This
is used to express the last 15 minutes in each hour and the exact
number of minutes deducted from the next hour (i.e. similar to
English ten to eight only, in Vietnamese, we are actually saying
'eight minus ten minutes').

Unit 6 Excuse me. what's the tlmel 73

8.45 t'rn (giO') b6n rnUO'IIArn (phCit) eight (hours) forty-five (minutes)
or
chrn (giO') kern rnuO'IIArn (phCit) nine (hours) minus fifteen
(minutes)
10.50 rnUO'I (giO') nArn rnUO'I (phCit) ten (hours) fifty (minutes)
or
rnUO'I rn~t
(giO') kern rnUO'I (phCit) eleven (hours) minus ten
(minutes)
6.57 s'u (giO') nArn rnUO'I bi\y (phCit) six (hours) fifty-seven (minutes)
or
bi\y (giO') kern ba (ph Cit) seven (hours) minus three
(minutes)

Official time information is given using the 24-hour clock. However,

in everyday conversation the Vietnamese prefer to use the 12-hour
system. When they need to specify whether the time is am or pm, they
add the appropriate part of the day. For example:

5.0oa.rn. nArn giO' s'ng (5 o'clock in the morning)

5.00p.rn. nArn giO' chl~u (5 o'clock in the afternoon)
MAy giO' rn'y bay dl Hu41?
What time does the plane go to Hue?
NArn giO'.
At five o'clock.
NArn giO' s'ng hay chl~u?
At five in the morning or in the afternoon?
NArn giO' s'ng.
At five in the morning.

Another useful expression is the word dCing exactly, accurate, right.

M'y bay dl Hu41 dCing chrn giO'.

The plane goes to Hue at 9 o'clock sharp.

When stating at what time something happens, the Vietnamese use the
word ICic (or vao ICic): ICic 7 giO', ICic 12 giO'.

74
M'y giO' anh b't d'u hQc? At what time do you start studying?
TOI b't d'u hQc lllc t'm giO'. } I start studying at eight.
TOI b't d'u hQc vao lllc t'm giO'.

o4il TR 7, 1.37

2 Months

The names of months in Vietnamese make use of numerals. The word

th,ng month is followed by the appropriate cardinal number (with the
exception of January and December for which special terms exist).

th,ng gling January

th,ng hal February
thang ba March
thang tu April
thang nim May
thang sau June
thang bi\y July
thang tam August
th,ng chrn September
th,ng mu'O'I October
th,ng mu'O'I mOt November
th,ng ch~p December

3 Date

For saying what the date is we need the following words:

ngay day
tu'n week
th,ng month
nim year

What date is it today?

HOm nay Ia ngay m'y? What date is it today?

HOm nay Ia ngay bao nhliu?

Unlt6 Excuseme.what'sthetlmel 75
 HOm nay (Ia) (ngay) mUO'I Today is 12th August.
hal th,ng t,m.
Chu nh•t (Ia) (ngay) ba mual Sunday is 31st
m6t th,ng ch~p nAm 1995. December 1995.
HOm nay Ia m6ng/m~ng m~t thang tu. Today is 1st April.
Thll' tu Ia m6ng/m~ng tam thang bay. Wednesday is Bth July.

[ ····yr;~~~~:~·=~~·=:~:·:~~~~:::·~::~·:~:::~:·~:~~~:=~·~:~=·~~~···
of each month, you must use m6ng/m~ng before the appropriate
....................................................................................................
number.

Remember the following:

tu'n nay this week tu'n trU6'c lastweek tu'n sau next week
thang nay this month thang trU6'c last month thang sau next month
nAm nay this year nAm ngoal, last year nAm sau next year
trU6'c

4 Hang (hiring) every

Hang (hiring) means every and can be used in combination with time
units such as day, week, month, year (although NOT with minute and
hour) to express the regular occurrence and uninterrupted succession
of some activity.

hang ngay daily, every day

hang tu'n weekly, every week
hang thang monthly, every month
hang nAm yearly, every year

For example:

Hang ngay tOI d•y lllc 7 giO'. I get up at 7 every day.

Hang tu'n tOI dl thAm b6 m, tOI. I visit my parents every
week.
Hang nAm Ong Baker sang Vl•t Nam. Mr Baker visits Vietnam
every year.
 5 Bao giO'? Khl nao? Lllc nao? When?

The question words bao giO'? khl nao? lllc nao? when? can be placed
either at the beginning or at the end of a question. When used at the
beginning of a sentence, these indicate future tense (or present tense).
When used at the end they indicate past tense. For example:

Future

Bao giO' chi Hoa dl H~ Long? When will Hoa go to Hq Long?

Th,ng sau chi Hoa dl H~ Long. Hoa will go to Hq Long next month.
Khl nao m, v~ nha? When will mother return home?

Past

Anh David dl Vl•t Nam When did David go to Vietnam?

bao giO'? Last week.
Tu'n tn.t6'c.

6 Chl ... th61 only

When expressing the meaning only, Vietnamese can use either chl or
th61 or a combination of both.

T61 chl bli't tli'ng Anh th61.

T61 bli't tli'ng Anh th61. } I only know English.
(I can only speak English.)
T61 chl bli't tli'ng Anh.

From the above examples you can see that th61 is positioned at the very
end of a sentence.

7 Tense

Vietnamese verbs are tenseless (they do not reflect tense). A simple

sentence T61 dl Vl•t Nam can be translated depending on the context as
lwentto Vietnam, I will go to Vietnam or lam going to Vietnam. If there
is already some other word that clearly indicates that the statement refers
to the present, past or future, the Vietnamese do not feel any need to

Unit 6 Excuse me. what's the tlmel

express the tense by some additional means. However, if we need to
make the time reference clear, there are specific grammatical particles
to be used.

For example:

Ch! Hoa dang vi~t thu'. Hoa is writing a letter.

David da chua xe d~p. David has repaired the bicycle.
C6 Lan se di cho'i. Lan will go out.

Tense markers dang, da, m6'i, vera, vera m6'i, s'p and se; are placed
before the verb they relate to.

T6i dang hQc ti~ng Vi.t. T6i da g~p 6ng Anh David se di
I study Vietnamese. Hung. thlm Hu~.
I am studying Vietnamese. I met Mr Hung. David will visit Hul.

m6'i/veratvera dp (near future,

m6'i (recent past, something is just
something that about to happen)
has just happened;
identical meaning)

T6i vera m6'i v~ nha. T6i dp di chc;t.

I have just returned I am about to go to
home. the market.

Negation: we already know that verbs in Vietnamese are negated by

kh6ng placed before them. Pay attention to the correct word order of
a verbal phrase containing both a negative particle and a tense marker.

T6i di.l am going.

T6i kh6ng di.l am not going.
T6i se di.l will go.
TOI si khOng dl./ will not go.
Any Ay cling si khOng dl. He will also not go.

cling tense marker negative verb

cling da khOng vllft
cling si khOng bltft
cling dang khOng lam vl•c

in·s·i·Q'iit·························································································
Remember that if a sentence already contains other expressions
or phrases that clearly indicate its tense, there is no need for you
formally to mark the tense by adding extra grammatical words
(i.e. a sentence containg the word hOm qua yesterday already
clearly indicates the past).

8 Bao nhliu? MAy? How much? How many?

Both the above expressions mean how much? how many? MAy is used
only in circumstances when we presume that the number of objects
or persons discussed is fewer than ten. Bao nhliu is used for amounts
higher than ten or in circumstances when we do not have a preliminary
idea as the the number of objects (persons).

For example:

Anh David c6 mAy anh ch! em? How many brothers and sisters
do you have, David?

We presume that David does not have more than ten brothers and sisters;
this is indicated by the choice of mAy in the question.

MOt tu'n c6 mAy ngay? How many days are there in one week?

On the other hand:

C'l 'o len nay gl' bao nhliu? How much is this jumper?
MOt th,ng c6 bao nhliu ngay? How many days are there in
a month?

Unlt6 Excuseme.what'sthetlmel 79
[ ·····ir;~~~~!·:~=~=:~~-=~~·:·~~~·~:::·:·~:~·;,-:::·:::;;;·:~:~::··········
.....................................................................................................
only when referring to numbers smaller than ten.

9 keo otherwise

Keo expresses the meaning otherwise.

Ch.:ing ta nhanh lin Let's hurry up otherwise we'll miss

keo nhatau. the train.

HC)i tholt'i 2 Conversation 2

Mark is in a hurry to catch a train.

C) ································································:
... : Mark Bay giCI I~ mgy giCI? •
ri
..,:- : Hoa Chin giCI nJai.
e; : Mark Ch~t r6i! MuQn qua! £>6ng h6 tOi chr chin giCI
9 mi1Cii ph .:it thOi.
£>6ng h6 anh ch~m hai muai ph.:it. Ch.:ing ta
..: Hoa nhanh lin keo nha t~u .
...: Mark £>i nhanh cung khOng kjp! TOi ph~i thui t~c-xi.
Uc-xi! Uc-xi!
: Nglilti 1'1 xe Ch~o Ong. Ong mu6n di dau?
: t'c-xi
...
: Mark TOi can d~n nh~ ga. C6 kjp trli&c mi1Cii giCI
khOng,anh?
: Nglilti I" xe Bay giCI chr chin giCI ba muai Uim. TOi se di
t'c-xi duCing ng~n nhgt, tcr day d~n nh~ ga mgt
khoang mi1Cii ph.:it. £>C1ng lo, ch.:ing ta con dCI
thCii gian.
: Mark TOi xu6ng day! Cam an anh da dlia tOi d~n
d.:ing giCI.

So
ch't r61! damn it!
mu(m late
d6ng h6 watch
ch•m slow
nhanh lin hurry up
keo otherwise
nhO' (tau) miss (train)
ngu'O'I h\1 xe t'c-xl taxi driver
k!p in time, have time
thui rent, hire
nha ga railway station
mAt it takes
dCI'ng (lo) don't (worry)
du enough, to have/be enough
thO'I glan time
xu6ng get off
du'a take, bring

Exercises

1 Answer the following questions, using today as your starting point.

a HOm nay Ia thll' mAy?
b Ngay mal Ia ngay bao nhliu?
c HOm kla Ia ngay thll' mAy?
d Thll' hal Ia ngay mAy?
e Thll' bay Ia ngay bao nhliu?

2 Answer these questions:

a Tell qua anh v~ nha luc mAy giO'? (to.oo)
b S'ng nay anh d•y luc mAy giO'? (7.oo)
c Ch! An tru'a vao luc mAy giO'? (12.30)
d Anh thu'O'ng b't d'u lam vltc vao luc mAy giO'? (7.30)
e Cll'a hang b'ch h6a m6' cll'a luc mAy giO'? (7.oo)
f CO' quan hang khOng Vltt Nam lam vltc W luc mAy giO' d'n
luc mAy giO'? (8.oo-17.oo)
g £)~1 sll' qu'n Anh d6ng cll'a luc mAy giO'? (9.00)

Unit 6 Excuse me. what's the tlmel

 cll'a hang b~ch ho~ department store
caquan office, agency
d~l sll'qu~n Embassy
mO' (cll'a) open (door)
d6ng (cll'a) close (door)

3 Match up each question with the correct answer.

a Bao giO' ch! g~p 6ng Quang? tu~n tn.t6'c
b Ong Baker thlm Hu~ bao giO'? chiiu mai
c Bao giO' anh dl chal? ngaymal
d C6 Mal d1 sAn bay bao giO'? tu~n sau
e Bao giO' m, vi nha? nlm ngo"
f Em g" Lan dl xem phlm bao giO'? h6mqua

4 Say that the activity happened or will happen at the time suggested in
brackets, using the appropriate tense marker. For example:
Em Liin dang vi~t thu' cho gia Cllnh. (ngay mai)
Ngay mai em Liin se vi~t thu' cho gia Cllnh.

a Ong Vu'ang gi6'i thi•u ba Lan v6'i 6ng Baker. (tu~n tru'6'c)
b Anh Nam dl thlm qui. (th~ng sau)
c Nha b~o Quang dang n61 v6'11u•t su' Hang. (ngay kla)
d Anh Mark chua xe d~p m61. (h6m qua)
e C6 Blnh mua ve m~y bay. (chliu qua)
f Thu' kY phil gQI dl•n tho~ I LuAn £)6n. (tu~n sau)
g Richard va Nam di u6ng ca phi. (t6i qua)
h Hoa va Mary di tham quan Ha N~i. (ngay mai)
Ch! Hoa n6i v6'i th~y gi~o Dung. (th~ng tru'6'c)

5 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

a What are you going to do next Friday? I am going to the
cinema.
b Did you go to the seaside last week? No, I was very busy.
c When will you fly to Hue? Next week on Thursday.
d Did you meet Professor Quang? Yes, I met him last year in Paris.
e When shall we play tennis? Tomorrow afternoon.
f Are you free tonight? I am sorry, I am going to the theatre.

82
6 Read and write down the following dates:
2.4.1996 15.12.1974 27.11.1990
4.9.1949 16.5.1989 7.10.1954
31.12.1995 19.7.1932 11.11.1977

7 Read the following dates of birth or death of some famous Vietnamese

men and women:
Ly Thu'O'ng Ki•t sinh ra (to be born) vao nlm 1019, m't (to die)
va nlm 1105.

a Ba Tri•u (226-248)
b Nguyen Trai (1380-19.9.1442)
c Nguyen Hu• (1753-1792)
d Nguyen Du C3.1.1766-182ol
e Tru'O'ng Vinh Ky (6.12.1837-1.9.1898)
f Phan B~i Chiu (1867-1940)
g H6 Chr Minh (19.5.1890-1969)
h Nh't Linh (25.7.1906-7.7.1963)

8 Compile your own curriculum vitae.

lyljch curriculum vitae

hQ va tin name
nam/nu male/female
ngay, th,ng, nlm sinh date of birth (day, month, year)
nO'i sinh place of birth
dja chl address
trlnh d~ qualification
qua trlnh c6ng tac employment progress
sO' thkh hobbies
thi vao tru'O'ng d'i hQC to sit university entrance exams
t6t nghi•p dal hQc to graduate from university
di b~d~i to do military service
nh.n/chuy'n c6ng t'c get/change a job

Unit 6 Excuse me. what's the tlmel 83

Reading

The following is a list of the main official holidays in Vietnam. See if you
can understand it Oook up the unknown words in the vocabulary at the
end of this book).

Ngay nghl trong nlm:

ngay 1-1 ngay m6' d'u nlm duang ljch, nghl1 ngay
ngay T't nguyin d~n T't nguyin d~n c6 truyin cua dAn tOe Vltt
Nam, nghl3 ngay (thUO'ng vao cu61 th~ng
1 ho~c glua th~ng 2 duang ljch)
ngay 30-4 ngay glil ph6ng mlin Nam Vltt Nam, nghl
nU'a ngay
ngay 1-s Ngay Qu6c t' Lao dOng, nghl1 ngay
ngay 2-9 ngay thanh l•p COng hoa xa hOi chu nghia
Vitt Nam, nghl2 ngay
 SUMMARY
Lefs revise what you have learnt in this unit:

1 Which of the following statements are incorrect?

a M~t nAm c6 nAm mu'O'i lAm tu~n.
b M~t tu~n c6 bay ngay.
c M~t ngay c6 hai mu'O'i b6n giO'.
d M~t giO' c6 hai mu'O'i sau ph Cit
e Thang ch~p c6 ba mu'O'I ngay.
f M~t nAm c6 b6n mCia.

2 Which of the following options provides the correct answer to this

question: 'HOm nay Ia ngay bao nhliu?'
a HOm nay Ia thll' nAm.
b HOm nay Ia mu'O'i lAm thang nAm.
c HOm nay Ia sinh nh•t cua tOi.

3 Your girlfriend asks: 'Bao giO' anh cti tham quan Ha N~i?' What
does she want to know?
a When did you go sightseeing in Hanoi?
b When will you go sightseeing in Hanoi?
c With whom did you go sightseeing in Hanoi?

4 Translate the following questions into English. For extra practice,

try to answer them in Vietnamese.
a Sinh nh•t b~n vao ngay nao?
b Trong tu~n E>~i sll' quan Anh f1 Ha N~i ct6ng cll'a ngay nao?
c Ba lam vi•c ca dim t~i b•nh vi•n ngay nao?
d Chi sinh thang nao?
e Thang ct~u tiin cua m~t nAm Ia thang nao?
f Anh si vi nu6'c ngay nao?

5 How would you ask your friend in which year he graduated from
university?
a Bao giO' anh t6t nghl•p tru'O'ng ct~l hQc?
b Anh t6t nghi•p tru'O'ng ct~i hQc nAm bao nhiiu?
c Anh eta t6t nghi•p tru'O'ng ct~i hQc chua?

Unit 6 Excuse me. what's the tlmel

 6 Translate the following sentences into English:
a M'y giO' anh se din nha tO I?
b HOm qua tO I hQc tling Vltt ta bud I s'ng din bud I chl~u.
c Thll' hal tu'n sau b~n tOI v~ nu6'c.
d T61 mal tOI mu6n dlxem hat.
e Thll' bay tu'n nay chung tOI se diAn cO'm Vltt Nam.
f Sang mal m, tOI se dl chQ'.

7 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

a Next Sunday/will meet my friend Nguyet.
b Tomorrow morning I have to get up early.
c In the afternoon I want to go to the market.
d Next year I want to visit Southeast Asia.
e Yesterday my grandmother cooked Vietnamese noodle
soup (phO').
f My grandfather retired last year.
g Last month my younger brother got married.

1 a, d, e 2 b 3 b 4 (a) On what day is your birthday? (b) On which

days is the British Embassy in Hanoi closed? (c) On which days is
she working night shifts at the hospital? (d) Which month were you
born? (e) Which is the first month in the year? (f) When (on which
day) will you go back to your country? 5 b 6 (a) At what time will you
come to my house? (b) Yesterday I studied Vietnamese from morning
until afternoon. (c) My friend will return to his country next week on
Monday. (d) Tomorrow evening I want to go to the theatre. (e) This
Saturday I will go for a Vietnamese meal. (f) Tomorrow morning my
mum will go to the market. 7 (a) Chu nMt tu~n sau tOi se g~p b~n
tOi Nguy~t. (b) Sang mai tOi phai d~y sam. (c) BucSi chi~u tOi mu6n di
chq. (d) Nam sau tOi mu6n di tham £lOng NamA. (e) HOm qua b~ tOi
da n~u phb. (f) Nam ngoai Ong tOi da v~ huu. (g) Thang truoc anh tOi
da l~yvq.
 7
Anh co mua gi nua khong?
Do you want to buy anything else?
In this unit you will learn
How to ask for something in a shop
How to ask the price of items
How to use classifiers
How to form the plural
How to talk about colours

H{)i thO{Ii hang ngay Everyday conversation

Mary is at the market shopping for fruit.

................................................................. CD
: Ngu'ai ban Mai chi mua mC1 hang ail IIIC
....
: Mary
Cam, chuoi, nho tu'di lam, chi ~-
Ba cho toi m9t qua xoai. ~.%:% _ •
: Nguai ban Chi chQn di. Qua nay ngQt -
lam va nhieu nu'oc. ;:;:;r
:l
: Mary
: Ngu'ai ban
: Mary
Ba nghm dong. ({!
H<1i aat, hai nghin dong ~~(t
',z,.,.
Qua nay ba.? nhieu tien? , ::.:: r 1

·., ,""'"
nam c6 au'c;tc khong? x:~ ~ '
(~~
··
: Nguai ban Thoi au'c;tc. Chi c6 mua
gi nua khong?
: Mary Toi ding muon mua mQt nai chuoi.
(Contd) :

Unit 7 Do you wantto buy anything else? 87

 .
! Ngulti ban Nai n~ chrn v:.t ngon.
: Mary Bao nhiru ti~n t~t ca 7

nho chu6i cam

David has just entered a bookshop. Let's see what he wants to buy.
................................................................
! O.o hif'u sam Ch:.to anhl Anh tlm s~ch gl?
: David T6i mudn mua m~t quy&l W di&l.
: O.o hif'u sam TIJ' di@:n n:.to Cjl7
: David TIJ' di@:n ti&lg Vi~t.
: O.o hlf'u sam Day l:.t quy&l'TIJ' di&l ti~ng Vi~t' rua Ho:.tng Ph~.
: Quy@:n n~ xu~t ban nam 1995. Day, mi:li anh xem.
: David Quy@:n n~ c6 t6t kh6ng7
: O.o hif'u sam Quy@:n n~ moi v:.t t6t nh~t.
: David vang, cho t6i mua quy@:n n~. Gi~ bao nhiru?
: O.o hlf'u sam 68 nghln ddng. Anh c6 mua gl mia kh6ng7
: David ~day c6 ban d6 H:.t NOi kh6ng7
! O.o hlf'u sam Xin IOi, h~t r6i anh 'il·

John needs some clothes.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
! Nhan vlin Ch:.to 6ng. Ong mudn mua gl?
! John T6i mudn mua m6t chi~c ~o len.
: Nhan vlin Ong m~c s6 m~i
: John T6i kh6ng bi~t ch~c ch~n. C61e s6 40.
: Nhan vlin Kh6ng sao, 6ng c6 th@: m~c thll'. Ong thkh m:.tu gl?
: John M:.tu xanh.
! Nhan vlin Xin loi 6ng, xanh gl Cjl7
: John Xanh m.rck bi&l.
! Nhan vlin Xin mi:li anh m~c thll' ~o n~ dil
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

88
mO'IIiterally: to invite (here: please)
mua mO' hang buy something, to 'open the shop' (i.e. be the first
customer of the day)
cam orange
chu6ibanana
nho grapes
tliO'I fresh
can kilogram
chQn to choose
ngQtsweet
nhliu nuf1cjuicy
nil (chu61) bunch (of bananas)
chin ripe
tit ci all, everything
bao nhliu how much, how many
siich book
tU" dl~n dictionary
xuit bin to publish
glii (glii bao nhliu) price, value (How much is ... ?)
bin d6 map
len wool
a61enjumper
m6cputon
s6 size, number
ch'c ch'n certainly, for sure
thU' (m6c thU') try (try on)
mau colour
thlch like

Activity
True or false?
a Mary mua m()t can cam va m()t nil chu61.
b Mary khOng mua nho.
c David mu6n mua tU"dl~nVI•t-Anh.

Unit 7 Do you wantto buy anything elsel 89

 d ntdiln tifngVif't cila HeMing Phi t6tllim.
e Hlf'u sach kh6ng b6n bin d6 Vif't Nam.

Shopping

The most popular place for doing everyday shopping In (and In some
places the only place) Is a market Here you can buy anything you need -
from food, fruit and vegetables, spices, to aockery, chopsticks, electrical
goods, baskets, animals. The market Is not only a place to shop In but It
Is also a place to meet up with neighbours and exchange the latest news
and gossip. The largest market In Hanoi is the DlSng Xuln market, In Hue
It Is the D6ng Ba market and Saigon has the Ben Thanh market Strolling
around the market Is one of the most enJoyable ways to acquaint yourself
with local produce and learn the names of various fruit, vegetables and
dishes by asking the stallholders. And, of course, it Is the place In which
tolmproveyourbugalnings~Us.

Vietnamese currency

The name of the Vietnamese currency Is d6ng. The smaller monetary

units called xu and hao are no longer used. The smallest banknote
denomination Is 100 dlSngs, the biggest soo,ooo dlSng.
4JTR8,1.9

Colours

den (to be) black xanh (nu6'c) ~n (to be) blue

tr'ng (to be) white xanh Ia cay (to be) green
nau (to be) brown xam (to be) grey
vang (to be) yellow do (to be) red
xanh (to be) blue and green dacam (to be) orange
h6ng (to be) pink

Vietnamese only has one word to express the meanings blue and green
(xanh). When there Is a need to specify which ofthese twoxanh
qualities we have In mind, a descriptive complement must be added. For
example xanh m.f6'c ~n (xanh as the sea water= blue), xanh Ia cay
(xanh as a leaf= green).

Ao ch! L.an mau gl7 What colour is Lan's dress?

Mauxanh. Xanh (green or blue) Ia.
Xanhgl7 Whichxanh1
Xanhlacay. Green (Xanh as a tree leafJ

To describe the contrast between dark and hght colours, Vietnamese uses
~mandn._.t

~m dark n._.t light

nau~m dark brown nau nhi)t light brown

Unit 7 Do you want to buy anything else? 91

 H9i tho~i 2 Conversation 2
Hoa takes Mary to the market.

Hoa Chao Mary. Mary di dau dgy?

Mary Chao Hoa. TOi cAn mua mc!)t It rau qua. TOi dinh ngu m6n
an mCii mgy b~n.
Hoa TOi dang r6i, tOi c6 th~ di vai chi dllqc khOng?
Mary f>Liqc! ChCing ta di chq £>6ng xuan nhe! TOi thlch mua
ban eJ chq, tOi rgt thlch khOng khl tgp n~p caa chq.
Hoa and Mary enter the market.
Mary TrCii ai! Chlla bao giCI tOi thgy nhi~u lo~i rau qua nhllth~!
C:J day c6 nhi~u lo~i hoa qua tOi chlla bi~t t~n. Qua kia
ti~ng Vi~t gQi Ia gl?
Hoa f>ay Ia qua chOm chOm.
Mary Con qua kia?£>61a qua gl?
Hoa £>61a qua du dCI. Qua d6 rgt ngQt.
Mary Sao ... chi Hoa c6 thgy mui tham gl khOng?
Hoa C6 chll'! Kia Ia hang hoa.
Mary ChCing ta di xem va mua mgy bOng hoa di! BOng hoa kia
t~n Ia gl?
Hoa BOng hoa nao?
Mary BOng hoa mau vang kia!
Hoa A, d6 Ia hoa cCic.
Mary Chi Hoa c6 thlch hoa nao khOng?
Hoa TOi thlch hoa h6ng nhllng n6i chung hoa nao tOi cung
thlch. C6 t~n Hoa, tOi khOng th~ khOng thlch hoa!

rau qua vegetables and fruit

djnh intend, plan, decide
~ nA'u cook
~ m6n An dish, course
ts mO'I to invite
5 rol (to be) free
kh6ng khl atmosphere, air
tAp n•p busy and bustling

92
trO'I 0'1! Good heavens! Good gracious!
chua bao giO' never
lo~l type, kind
hoa qui fruit
Qui kla tl~ng Vl•t gQi Ia gl? What is that fruit over there called in
Vietnamese?
gQi call
ch6m ch6m rambutan
ctu ctu papaya
ngQtsweet
mCII tham aroma, fragrance, smell
hang shop
(b6ng) hoa (classifier) flower
hoa cue chrysanthemum
hoa h6ng rose
n61 chung generally speaking
hoa nao t61 cung thrch /like all flowers

·in·s·f9iit················································ ······ ······ ······ ······ ······ ··········

You need to know how best to get a bargain when you visit Vietnam,
as bargaining is almost compulsory and no self-respecting bargain
hunter would ever accept the first price quoted by a market
stallholder in Vietnam. After your initial (shocked) exclamation
£)'t qua! you can try the following to secure the best deal:

Ba c6 th~ b6't m~t chut. ctuc;tc kh6ng?

Ba b6't cho t61 ctl.

Ba h~ gla m~t rt. c6 ctUQ'C kh6ng?

Propose an alternative price and add c6 ctUQ'C kh6ng? (is it all

right?).

Unit 7 Do you want to buy anything elsel 93

 Grammatical points
1 Classifiers

Classifiers are words that are used in Vietnamese to 'specify' nouns

and to 'classify' into which category the noun belongs. This may sound
slightly complicated at first but the following examples show that it is
not too difficult.

What you need to know about classifiers:

a As already stated, classifiers are used to specify an object, a person,

an animal, activity, etc. If a statement refers to a specific object, person,
activity, animal, etc., the Vietnamese use a classifier; if the reference is
general, the classifier is omitted.

Specific reference General reference

Con ch6 cua t61 c:r,p I'm. Ch61a b'n cua ngu'O'I.
My dog is beautiful. Dogs are people's friends.
The statement refers to a specific dog, In this statement, no specific
i.e. my dog, and therefore classifier dog is referred to, we refer to
con (which is a classifier for animals) dogs as a species, therefore no
is used before the noun dog. classifier is used.

b Classifiers are placed before the noun they classify.

c When the statement refers to a certain number of objects, a classifier is

normally used (we refer to specific objects if we can 'counf them).

ba con ch6 three dogs

(three) (classifier for animals) (dog)
b6n qui cam four oranges
(four) (classifier for fruit) (orange)
hal quy'n terdl'n two dictionaries
(two) (classifier for books, volumes) (dictionary)

94
d Classifiers can only be used without a noun when it is clear from the
context what they refer to.

Quy'n s'ch nay rAt hay. This book is very interesting.

T61 mu6n mua quy'n nay. I want to buy it.

e Wordorder

The following table illustrates the correct word order of a classifier

construction:

numeral classifier noun adjective demonstrative pronoun

hal qui cam tuai nay
two class. for fruit orange fresh this, these
these two fresh oranges

f Categories

Classifiers indicate the category to which a noun belongs. In addition to

a 'general classifier' c", there is an extensive list of special classifiers.

The most frequent ones are listed here together with the description of
objects they classify.

1 C'i (general classifier, used for inanimate objects)

table
chair

2 NgUlti (general classifier for people)

fisherman

VI (polite classifier for people)

vj chu tjch chairman

vjkh,ch guest

Unit 7 Do you wantto buy anything elsel 95

ThAng (pejorative, negative classifier for people)

hooligan

3 Con (classifier for animals, impersonal)

con ch6 dog

con milo cat

also con sOng river, con m't eye, con dUO'ng road, con dao knife

4 Special classifiers

B~li (text)

bill b&1io newspaper article

bill h&1it song
bill thO' poem

Bll'c (flat, rectangular things)

bll'cinh photograph
bll'cthu letter
bll'ctranh picture

Chi41c

a used when referring to an individual item, with things that usually

come in sets of two or more
b for manufactured items

chil1c dCia a chopstick (one of a pair)

chi~c gi'y a shoe
chil1c tau ship
chil1c d6ng h6 watch
dOl (a pair)

a pair of shoes
a pair of chopsticks

Cu6n/Quy~n (volume)

quy~ns~ch book
quy~n Ur dl~n dictionary
cu6ns~ch book

TO' (sheet of paper)

a sheet ofpaper
newspaper

T'm (rectangular flat piece of material, with cloth, boards, etc.)

mirror
wood (flat piece of wood)

Qui- in the south replaced by tr~l (fruit, round objects)

qui cam orange

qui chu61 banana
qui d't the Earth

B~ (set)

b~bimghtf set of tables and chairs

b~'mchen a tea set
b~ terdl~n a set of dictionaries

Cu~c (process, activity, entity involving interaction) used with games,

contests, meetings, parties, struggles ...

cu~c chllfn tranh war

cu~c dO'I life
cu~c c~ch m~mg revolution

Unit 7 Do you wantto buy anything elsel 97

Many other words can fulfil the role of a classifier.

human reference terms- anh, chj, ba, con, Ong

containers- hOP box, chal bottle, b't bowl, 'm kettle, c6c glass
time units- beta, l,n, giO', phut. ngay, m~a, th,ng, nim
units of quantity and value- d6ng, s6, g"
spatial units- cho, ph6, 16'p, phong, mt6'c, trO'I
units of language- chu, thfng, ciu, 10'1

Insight
Students ofVietnamese are sometimes overwhelmed by classifiers.
Please keep in mind that a noun used with a classifier always refers
to a specific object/person/animal (i.e. Con m~o nay nho This cat is
small refers to one specific cat only- this cat). When a noun is used
without a classifier, the reference is not specific to one particular
object/person/animal but to the whole group/species/category (Le.
TOI thkh m~o /like cats -which means that you like cats in general).

2 Plural markers

There are two main grammatical particles used to form the plural in
Vietnamese. These are c'c and nhung. They are positioned before the
noun they are making plural.

c'c sinh vlin students

(plural marker) (student)
nhCtng ngOinha houses
(plural marker) (classifier, house)

There is a difference between the two plural markers.

When using c'c the speaker refers to all of a given set (c'c b~n tO I
my friends, i.e. all of my friends) while nhCtng refers to some, several of
a given set (nhCtng b~n tOI my friends, e.g. some of my friends).

Note the correct word order. When a classifier is used, the plural marker
precedes it. In addition to the two above-mentioned plural markers,
some other words fulfil the same function. For example mQI (every),
mol (each) and tl)ng (each).
 3 U't ci/ci all, whole, altogether

T't ci/ci is used to express the meaning all, altogether. While there are
no restrictions concerning the use of t't ci, ci can only be used when
referring to a known number of items or persons. For example:

Ci ba quy~n Ur di~n nay t6t All of these three dictionaries are

good.
T't ci c~c sinh viin hQc chAm chl. All the students study hard.

Note the correct word order:

t'tci c~c b~ntOI all my friends

(all) (plural marker) (my friends)

4 mQI evefYt all mol each and every

MQI means every, all, and the meaning of mol is each and every.
MQI refers to a group as a whole, while mol refers to each member
of the group. For example:

M' tO I lam Ut ci mQI vltc My mother does all the work at

trong nha. home.
HOm qua mQI ngUO'I c6 m~t. Everybody was present yesterday.
Mol ngay tO I hQc nim giO'. Each day I study for five hours.

moi ... m~t

This construction is often used to state that something is changing a little

during a period of time.

M' tO I mol nim m~t gla. My mother gets a little older each year.
Thanh ph6 Ha N~l mol nim Hanoi is getting a little bigger
m~tl6'n. every year.

5 d~ in order to

d~ is used to state a purpose of action and can be translated as

in order to.

Unlt7 Doyouwanttobuyanythlngelsel 99
 Anh din Vltt Nam d' lam gl? (literally, You came to Vietnam
in order to do what?) What is the
purpose ofyour visit to Vietnam?
TOI din Vltt Nam d' hQc tling I came to Vietnam in order to study
Vltt Vietnamese.

However, the purpose of action can often be 'unmarked' and

omitted.
d' can be

TOI din Vltt Nam hQc tling Vltt

d' also often occurs as an expression denoting the meaning to allow, let.
For example:

86 m, tOI d' tO I dl thim Vltt Nam. My parents let me go to Vietnam.

.. ··y.;5f9iii······································ ······ ······ ······ ······ ······ ······ ·········

[ Remember that when expressing a purpose of some action, d'
....................................................................................................
can be omitted.

Exercises

1 Provide the correct classifier:

a Ngu'O'I ph6ng vlin 'Y
vlit hal •.. bao.
b M, tOI mua mu'O'I ..• cam va mu'O'I •.. chanh.
c Em hQc sinh kla c6 nim ••. WI va hal mu'O'I .•• gl,y.
d TOI vl)a dQc xong m~t ••. tl'u thuyit hay.
e •.. chu61 nay ngon nhu'ng .•• cam nay khOng ngon.
f Trin gla sach cua cO glao c6 bao nhliu ••• sach?
g HOm nay tOI da dQc ba ••• baa.
h Ba mu6n mua m'y ••• dua?
I ••• nha nay m6'1.
J TOI mua ••• ter dl'n t6t.
k Ba cho tOI ban b6n ••. cam.
I TOI c6 hal ..• ve dl xem phlm.
m •.. xe d~p cua tO I m6'1.

100
 n TOI mu6n mua mOt ••• gl,y.
o Gla dlnh tOI c6 hal ••• ch6.

2 Answer the following questions, using the example:

Anh mua m'y quy41n sach. (3)
TOI mua ba quy41n sach.

a Phong hQc c6 m'y cal ghtf? (7)

b Nha anh c6 m'y cAn phong? (4)
c Hltu An c6 m'y cal ban? (8)
d Vltt Nam c6 bao nhliu con sOng? (nhl~u)
e co NgQc da vltft m'y bll'c thu cho anh? (s)
(cAn) phong (classifier) room ghtf chair

3 Ask what price (per unit) the following items are and then answer
following the example:
xoal (3ooo d6ng) mOt qua
Xln lol, qua xoal nay gla bao nhliu?
3000 d6ng mOt qua.

a dua nay (S nghln d6ng/mUO'I dOl)

b bat (Soo trAm d6ng/mOt cal)
c ter dl41n Vltt-Anh nay (12,ooo d6ng/mOt quy.1n)
d chu61 (2ooo d6ng/mOt nal)
e thu6c Ia 'BOng Sen' (sooo/mOt bao)
f bla 'Hallda' (2ooo/mOt chal)
g ve nha hat (Boo d6ng/mOt cal)

thu6c Ia cigarette

4 How would you say in Vietnamese:

I was very thirsty; I drank two glasses of water.
Mr and Mrs Smith don't have any children.
He was not hungry; he only ate one bowl of soup.
My grandmother bought several plates and bowls and five
pairs of chopsticks.
The department store does not sell watches.
I need to buy a packet of cigarettes.

Unlt7 Doyouwanttobuyanythlngelsel 101

 5 What was the purpose of the following activities?
a 86 tOI din buu dltn d' lam gl? (gll'l thU)
b Ong Chung din sin bay d' lam gl? (g~p b~n)
c Ba Loan din chQ' d' lam gl? (mua chu61 va cam)
d Em gal anh din thu vltn d' lam gl? (dQc bao hOm nay)
e Anh David mua tl:ldl'n m6'1 d' lam gl? (d!ch bal nay sang
tling An h)

6 How would you ask the sales assistant if you can try on a shirt?
a TOI mu6n mua cal ao sa ml nay. co c6 mau nAu khOng?
b Cal ao sa ml nay gla bao nhliu?
c TOI m~c thll' cal ao sa ml nay dUQ'c khOng?

7 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

Hello. What can I do for you?
I want to buy a new shirt.
What size are you?
41.
What colour do you like?
Blue or brown.
This one is very nice and it is not expensive.
I'll take this one. How much is it?
12,000 dongs.
Here is the money.
Thank you.
Thank you. Goodbye.

8 Have a look at Helens shopping list. Where should she go to buy the
following items?

xdphOng ba'cdnh
glc1y vf sinh bdn do Vlft Nam
thuoc ddnh rang do len
IU'fJC thjtgd
qudxodl

102
 chQ' market
cll'a hang b~ch ho~ department store
hltu s~ch bookshop
cll'a hang luu nltm souvenir shop

Reading

Read the following text, using the vocabulary at the back of this book to
look up any unknown words.

ChQ' Ia m(lt cho quan trQng trong dO'I s6ng mol gla dlnh, mol lang,
mol vCing. ChQ' l6'n thUO'ng c6 hang Chi,IC qu'y hang nhU C~C qu'y
hang ga, IQ'n, nU6'c m,m, thu6c, d6 sanh sa, v.\1, n6n, th!t, c~, tr,u,
b(m, g,o, l,c, rau, chu61, b~t, dua v.v. ChQ' kh6ng chlla trung tim
klnh ttf rna con Ia trung tim vAn ho~. NgUO'I ta dtfn chQ' kh6ng chl d~
mua hang, rna con n61 chuytn v6'1 b,n, IUQ'n, mC.a. Mua b~n ~ chQ'
r't thu•n tltn. CJ chQ' ngUO'I mua hang chl c'n m(lt l'n dlla c6 th~
mua du nhung gl c'n thltft.

kh6ng chl ••• rna con not only ... but also

Having read the above text, can you answer these questions?

a What can you buy at the market? Is there anything you cannot
buy there?
b What are the advantages of shopping at the market?
c Is the market a good place for people to meet and exchange a little
bit of gossip?

A full translation of the reading is given in the translations section at the

end of the book.

Unlt7 Doyouwanttobuyanythlngelsel 103

 SUMMARY
Try this end-of-unit test.

1 In your office, you are discussing your shopping habits and one of
your Vietnamese friends remarks: 'TOI thrch dl mua b-'n & sliu
th! vl & chQ' ngu'O'I ta n61 th-'ch r't cao. Mua b-'n &sliu th! thl
khOng c'n m~c ca.' Does she
a like to shop at the market because she can bargain with the
stallholder?
b usually shop at the market although she occasionally goes to
the supermarket?
c prefer supermarkets because their prices are fixed?

2 Another friend has a different opinion. She loves shopping at the

market and explains her reasons: 'TOI thrch mua b-'n & chQ' vl &
chQ' c6 nhl•u lo~l rau qua tu'O'II,m: Is this because
a the prices at the market are lower?
b the fruit and vegetables sold there are very fresh?
c they sell different types of produce?

3 A survey among foreign visitors to Vietnam identified the following

reasons for their trip to Vietnam. What were they?
a TOI d~n Vl•t Nam cOng ~c.
b TOI d~n Vl.t Nam d~ thlm b~n tOI.
c TOI d~n Vl.t Nam d~ hQc tl~ng Vl.t.
d TOI d~n Vl•t Nam d~ An thll' mOt s6 m6n An Vl•t Nam.
e TOI d~n Vl•t Nam d~ thAm hQ hang.
f TOI d~n Vl•t Nam d~ tlm hl~u vAn h6a VI• Nam.
g TOI d~n Vl•t Nam d~ xem ngu'O'I Vl•t Nam An T~t nguyin
d-'n th~nao.
h TOI d~n Vl.t Nam d~ dl thAm c-'c danh lam th,ng canh.
TOI d~n Vl•t Nam d~ thlm qui cua m,.

4 You are buying a new shirt and a shop assistant asks you: 'Anh thkh
mau gl nh,t?' She wants to know:
a if you would like a white shirt?
b which is your favourite colour?
c which is your least favourite colour?
 5 How do you ask how much a bottle of fish sauce costs?
a NU6'c m'm nay c6 teSt khOng?
b Ml)t chal nu6'c m'm bao nhliu tlin?
c NU6'c m'm nay c6 tual khOng?

6 What would you say to the shop assistant to check if you can try on
a pair of shoes?
a T6i m~c thll' dii ao dai nay c6 ctuc;tc kh6ng?
b T6i cti thll' giay c6 ctuc;tc kh6ng?
c E>6i giay nay lam bling da, phai kh6ng?

7 In a shoe shop, the sales assistant asks: 'Anh cti giay ca bao nhiiu?'
Does she want to know:
a what colour you like?
b what material you prefer?
c what size you wear?

8 In the market, you see a type of fruit you dont recognize. How do
you ask the stallholder what the fruit is called in Vietnamese?
a Qua nay c6 ngQt kh6ng?
b Qua nay c6 nhliu nu6'c khOng?
c Qua nay bling th1ng Vltt gQIIa gl?

9 Your friend informs you that he needs to go to a bank for the

following reason: 'T6i phai cti ngin hang vl t6i mu6n m6' tai
khoan: Why is he going there?
a He wants to change some American dollars into Vietnamese d6ng.
b He wants to open a bank account.
c He wants to withdraw some money.

1 c 2 b 3 (a) I came to Vietnam on business. (b) I came to Vietnam

to visit my friend.l came to Vietnam to learn Vietnamese language.
(c) I came to Vietnam to try some Vietnamese dishes. (d) I came to
Vietnam to visit relatives. (e) I came to Vietnam to learn more about
Vietnamese culture. (f) I came to Vietnam to see how the Vietnamese
celebrate their Lunar New Year. (g) I came to Vietnam to visit the
sights. (h) I came to Vietnam to visit my parents' birthplace. 4 b 5 b
6b7c8c9b

Unlt7 Doyouwanttobuyanythlngelsel 105

 8
Chi• con lam viec
•
akhach san•
khong?
Do you still work in the hotel?
In this unit you will learn
• How to describe your working day
How to say that you have finished doing something
How to form the genitive in vietnamese
How to read fractions; decimal numbers and percentages

H{»i thoct~i 1 Conversation 1

Peter is late. Hoa and Nam are getting nervous waiting for him.
~ ································································~
a: : Hoa Ti\li sao anh ta chlla d~n? Anh ta h~n d~n hk tam gib,
1-
9 • phai khOng? •
: Nam Phai, chllng ta chb m~y phllt nCia. Anh ta ch~c ch~n se d~n.:
: ... A, anh Peter day! TOi sq Ia anh khOng d~n. :
: Peter Xin lc~i tOi d~n muQn. TOi da ngu qu~n. Lllc hai gib sang :
tOi m(1i di ngu.
: Hoa Ti\li sao muQn th~?
: Peter £>~m qua tOi phai vi~t cho xong mQt bai baa cho bao'Ha :
NQi m(1i~ N~n bu6i sang tOi khOng d~y dllqc. TOi khOng
kjp danh rang, rlla m~t, th~m chf con khOng kjp an sang
mJa. Chf d~y, m~c ao va chi\IY ra day d~ g~p anh va chj!

106
.
...: Nam Th~ thl chang ta dian s~ng tn.rac. An s~ng xong chang
ta mai b~t d~u l~m vi~c .
: Peter £>6ng j.

t~isao? why?
h'npromise
chO'wait
ch'c ch'n definitely, for sure, certainly
sr~ to be afraid
muon late
ngu to sleep
quin (ngu quin) to forget (to oversleep)
d•y getup
k!p manage
th•m chr even
66ngyagree
m~c (ao) to put on/to wear (clothes)
ch~y (ra) to run (out to ...)
b't d~u to start, to begin

Activity
True or false?
a Anh Peter h'n dtfn l(ic tam giO'.
b
c
'Y
Anh Peter dtfn muOn vl anh da ngu quin.
Anh Peter di ngu r't s6'm.
d 'Y
Anh chi k!p An sang nhu'ng kh6ng k!p danh rAng.

Vietnamese working hours

Vietnam has a five-day working week. Normal office hours are from
7.30 until4.30 with a midday break Oonger in the summer and shorter
in the winter). Shops are usually open seven days a week.

Unit 8 Do you still work In the hotell 107

 Grammatical points

1 xong to finish, end

Positioned after the verb, xong indicates that an activity has been
completed.

T61 era dQC xong baib&1io nay.

(/) (past tense) (read) (finish) (article) (this)
I have finished reading this article.
Anh 'Y chua djch xong bai~p nay.
(he) (not yet) (translate) (finish) (exercise) (this)
He has not yet finished translating this exercise.

Xong can sometimes be placed after the object. Both variants below
are correct:

T61 lam xong vi•c nay r6i. I have already finished this work.
T61 lam vi•c nayxong r6i.

2 cua belonging to, of ..., possession property

a Cua is used to create the meaning of ownership or responsibility

(it forms the genitive).

The possessive phrase has this word order:

object - cua - owner

For example:

m, cua t61 my mother

(mother) (belonging to, of) (/)
xe d\'P cua chj Hoa Hoa's bicycle
(bicycle) (belonging to, of) (Miss Hoa)

The use of cua is in some cases optional and it is frequently omitted.

108
£)iy Ia c'c b~n cua tOI. Here are my friends.
£)iy Ia c'c b~n tO I.

Cua must, however, be used when the expression denoting the

object (whose ownership we are stating) is modified by some other
words:

£)iy Ia quy~n tl) dl~n m61 cua tO I. This is my new dictionary.

(The object whose ownership we are establishing, tl) dl~n dictionary, is

already modified by an adjective, m6'1 new; cua must, therefore, be used
in this sentence.)

b cua al? whose?

Quy~n s'ch nay cua al? Quy~n Whose book is this? This is my book.
s'ch nay cua tO I.
Chl41c d6ng h6 kla cua al? Chl41c Whose is that watch over there?
d6ng h6 kla cua anh Nam. That watch belongs to Nam.

3 c6 ... diu: Implying a negative

The construction c6 ... diu implies a negative statement.

For example:

C6 gl kh6 diu! There is nothing difficult!

This form of negation reflects a strong denial and would be used as a

reaction to a statement suggesting something with which you didnt
agree.

Anh dQc quy~n s'ch nay r61. You have already read this book.
TOI c6 dQc s'ch gl diu! I have not read it! (How can you
say that?)
Anh Nam Ia lu•t su. Nam is a lawyer.
Anh Nam c6 phi\ I Ia lu•t su diu! Nam is not a lawyer!

Unit 8 Do you still work In the hotell 109

 Insight
Many students make a mistake when translating negative
sentences with c6 ••. diu; because these sentences do not contain
a regular negative particle khOng, students mistakenly translate
them as positive. T61 c6 bll1t ba 'y diu! means I don't know that
woman! (i.e. how can you suggest that I do!).

41'n times

L'n is used to express how many times something happens. In the

same way as in English, it simply follows the number or any other word
denoting quantity.

bal'n three times

nim l'n five times
mu'O'I l'n ten times
nhl~u l'n many times
m'yl'n a few times
val l'n several times

The question How many times? is in Vietnamese Bao nhliu l'n?

orM,yl,n?

Anh da g~p 6ng 'Y m'y l'n r61? How many times have you met him?
T61 g~p 6ng 'y m'y l'n r61. I have met him several times.
Anh da thim Vl•t Nam m'y l'n How many times have you visited
r61? Vietnam?
T61 da thim Vl•t Nam hal l'n r61. I have visited Vietnam twice.

5 lndeflnltlves

Have a look at the following sentences and note the difference between
statements a and b.

a AI dl Vl•t Nam? Who went to Vietnam?

b C6 al dl Vl•t Nam kh6ng? Did anybody go to Vietnam?

110
 a Ba mu6n mua gl? What do you want to buy?
b Ba c6 mua gl khOng? Did you buy anything?

a Anh mu6n mua ter dl'n nao? Which dictionary do you want
to buy?
b Anh c6 mua Urdl'n nao khOng? Didyoubuyanydictionary?

In all a sentences, al who, gl what, nao which are used as interrogative

pronouns.

In all b sentences, the same words are used in 'indefinitives' (referring

to an 'indefinite, 'non-specified' person or object), and would be best
translated as anyone, anybody (al), anything (gl) and any (nao).

6 How to read fractions, decimal numbers

and percentages

a Fractions:

Using the word ph'n (part), fractions are read in Vietnamese as follows:
1/2 = mOt ph'n hal
3/4 = ba ph'n tu
6/8 = s'u ph'n t'm

b Percentages:

Percentage in Vietnamese uses ph'n trim (part of a hundred):

1oo% = mOt trim ph'n trim
75% = bay mUO'IIim ph'n trim
90% = chrn mUO'I ph'n trim
o.o1% = khOng phay khOng mOt ph'n trim (for phay see below).

c Decimal numbers:

The decimal point is read in Vietnamese as phay (comma), zero is read

as khOng:
o.5 = khOng phay nim
1.3 = mOt phay ba

Unit 8 Do you still work In the hotell 111

 H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

Hoa is discussing her new job with Peter.

Peter Hoa, chi con l~m vi~c {:J khach s~n khOng?
Hoa KhOng. TOi khOng l~m vi~c {:J d6 nCia. Bay giCI tOi l~m {:J
Nh~ xu~t ban ngo~i ngu.
Peter T~i sao khOng l~m vi~c {:J khikh s~n?
Hoa TOi phai l~m vi~c nhi~u, cOng vi~c thl thUCing b~t d~u r~t
s(1m v~ k~t thCic r~t mu¢n. Luang thl kha th~p. Han naa
tOi thUCing phai l~m th~m sau giCI l~m vi~c. Con m¢t di~u
nCia, nam trU(1c tOi da c1J(1i v~ ch6ng tOi cung l~m vi~c
thee ca. Nhi~u ng~y chCing tOi khOng th~y m~t nhau gl ca.
Peter Th~ thl cOng vi~c m(1i th~ n~o?
Hoa COng vi~c {:J day cung b~n nhUng h~p dan han. TOi g~p
duqc nhi~u ngUCii thCi vi- nh~ van, nh~ tha, nh~ bao. TOi
c6 th~ t~p n6i ti~ng An h. Thinh thoang tOi phai di ra nU(1c
ngo~i.
Peter GiCI l~m vi~c cua chi Hoa nhu th~ n~o?
Hoa GiCI l~m vi~c {:J day thu~n ti~n han. TOi b~t d~u tcr ICic B giCI.
TOi dQc nhi~u sach v~ t~p chi hay, vi~t thu, gQi di~n tho~i,
ti~p khach. GiCI l~m vi~c h~t ICic 5 giCI. Nghia I~ bu6i t6i tOi
du thCii gian r6i d~ di xem phim, xem hat hay tham b~n.
Peter Hlnh nhuchi thlch cOng vi~c m(1i n~y l~m nhi?
Hoa Chi c6 m¢t v~n d~ thOi. TOi phai hQc dung may tlnh. TOi sq
khOng hQc duqc l~m.
Peter DCing ng~i, bay giCI tre con cung bi~t dung may tlnh. C6
gl kh6dau!

nha xuA't bin ngo\'1 ngu foreign languages publishing house

k't thCic to finish, end
a~ luang salary

a kh' thAp rather low

han naa furthermore
giO' lam vi•c working hours
eMu thing, matter

112
lam vltc theo ca work shifts
cOng vltc work
hAp dan interesting, attractive
thO vj interesting
nha vAn writer
nha thO' poet
nha bao journalist
thinh thoang from time to time
(dl) ra m.t6'c ngoal to go abroad
thu•n tltn convenient
t~p chr magazine, journal
tli'p khach receive visitors
hit end, to finish
nghia Ia it means
du to have enough
thO'I glan time
hlnh nhu' .•. it looks like ...
vAn d~ problem
d~ng to use
may (vi) trnh computer
dCI'ng don't
ng~l to worry
tre con child
c6 gl kh6 diu! It is not difficult at all!

Activities

1 Find answers to the following questions:

a Where is Hoa working at present?
b Where did she work before?
c Why did she leave?
d Was she happy about her salary?
e In her present job, can Hoa speak English?
f Can she travel abroad?
g Is Hoa married yet?
h Can she use a computer?

Unit 8 Do you still work In the hotell 113

 2 True or false?
a Hltn nay chi Hoa lam vltc & kh~ch s~n.
b NAm qua chi Hoa da l•p gla din h.
c Ch6ng cua Hoa lam vltc theo ca.
d Ch! Hoa bitft titfng An h.
e 8u6i t6i ch! Hoa rt khi c6 thO'i gian roi d~ di xem phim, xem
h~t hay thAm b~n.
f Thinh thoang ch! Hoa phili di ra m.t6'c ngoai.
g Ch! Hoa kh6ng bitft d~ng m~y trnh.

Exercises

1 State that you have finished doing something, following the example:
T6i dQC quy~n ti~u thuytft nay.
T6i dQc xong quy~n ti~u thuytft nay.

a Anh Tu'n chua xe d~p.

b M, t6i n'u bua tn.ta.
c 86 m, t61 An s~ng.
d Hoa vltft thu cho gla din h.
e Anh David dlch bal b~o nay sang tltfng Vltt
f Thu kY Llin chua gQI dltn dl LuAn £>6n.
g 86 t61 u6ng ca phi.
h Em Nguytt chua d~nh rAng.

ti~u thuytft a novel

2 How would you ask your friend whether he/ she has finished the
following?
.., writing a letter to her family
.., cooking today's dinner
.., doing the washing
.., translating the exercise into Vietnamese
.., repairing your bicycle

114
3 Form questions according to the following pattern.
Anh Minh dQc b'o hOm nay.
Anh Minh da dQc xong b'o hOm nay chua?

a Chi Nguy•t n'u bOa tn.ta.

b CO Hoa lam vl.c.
c Em tOI rU'a m~t
d Ong ngo'l cua tOI chua qu,t m'Y·
e ChC.ng tOIIam vuan hoa.
f Thu kY Hoa gQI dl•n tho, I.

qu't m'y electric fan lam vuan do gardening

4 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

My Vietnamese friend Hoa will arrive in London next Sunday.
The secretary of the Qu~ hllang travel agency works very hard.
Whose dog is it? I think it is David's dog.
The latest ('newest') novel of Dllang Thu Hllang is very interesting.
Miss Nguy~t is a secretary of this travel agency.
Whose are these dirty shoes? Mine.

5 Ask first and then state to whom the following objects belong, using
the example below:
C" d6ng h6 nay (m, tO I)
c" d6ng h6 nay cua al?
C" d6ng h6 nay cua m, tO I.

a q uy41 n tl) dl41n Vl•t-Anh (th'y g "o)

b xe d'p m6'1 nay (b'n tOI)
c c" 0 tO nay (cOng ty du l!ch)
d dOl gl'y d'p nay (ch! Nguy.t)
e c" v~ m'y bay dl Hu41 (thu k9 Lan)
f con m~o nay (em Tuy41t)

6 How would you ask the following people how many times they have
done something? For example:
Anh Mlnh/thlm nU6'c Anh/1
Anh Minh da thlm nU6'c Anh m'y l'n r61?
Anh Minh da thlm nU6'c Anh m~t l,n,

Unit 8 Do you still work In the hotel1 115

 a B~c si Quang/g~p lu•t su Thio/nhl~u
b em NgQc/chO'I ten-nrt/3X mQI tu'n
c co g"o/hol cAu hoi nay/2X
d m, tOI/dQc bal b~o nay/3x
e cO Mai/thAm chAu Au/1x

7 Look at the example then disagree with the following statements:

Anh da sinh~ mi~n Nam Vi•t Nam.
TOi c6 sinh~ mi~n Nam Vi•t Nam diu!

a Ong Baker da thAm vjnh H~ Long.

b Chi thAm thanh ph6 Hui phil khOng?
c Anh tral cua Hoa Ia b~c si phil khOng?
d CO Tuyit lam vl•c ~ b•nh vl.n.

8 Imagine you are keeping a diary. Write an entry for one day in
Vietnamese.

Reading

Hang tu'n b~o Sunday Times In ml)t bal n61 v~ ml)t ngay lam vl•c
cua ml)t ngUO'I ncSI tling. Tu'n nay b~o gl6'1 thl•u ngay lam vl•c cua
nhavAnX.

TOi ghet d•y s6'm. TOi khOng bao giO'd•y trU6'c chrn giO'. TOi rll'a
m~t, dQc b~o va u6ng ca phi. TOi khOng An s~ng vl tOi khOng th41
lam dUQ'C. TOi b't d'u lam vi•c vao khoang mu~ ml)t giO'. Tl:l 11.oo
din 3.00 tOi ~ phong lam vi.c cua tOi. TOi khOng tri IO'i di.n tho~i,
khOng n6i v6'i ai, chi ng6i va vii't. TOi hut thu6c I~ nhi~u. TOi bii't tOi
khOng nin hut. Luc ba giO' tOI ngang vlit va chu'n bj baa An trua
hay dl ra hl•u An nho g'n nha d41 An trua. BucSI chl~u tO I v~ phong
lam vl•c- tOI gQI dl•n tho~ I, vlit thu tri 10'1 hay thio lu•n v'n d~ v6'1
nha xu't bin. Tru6'c dAy tOI thrch dl cho1 hay chal ten-nrt vao bucSI
chl~u nhung bAy giO'tOI khOng chO'I th41 thao nua. Khl trO'I d'p thl tOI
thkh lam vuO'n. BucSi t6i tOi rt khi ~ nha, tOi g~p b~n, di nha h~t hay
n6i chuy•n v6'i nha b~o. Hang tu'n hai, ba l'n tOi phil dl,lti.c. TOi

116
khOng bao giO'xem tl-vl. TrU6'c khl dl ngu tOI thUO'ng u6ng mOt c6c
rUQ'u va dQc m'y trang tO Ida vl41t vao budi s'ng. TOI con nh6' khl tOI
tri han thl tOI thUO'ng dl ngu vao ICic b6n, nAm giO's,ng nhung bAy
giO'tOI khOng dUQ'c thll'c khuya nua.

Find answers to these questions:

a Does the author X like to get up early?
b Does he read newspapers?
c Is he a smoker?
d At what time does he have his lunch?
e Does he like football?
f And what about gardening?
g Is he invited to many parties?
h Does he often watch television?

A full translation of the reading is given in the translations section at the

end of the book.
 SUMMARY
In this unit, you should have learnt the following:

1 To say that you have/had not finished doing something.

For example:
M, da n'u cO'm xong.
Sinh viin da d!ch xong bai bao nay.

2 To ask if people have finished doing something. For example:

Ch! era dQc xong quy~n sach nay chua?
Ba era An cO'm xong chua?

3 To state that something belongs to somebody. For example:

£>Ay Ia quy~n tCr dl~n cua tOI.
Chl41c d6ng h6 nay cua b~n tOI.

4 Ask to whom something belongs. For example:

Con m~o nay cua al?
Cal xe d~p nay cua al?

5 To communicate a strong denial using c6 ••.. diu. For example:

TOI c6 bl41t gl diu!
TOI c6 n61 v61 ch! 'y diu!
Ong 'Y c6 phalla lu•t su' dAu!

6 To say how many times something happened. For example:

Mark da thAm Vl.t Nam ba l'n r61.
£>Ay Ia l'n d'u tlin tOI g~p Ong.

7 To use ai who, gl what, nao which, in creating an 'indefinite'

meaning. For example CJ dAy c6 ai bl41t tl41ng Vl•t KhOng?

8 To read fraction, decimals and percentages

9 To describe your daily routine: Hang ngay tO I di ngu mu~n.

BucSI sang tO I rU'a m~t va danh rAng.

1 0 To recount a typical working day.

 9
Chi c6 chac Ia Cfuang nay eli den
vi'n bao tang l!ch su khong?
Are you sure this is the way to the
history museum?

In this unit you will learn

• To ask how to get somewhere
How to give directions
How to form the Imperative
How to ask how long something takes
How to say approximately

HC)i tholt'i hang ngay Everyday conversation

Trying to locate the British Embassy has proved too difficult for Tim.
He was forced to seek help from a passer-by.

:·Ti~· ·················cha~ ~hi: Xi~ i6i ~hi: d~~- d~i ~a ~~·a·~ A~h ···= a::=
phai di duang nao ~? """
: Nguiti qua duitng £>~i sl1 qu~n nuac Anh a? Anh c6 dja chi 9
khOng?

...
:Tim 16 ph6 L91huang Ki~t.
(Contd) :

Unit 9 Are you sure this Is the way to the history museum? 119
 Ngllltl qua dllltng Ph6 L9Thllbng Ki~t, tOi bi~t r6i. Bay gib anh
~ ph6 Qu6c TCI' Gi~m. An h ell di thA ng d~n
nga ba thl re ph~i. f>i ti~p d~n ph6 Nguy~n
Khu~n thl re tr~i, clldi d~n nga tllc6 den
xanh den do r6i re tr~i mJa. f>~i sllqu~n Anh
d6i di~n v~i cOng vi~n.Anh nh~ khOng?
Tim C~m an chj. Con xa khOng?
Ngllltl qua dllltng Kh~ xa. f>i b¢ mgt khoang ba mllai ph Cit.
Tim Xa qu~! TOi se d~n mu¢n mgt.
Ngllltl qua dllltng Anh n~n lgyxrch 10! f>i xrch 10 chi mgt mllbi
ph Cit thOi.
Tim C~m an chi nhi~u nhe!
Ngllltl qua dllltng KhOng c6 gl.
Tim xrch IO! xrch IO!
Ngllltll61 xrch 10 Chaoong.
Tim n.rday d~n d~i sllqu~n Anh gi~ bao nhi~u?
Ngllltll61 xrch 10 Xin Ong mllbi Uim nghln ~·
Tim ThOidllqc.
Ngllltll61 xrch 10 Ong l~n di!

d~l sllqu6n Embassy

dja chi address
ell keep on doing something, persist, continue
thing (dl thing) straight (go straight)
nga ba crossroads
re to turn
(bin) phai right (side)
3 ti~p (di ti~p) to continue (continue walking)
~ (bin) tr6i left (side)
ts nga tll crossroads
~ d~n xanh d~n do traffic lights
d61 dltn opposite
cOng vlin park
nh6' remember
kh6 (kh6 xa) rather, fairly (rather far)
di b~ to go on foot
m't it takes (ei b~ m't khoang ba mllO'i ph Cit To go there on foot
takes about 30 minutes)

120
khoang approximately, about
phllt minute
muon late
l'y (xrch 10) to take (a cyc/o)
gia price, to cost
bao nhiiu how much, how many
lin (Ong lin cti) get on (get on, sir)

Activity

True or false?

a Tim mu6n cti ct~i sll'quan nu'6'c Anh.

b E>~i sll' quan Anh ct6i di•n v6'i cOng viin.
c E>~i sll' quan kha xa. E>i bO m't khoang ba mu'O'i phllt
d Tim eta ctjnh cti xkh 10. E>i xrch 10 chl m't mu'O'i phllt thOi.
e E>i xkh 10 gia mu'O'i nghln ct6ng.

H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

Helen and Lan are getting lost. They seek help ...

Helen Oi, tOi m~t l~m. Chi c6 ch~c Ia dLiCing nay di d~n ..........
0

Vi~n bao tang lich sll khOng?

Lan C6 chll', chi c6 g~ng th~m m¢t chllt nCia di! KhOng ...0
xa dau. Thee ban d6 nay thl phai d~n nga tll trll~c ~

Helen
m~t, qua quang trllCing va di th~ng m~y phllt mJa.
Nga tll day r6i nhllng quang trllCing ?J dau?
•
Lan Cl, quang trllCing ... C6 le chOng ta bi l~c dLiCing.
Helen ChOng ta ch~c bi l~c dLiCing! Phai hoi dLiCing thOi!
Lan ChaoOng!
Ngu'O'I qua Chao cO.
ctu'O'ng
Lan Xin 16i, chOng tOi nghi Ia chOng tOi bi l~c dLiCing.
(Contd)

Unit 9 Are you sure this Is the way to the history museum? 121
 Ngllltl qua Cac co di dau?
dllltng
Lan ChCing tOi di Vi~n b~o Umg ljch scr.
Ngllltl qua Cac cO di nguqc huang r6i, phai tr~ v~ cu6i duang
dllltng nay, re trai, cl!di th~ng m~y met mJa thl se th~y
qu~ng trllang. Qua qu~ng trllang se th~y m¢t ngOi
nha cao mau vang vai m¢t cai tllqng.f>61a Vi~n
b~o tang ljch scr.
Lan C~m an Ong nhi~u. ChCing ta di di!
Helen KhOng, tOi phai nghi m¢t chCit da.

eh'e certainly
vltn bio tang museum
ljeh sU' (vitn bio tang ljeh sU') history (history museum)
eel g'ng to make an effort, try
Chj eel g'ng thim m~t ehCit nua di! Make a little bit more effort!
theo (bin d6) according to, follow
• trll6'e m't in front of (your) eyes
;5 qua (to go) over, across, to cross
B quing trllltng a square
a l~e dllltng (bjl~e dllltng) get lost
hOI (hOI dllltng) to ask, enquire (ask directions)
ngLIQ'e hll6'ng opposite direction
trO' vi to return
eueli (dllltng) end (of the road)
tLIQ'ng statue
nghi to have a rest
m~t ehCit a little bit, for a little while

Activities

True or false?

a Helen va Lan bj l~e dllltng.

b HQ mueln d~n vitn bio tang my thu.t.

122
 c HQ c6 m(lt bin d6.
d Helen va Lan mtt l,m,
e Vltn bio tang ljch sOIa m(lt ngOI nha cao mau vang.
f TrU6'c Vltn bio tang ljch sll'c6 c'l tUQ'ng.

Answer the following questions:

a Where are Helen and Lan going?

b Do they know the way?
c Did they get lost?
d What colour is the museum?
e Is there something in front of the museum to help them identify it?

Grammatical points
1 Imperative hay/dl/ch6'/dl)ng/d'm

The imperative can be created in several ways. The words used to form
the imperative in Vietnamese are listed here:

1 hay (always placed before the verb)

Chi hay djch bal nay sang Translate this text into
tll1ng Vltt! Vietnamese!
C'c anh hay dQc bal dQc nay! Read this text!

2di

The imperative particle dl is always positioned at the very end of a sentence.

AnhAndl! Eat!
ChOng ta dl chO'I dl! Let's go for a walk!

A combination ofboth hay and dl can be used in one sentence.

Anh hay lam vltc dl! Work!

Unit 9 Are you sure this Is the Wtr/ to the history museuml 123
 Negative imperative

3 d1J'ng/ch6'/c'm are used to express the meaning don't do something.

All the particles denoting the negative imperative are placed before
the verb.

C~c anh dang n61! Don't talk!

Trltl m u'a, c~c ch! ch6' di chO'i! It is raining, don't go for a walk!
Anh dang hutthu6c I~ O'diy! Don't smoke here!
C'm hut thu6c "! No smoking!

Insight
Please remember that ch6' is less strict and is intended more as
a recommendation or suggestion than a strict order not to do
something. For example, TrO'i l~nh, anh ch6' di d~o It is raining,
you should not go for a walk.

2 ta ... dtfn from ... to

The prepositions tl) ..• dtfn mean from ... to (space) or from ... until
(time). For example:

Space

tl) nha tOI dtfn trUO'ng from my house to school

(from) (my house) (to) (school)
tl) sin bay dtfn kh~ch s~n from the airport to the hotel
(from) (airport) (to) (hotel)

Time

tl) 7giO's~ng dtfn 9 giO' t61 from 7 o'clock in the morning

(from) (until) untilg o'clock in the evening
tl) budl s~ng dtfn budl chl~u from morning until afternoon
(from) (to)

124
 3 Distance (In space or time)

To state distance between two places, the Vietnamese use the word c-'ch.

Nha ga c-'ch sin bay s km The station is 5 km from

(railway station) (airport) (5 km) the airport.
Ha N~l c-'ch Hu41 kh-' xa. Hanoi is quire a long way from Hul.

Bao xa? How far?

Ha N~l c-'ch Hu41 bao xa? How far is Hanoi from Hul?
Nha h-'t c-'ch buu dltn bao xa? How far is the theatre from the
post office?

C-'ch can also be used when stating the distance in time (i.e. how long
ago something happened).

T61 da dl1n Vltt Nam c-'ch I arrived in Vietnam three weeks

diyba tu,n. ago.

4 M't bao IAu? How long does it take?

M't bao liu? means How long does it take?

£)1 ta Ha N~l dl1n Hu41 m't How long does it take to get
bao liu? from Hanoi to Hul?
Vl41t th1u thuy41t m't bao liu? How long does it take to write a novel?

5 Approximately

An approximate amount can be expressed with the help of the

following expressions:

khOang, d~, chang about, approximately

Ba 'Y d~ 6o tu61. She is about 6o years old.
T61 da g~p 6ng 'Y khOang b6n l,n. I met him about four times.

Unit 9 Are you sure this Is the Wtr/ to the history museuml 125
 It is also possible to use various combinations of these words
(e.g. khoang chCtng, khoang dO, chCI'ng khoang, etc.)

Exercises

1 Form sentences, using the following example:

Ngin himg/bu'u di.n/2oo m~t
NgAn hang c'ch bu'U dl•n 200 m~t.

a ChCia MOt COt/LAng H6 Chu tjch/khOng xa.

b £)~1 sll' qu'n Anh/trung tAm thanh ph6/g'n qu,.
c Kh,ch s~n DAn chu/Nha h't l6'n/mAy m~t
d SAn bay NOi Bai/trung tim Ha NOi/so km.
e Thu' vi•n Qu6c gia/Tru'O'ng d~i hQc t6ng hQ'p/2 km.
f COng viin/chQ'£)6ng Xuin/xa I'm.
g VAn phong hang khOng Vi~ Nam/kh,ch s~n
Metropole/soo m.
h ChCia Hu'O'ng/Ha NOi/70 km.
BO' bl,n/Sal Gon/hO'n 100 km.
J NgAn hang/hl•u An/kh' xa.
k Vl•n bio tang my thu.t/VAn Mh1u/chi mAy m~t thOI.

ngAn hang bank

bu'u di•n post office
chCia pagoda
ChCia MOt COt One Pillar Pagoda
lAng tomb, mausoleum
LAng H6 Chu tjch H6 Chf Minh's mausoleum
vAn phong hang khOng Vi•t Nam Vietnamese Airlines office
VAnMiiu Temple of Literature
vl•n bio tang my thu•t fine arts museum

2 Ask how far the following locations are from each other.
For example:
sAn bay/nha ga
Sin bay c'ch nha ga bao xa?

126
 a ChC.a M(lt C(lt/d~l sll' qu'n Ph'p
b cOng vlin/chQ'
c hltu s'ch!cll'a hang b'ch h6a
d ngAn hang/nha h't
e bu'u ditnlbtnh vitn

3 Ask how long it takes to get from one place to another. For example:
£)i tCI' trung tAm thanh ph6 d~n nha ga m't bao IAu?
a nha tOi/cO'quan tOi
b cing Hil Phong/vjnh H~ Long
c chQ' B~n Thanh/kh,ch s~n Rex
d sAn bay TAn SO'n Nh,t/ph6 Nguyen Hut
e bO' sOng H6ng/vltn bio tang nght thu•t
f h6 lAy/din NgQC SO'n

cO'quan office
cing port
din temple, palace
din NgQc SO'n Palace of the Jade Mountain; (a famous historical
sight located on the Returned Sword Lake in the
middle of Hanoi)

4 Answer these questions, stating that your reply is only approximate.

For example:
CO g"o Mal bao nhliu tu61? (3o)
CO Mai d(l3o tu6i.

a DAn s6Vitt Nam bao nhiiu? (86 tritu)

b M(lt ki 10 cam gi' bao nhiiu? (2 v~n d6ng)
c SAn bay c'ch kh,ch s~n Metropole bao xa? (3o km)
d Anh Peter da hQc ti~ng Vitt bao IAu? (6 th,ng)
e B'c si Tu'n lam vltc f:J btnh vltn nay bao IAu? (S nAm)
f £)1 ur trung tAm thanh ph6 d~n nha ga m't bao IAu?
<s phut)
5 Translate into English:
Emd.ydi!
Chung ta vi nha di!

Unit 9 Are you sure this Is the way to the history museuml 127
 Anh ch6' lam vltc nhh~u!
ChOng ta dl chO'I dl!
MO'I c'c b~n u6ng bla dl!
Anh ch6' hOt thu6c " & dAy!
ChOng ta dl xem phlm dl!
Anh Nam d~ng thll'c khuya!

6 How would you tell your friend to do (or not to do) the following:
-In k'o -u6ng bla
-xemphlm - dQc b'o h6m nay
- hQc tli'ng Nga -dl thlm b~n
-u6ngca phi - dl du ljch Vltt Nam
- mua t~ dl4n m6'1 -d•ys6'm
-dlbO - djch bal nay
-dl chalxa -nghi
- rU'a m~t -lam vltc theo ca
-dung m'y trnh cua t61

7 Translate:
Don't smoke here!
Let's go to the cinema tonight.
Don't buy this bicycle, it is expensive.
Do not open the window, it is very cold.
Don't walk so quickly, I am very tired!
You should write a letter to your family.
No smoking!
Please come in and sit down.
Don't worry, Peter will come on time.
Don't be sad, he will phone you.
Meet me tomorrow afternoon in front of the post office.
Answer my question!
Don't buy the red shirt, buy the brown one.
Wash your hands before eating your orange.
Close the door!

8 Translate into English:

a Xln lol, anh cho t61 hoi, vltn bao tang quAn
dOl &diu?

128
 TOI cling khOng blft. TOIIa ngUO'I nU6'c ngoal. TOI m6'1 dfn
Ha NOI hOm qua.
b Anh lam an cho tO I blft ph6 Ly ThUO'ng Kltt f:J diu?
Chi dl thing duO'ng nay, dfn nga tu thl re phil.
Cam an anh nhl~u.

9 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

a Excuse me, please. Could you tell me the way to the railway
station?
It's quite a long way from here. You should take a cyclo, then it
will only take five minutes.
Thank you.
b Hoa, do you know where the nearest bank is?
Yes, it is quite close. Go along this street and turn right at the
end. Walk to the traffic lights, cross the road and on the right
you'll see a big white building. That is the bank.
Thanks.
Notata/1.

10 Ask how to get to:

a the nearest bank
b a railway station
c the French Embassy
d Hanoi University (TrUO'ng d~l hQc t6ng hQ'p Ha NO I)
e a post office
f a hospital
g a pharmacy (hltu thu6c)
h a department store
the Arts museum (vltn bio tang nght thu•t. vltn bio tang
mythu.t)

11 Read the following signs and translate what is forbidden at places

where these signs are displayed.

I C'm ch1,1p inh II C'm hCit thu6c I c'm doxe

Unit 9 Are you sure this Is the way to the history museuml 12 9
 12 Describe in Vietnamese the route you have to take to go from one
end of the maze to the opposite end.

.
Reading

Mr and Mrs Green visited Vietnam last year. They booked their trip
through a Vietnamese travel agency and below is the itinerary of their
trip. Have a look at their programme and answer the questions that
follow:

Chu<1ng trlnh (8 ngay, 7 dem): Ha N9i-£>a Nang Thanh pho Ho Chi

Minh

Ngay1: don t~i san bay N9i Bai, ve khach s~n, thim thanh pho
Ngay2: thim Ling Chu tjch Ho Chi Minh, den Quan Thanh, Van
Mieu, bao tang My thu~t, ho Tay
di aa Nang (bang may bay), ra Hue (bang o to), thim
LingTI!E>U'c
Ngay4: du thuyen tren song Hu<1ng, thim chua Thien M~:~, ve aa
Nang, thim nui Ngu Hanh
Ngays: di TP Ho Chi Minh (bang may bay), thim thanh pho

130
Ngay 6: ThAm hl)l trUO'ng Th6ng Nh't. thAm chC.a Thlin H.u,
bio tang Ljch sO
Ngay 7: din My Tho, dl thuy•n trin sOng Tl.n, thAm vuO'n cAy
qui v• TP H6 Chr Minh
Ngay 8: mua dim, rO'i TP H6 Chr Minh

a Ong ba Green da di tl) Hui din TP H6 Chr Minh bling gl?

b HQ da thAm chCia Thiin M1,1 chua?
c Ngay 2 Ong ba Green da lam gl?
d Ong ba Green c6 djpxem bio tang Mythu•t khOng?
e Ong ba Green dl thuy•n trin c'c sOng nao?
f HQ da c6 du thO'! gland' dl mua b'n?

Unit 9 Are you sure this Is the way to the history museum? 131
 SUMMARY
Check your knowledge by completing this end-of-unit test.

1 You got lost on the way to the post office. How do you ask a passer-
by for help?
a Xin loi, anh lam O'n cho t61 hoi, bu'u di•n qu6c t~ c6 xa
kh6ng?
b Xin loi, tl) dAy d~n bu'u di•n mft bao liu?
c Xln lol, anh lam O'n chf glup t61 duO'ng dl c:r~n buu dl•n
qu6ct~.

2 You are planning a trip to Hanoi and need to check how long it takes to
get from the N¢i Bai airport to the centre of the city. How do you ask?
a Sin bay N~i Bai each trung tim Ha N~i bao xa?
b £)1 Ursin bay N~i Bai d~n trung tim Ha N~i mft bao liu?
c £)1 tl)sin bay N~i Bai d~n trung tim Ha N~i gia bao nhiiu
ti~n?

3 How do you ask your friend how far from your office is the nearest
supermarket?
a m cO'quan d~n sliu thj mft bao liu?
b CJ trung tim thanh ph6 c6 sliu thl nao kh6ng?
c Sliu thj g'n nhft each cO' quan bao xa?

4 You have accepted your colleague's invitation to his birthday

party which takes place at his home. He gave you the following
instructions.
'Anh ell' di thing, qua hal nga tu', d~n nga tu' thll' ba thi re
bin trai. Are you supposed to:
a go straight, cross the road and turn left?
b go straight and turn left at the third crossroads?
c go straight and turn right at the next crossroads?
 5 You are in a hurry to do some last-minute shopping at the D6ng X~n
market. How do you ask a cyclo driver who happens to be waiting at
the corner of the street how long it would take to get there?
a £)1 xrch 10 din chQ' £)6ng XuAn gl~ bao nhliu?
b £)i xkh 10 t~ dAy din chQ'£)6ng XuAn m't bao IAu?
c ChQ' £)6ng XuAn c~ch dAy c6 xa khOng?

6 You need to go to the British Embassy in Hanoi. You ask your

landlord for instructions as to how to get there. He tells you:
'BAy giO' tO I rol, d' tO I dua anh dl: What is his suggestion?
a He is sorry but he does not know the address.
b He is new to Hanoi and does not know it very well.
c He has some spare time and will take you there.

7 How would you translate the following questions?

a £)i t~ trung tAm Ha N~i din H6 rAy m't bao IAu?
b £)~i sll' qu~n My c~ch sAn bay c6 xa khOng?
c £)i t~ Nha h~t 16'n din cll'a hang b~ch ho~ g'n nh't m't
bao IAu?

1 c 2 b 3 c 4 b 5 b 6 c 7 (a) How long does it take to get from the

centre of Hanoi to H6 Tay (West Lake)? (b) Is the American Embassy
far from the airport? (c) How long does it take to get from the
theatre to the nearest department store?

Nh~ hat Ian= lit. 'The Big Theatre~ the name of the main theatre in
Hanoi, sometimes referred to as Hanoi Opera House.

Unit 9 Are you sure this Is the way to the history museum?
 10
Toi c6 the xem ngoi nha ay
du'f1c khong?
Can I see the house?

In this unit you will learn

• How to talk about your house, describe your room and
its contents
How to use prepositions
How to make a polite request
How to say what things are made of

H{»i thoct~i himg ngay Everyday conversation

Mr Baker has been appointed his company's Hanoi representative. He is

trying to sort out living arrangements in Hanoi. He was recommended
an estate agent who could help him.
...... Ong Baker Ch~ocO.
cc:
..... NhAnvlin CMo Ong. Ong c3n gl ~?
~
Ong Baker TOi c3n thui m¢t ngOi nM.
NhAnvlin Ong mu6n thui m¢t ngOi nh~ nh6 hay 1(1n?
C:J trung tam tMnh ph6 hay fJ ngo~i 0?
Ong Baker TOi mu6n m¢t ngOi nh~ cho ba ngubi, khOng xa
trung tam 13m.
NhAnvlin Ong thlch c6 vubn riing khOng?

134
 Ong Baker TOi khOng bi~t ... c61evqt0i thlch c6 mQt c~i vllan
riing!
NhAnvlin ChCing tOi c6 mQt ngOi nha trin ph6 Chu Van An.
Dllai nha c6 mQt phong kh~ch, mQt phong b~p,
mQt phong an va mQt phong lam vi~c nho. Trin
g~c c6 hai phong ngC. va phong t~m. Sau nha c6
mQt c~i vllan nho tr6ng nhi~u cay.
Ong Baker Nha c6 ch6 d~ xe khOng?
NhAnvlin C6, trllac nha c6 mQt ch6 nho d~ xe.
Ong Baker Ph6 Chu Van An c6 dOng khOng?
NhAnvlin C6 dOng dau! Xung quanh nha Ia mQtvung yin
tinh l~m.
Ong Baker T6t l~m! TOi c6 th~ xem ngOi nha !y dllqc khOng?
NhAnvlin f>llqc.

thui to rent
ngo~i 6 suburb, outskirts
vliO'n garden
riing own
c6 li perhaps, maybe
phong room
phong kh,ch guest room, living room
phong bi'p kitchen
phong An dining room
phong lam vi•c study
g'c floor
phong ngu bedroom
phong t'm bathroom
tr6ng to grow, to plant
cAy tree
chop/ace
cho d' xe parking place
d6ng full, crowded, busy
vung area

Unlt10 Canlseethehousel 135

Activity

True or false?
a Ong Baker mu6n thui m~t ng6i nha ~ trung tam thanh ph6.
b Ong Baker kh6ng mu6n thui m~t ng6i nha c6 vliO'n riing.
c Ng6i nha trin ph6 Chu VAn An chl c6 hai phong ngu.
d Ng6i nha 'Y kh6ng c6 cho ct~xe.
e Ph6 Chu VAn An kha ct6ng.
f Ng61 nha c6 vuO'n tr6ng nhliu cAy.

Grammatical points

1 Prepositions

trin on trin tliO'ng on the wall

trin ban on the table
dll6'i under dll6'i ban under the table
trong in trong phong in the room
ngoal out ngoal vuO'n out in the garden
tru6'c in front of/before tru6'c nha in front of the house
tru6'c giO' hQc before the lesson
sau behind/after sau nha behind the house
sau giO' hQc after the lesson
(bin) qmh next to, by (bin) qmh cU"a sc$ by the
window
giua between, among, giua thanh ph6 in the middle
in the middle of town
giua t6i va em gai t6i in between
me and my younger sister
xung quanh around xung quanh h6 around the lake
ct61 dltn opposite ct61 dltn btnh vltn
opposite the hospital
 2 tru6'c and sau In time statements

When trU6'c and sau are used in connection with time in a verbal
statement they must be followed by khl (moment).

trU6'c khl before the moment, before

sau khl after the moment, after
Anh nin An sang trU6'c khl You should eat some breakfast
dllam. before going to work.
Sau khl g~p Ong 'Y
tOI v• nha. After meeting him, I returned
home.

·~r;·~~h~~·~·:~~:~:~:·~~·~:~~~~~::·:::~:·~:=~~~·:.:.-~::~oooooooooooooooooooo]
.....................................................................................................
followed by a verb, must be used as sau khl and trU6'c khl .

3 b~ ng made of

In addition to other meanings, b~ng is also used to express what

something is made of.

Bll'c tranh nay b~ng h,1a. This picture is made of silk.

(this picture) (to be made of) (silk)
NgOI nha cua tOI b~ng g~ch. My house is a brick house.
(my house) (to be made of) (bricks) (My house is made of bricks.)

Other materials
val fabric h,1a silk
da leather kim lo~l metal
nhl,l'a plastic vang gold
thuytlnh glass b~c silver
gl'y paper g~ch bricks
go
. wood xi ming cement
phali crystal era stone
sll' (tr,ng) porcelain th~p steel
bOng cotton san mal lacquer

Unlt10 Canlseethehousel 137

 4 Polite requests

In the previous unit, we learnt how to form the imperative. In this unit,
we are going to learn some useful expressions and phrases for making a
polite request. There are many words that can be used. In most cases they
can be translated simply as please. For example:

Xln, Xin mal (please)

Xin anh chO' m~t tr! Please wait a moment.
£)•nghj (propose, suggest)
£)•nghj anh im l~ng! Be quiet, please.
MO'i (invite)
MO'ianhvao! Please come in.
MO'i anh An cam! Please eat.
Lam an (do somebody a favour)
Chjlam an glup t61. Please [do me a favour and] help me.
Cho (ph~p) (allow, permit)
Chi cho t61 hoi: bAy gla Ia Please allow me to ask: what's
m'ygiO'! the time?
Anh cho t61 cti qua! Please let me through.
yiu c'u (request, demand)
M' t61 yiu c'u em t61 cti chQ'. My mother has asked my younger
sister to go to the market.

HC)i tho~i 2 Conversation 2

Helen is showing her friend round her new house.

N
...":.. Ngqc A, chj Helen. CMo chj.
...... Helen
Ngqc
Chao chi NgQc.
Tu8n tn.rac tOi d~n nha chi nhllng khOng ai ~ nha .
....
11:11:
Helen 0, xin lc!li. Ca gia dlnh tOi vera mai chuy~n ch6 ~- Mbi chi
9 d~nthamtOi.
Ngqc Di;t, vang. R!t han hi;tnh.
Helen Chung ta c6 th~ g~p nhau t6i mai dllqc khOng?
Ngqc E>llqc. Bay gib nha cua chi~ dau?
 Helen £>ay I~ dja chi ella tOi. Nh~ tOi r!t d~ tlm. TOi ~ t~i m¢t
ngOi nM cao b~ng g~ch d6i di~n thU'vi~n qu6c gia.
NgQc C~m an chj. H~i!n g~p l~i ng~y mai.
HOm sau. Chi NgQc dang dfn thAm nhA cua Helen.
Helen MC1i chj v~o phong ella tOi.
NgQc vang, c~m an.6, phong ella chi th~t I~ d~i!p!
Helen Phong n~y kha nho, khOng c6 gl d~c bi~t. Chi c6 m¢t
cai giU'C1ng, m¢t cai tll ao, m¢t cai b~n. m¢t cai gh~v~
m!y gia sach. NhU'ng cai t6t nh!t I~ vl phong n~y tr~n
t~ng ba n~n qua cera s6 tOi c6 th~ th!y c~ cOng vi~n v(1i
cayv~ hoa.
NgQc TOi r!t thfch bll"c tranh tr~n tU'C1ng kia!
Helen A, d61~ tranh ella m¢t hQa si Anh.
NgQC Con bll"c ~nh tree tr~n tU'C1ng c~nh cCta ra v~o I~ ella ai?
Helen £>6 I~ bll"c ~nh ch1,.1p b6 mli! tOi.
NgQC TOi r!t thfch phong ella Helen.
Helen TOi con chU'a b~i trf xong. TOi c~n ph~i mua nhi~u thl1 d~
l~m phong d~i!P han.

chuy'n (cho 6') to move

dja chi address
tlm (de tlm) to look for (easy to find)
Q\'Ch brick
thU' vl•n library
qu6c gia national
giU'O'ng bed
tu cupboard
tu ao wardrobe
ghf chair
gia sach bookshelf
t'ng floor
ella s6 window
cOng vlin park
tU'O'ng wall
hQa si painter
ella ra vao door
bai trf arrange, decorate

Unlt10 Canlseethehousel HQ
 H{»i thoct~i 3 Conversation 3

What is Tri looking for?

Peter Anh tlm cai gl d~y?

Trf f>ja chi cua Ong Tu~n-thAy giao cua tOi. HOm qua tOi da
g~p Ong va h~n d~n tham nha Ong. Cng da vi~t dja chi
cua mlnh tr~n m¢t tb gi~y nho nhung bay gib tOi khOng
th~ tlm th~y tb gi~y ~y.
Peter Th~ anh da xem trong ngan keo chua?
Trf TOi da xem t~t c~ ngan keo r6i, han mJa tOi cung xem t~t
c~ tu ...
Peter Th~ anh khOng d~ n6 trong teii a?
Trf TOi cung xem trong d6 r6i. ... NhLing hOm qua trbi mLia
n~n tOi ph~i m~c ao khoac, tOi con chua xem trong t~i
aod6.
Peter Th~ an h xem di! Th gi~y d6 ph~i eJ ch6 nao d~y thOi.
Trf 6, dja chi thAy giao Tu~n day r6i!

I ngAn keo drawer

~ han nua furthermore
IS
J
d' place, put
t~lpocket

Exercises

1 Translate into English:

Anh 'Y ng61 trong phong.
Chi Hoa dll"ng qmh cera s6.
Trong ngAn keo c6 m'y tO'gl,y.
TOI phil treo c~l ~o m6'1 nay vao trong tu.
CO gl~o d~t quy'n ter dl'n trin ban.
Trong phong ngu c6 hai c~i gil.tO'ng.
Trin gi~ s~ch c6 nhi~u terdi'n va nhi~u s~ch b~ng titfngVi.t.
 dll'ng stand treo hang d~t to place

2 Fill in the appropriate preposition:

Xln anh ng61 ••• gh41.
May truy~n hlnh d~t .•. ban •
•. • phong dim c6 m~t cal may gl~t
Hal bi\n d6 treo •.• tu'O'ng •
•.• phong Ia m~t b~ ban gh41.

3 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

Our house is opposite the railway station.
I met him yesterday in front of the post office.
In my bedroom, there is a bed, two chairs and a wardrobe.
On the streets of Hue there are many bicycles and cars.
In the middle of Hanoi is a large park with many trees.
After our Vietnamese Jesson we often drink coffee in a restaurant.
There is no television in my room, there is only a small radio on the
table by my bed.
Yesterday evening I went to the cinema; I was sitting between my
younger sister and my friend Hoa.
After lunch I usually take a walk or read for a while.
Before breakfast I usually do some exercises.
There is no garden behind my house.
I shall meet you at five o'clock in front of the theatre.
There are two glasses on the table.
Behind the theatre there is a small square.
There are two pictures hanging on the wall next to the window.
The 'Qu~ hllang' restaurant is next to the hospital.
Are there any trees in front ofyour house?

4 Say that you prefer a different material, following the example:

cal va II (vi\1, da)
TOI khOng thrch cal va II b'ng vi\1, tOI thrch cal va II b'ng da han.

a cal d6ng h6 (b~c, vang)

b caiiQ hoa (sll', thuy tlnh)

Unlt10 Canlseethehousel 141

 c dOl dua (nhl,l'a, go)
d chl41c nhan (b~c, vang)
e 'o sa ml (bOng, h,1a)
f bll'c tranh (h,la, san mal)
g cal 'm tra (thuy tlnh, sll')
h cal gh41 (nhl,l'a, go)
I ngOI nha (xi mlng, g~ch)

5 Sort out in which room you would normally find the objects listed
below:
phong ngu gluong, tu l~nh, bO ban gh41
phongAn m'y gl~t, tu b't dia, g" s'ch,
phongt'm m'y ghl Am, ban vl41t, guang,
phong kh,ch d6ng h6
phong b41p

6 Translate:
Please send me a postcard from Vietnam.
Could you help me, please?
Could you speak more loudly?
Would you mind going with me to the library? I am afraid that I'll
get lost.
Please come in and take a seat.
Could you wait a while?

7 Translate this text into Vietnamese:

Mr and Mrs Parker live in London. Their house is near Victoria railway
station. Downstairs, the house has a bright sitting room, a kitchen
and a small study. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms. The largest
bedroom belongs to Mr and Mrs Parker. The second belongs to Peter,
their younger son, and in the smallest bedroom lives his brother,
Matthew. Behind the house there is a large garden. Mr Parker hates
gardening but his wife loves it.

8 Describe your house and your own room.

142
Reading

Read the advertisement that follows, taken from a Vietnamese

newspaper and answer the questions. (Look up the expressions that you
don't know in the vocabulary at the end of the book.)

Tgng c6ng ty H6111y cho th ue nhlil

T6ng cOng ty H6 Tay c6 hai bi~t thl,l' 3 t~ng, ki~u dang d~p n~m b~n
ba H6Tay, di~n tfch sCI'd1,mg m6i bi~t th1,t248m2;ti~n chovi~c dung
l~m nh~ tJ ho~c van phong l~m vi~c.

MQi t6 chl1c, ca nhan trong, ngo~i mJ'Cic c6 nhu c~u thu~ xin li~n h~:

T6NG CONG TV H6 TAY

Dja chi: 107 Quan Thanh, Ba Dlnh, H~ Nc!)i.

Di~n tho9i: 8.231651

a How many houses are on offer?

b Are the properties suitable for residential or commercial purposes?
c Where are the properties located?
d Can foreigners rent the properties?
e Does the advertisement indicate the price?

Unlt10 Canlseethehousel 143

 SUMMARY
In this unit, you should have learnt the following:

1 To use prepositions. For example:

a C6 Mal s6ng 661 dl•n b•nh vl.n.
b Trong phong ngu c6 hal dil gh.tO'ng.
c Ng61 nha cua t61 bin qmh nha hat.

2 To state what happened before and after. For example:

a Tn.t6'c khl 64fn Ha N~l anh Peter hQc tltfng Vl•t ~ Luin £)6n.
b Sau khl bl m't xe may, anh 'y phil 61 b~.
c Sau khl t6t nghl•p 6~1 hQc anh 6jnh 61 du ljch £)6ng Nam A.

3 To say what things are made of. For example:

a Cal 66ng h6 cua t61 bling vang.
b T61 thrch 61 glay bling da.
c T61 kh6ng mu6n mua cal va II nay vl n6 bling nhl,l'a.

4 To make a polite request. For example:

a Xln mO'i ba nh'c 1~1 cAu nay.
b Xln anh chO' m~t chCit
c MO'I anh vao.

5 To describe a house and its location. For example,

a Ng61 nha cua c6 Mal glua b•nh vl•n va thu' vl.n, 661 dl•n
v6'1 khach s~n.

6 To name rooms in a house and to describe a room and its contents.

1 (a) Mai lives opposite the hospital. (b) There are two beds in the
bedroom. (c) My house is next to the theatre. 2 (a) Before coming to
Hanoi Peter studied Vietnamese in London. (b) After his motorcycle
was stolen, he had to go on foot. (c) After graduating from university
he went travelling in South East Asia. 3 (a) My watch is made of gold.
(b) I like to wear leather shoes. (c) I don't want to buy this suitcase
because it is made of plastic. 4 (a) Please repeat this sentence.
(b) Please wait a while. (c) Please come in. 5 Mai's house is located
between the hospital and the library, opposite to the hotel.
 11
Anh c6 bi sot khong?
Do you have a temperature?

In this unit you will learn

How to say what is wrong with you and have a conversation with
a doctor
How to ask why something is happening
How to use du~c and bj as (1) words expressing a speaker's
positive/negative attitude to the statement and (2) markers
of a passive relation

H9i tho,i hang ngay Everyday conversation

E>i kham btnh Going to the doctor
Being ill is unpleasant, even more so when it happens abroad. Tom and
Mary have had the misfortune of falling ill abroad. Let's see what is the
matter with them.

Tom Chao bac si! ...

N

IIIC
Bacsi Chao anh. Anh lam sao? ....
Tom Thua bac si. Toi bj dau dau,
bj ho va so mui.
•
Bacsi Anh dau lau chua?
Tom D~, hai ngay.
Bacsi Anh c6 bj sot khong?
(Contd)

Unit 11 Do you have a temperature? 145

 Tom £>~m qua tOi bj s6t cao nhung hOm nay tOi d~ chju han,
khOng bi s6t naa.
B6c si Anh l~m an ha mi~ng ra!
Tom Thlla bac si, c6 sao khOng iii?
B6c si KhOng c6 gl ng hi~m trQng da u. An h bj vi~m hQng. Anh
phai nghf mgy ng~y.£>ay I~ dan thu6c, anh
mang dan d~n hi~u mua thu6c.
Tom Cam an bac si. Thlla bac sitOi phai u6ng thu6c n~y nhll
th~ n~o?
B6c si Thu6c n~y anh u6ng m6i ng~y ba l~n trll(1c khi an cam.
Tom Cam an bac si!
Mary has a different problem - toothache.
Mary Thlla bac si, tOi bi dau rang qua. TOi bi dau su6t ca d~m qua!
B6c si Mai chi ng6i v~o gh~! Chi bi dau rang n~o?
Mary Thlla bac si, tOi khOng dllqc ro, chr bi~t I~ b~n phai.
B6c si Xin chi ha mi~ng .... Rang n~y sau qua r6i!
Mary Rang c6 phai nh6 khOng t;~?
B6c si KhOng, tOi se h~n lt;~i cho chj.
Mary Xin cam an bac si.

Anh lam sao? What isthe matter with you?

dau to hurt, pain
d'u (bl dau d'u) head (to have a headache)
ho cough
sd mui to have a runny nose
s6t temperature
de chju pleasant, bearable
a h6 mi.ng (ra) open mouth
: nghiim trQng serious
ll! viim hQng sore throat
s dan thu6c prescription
hl•u thu6c pharmacy
rAng tooth
su6t ci dim throughout the whole night
rAng sAu rotten tooth, cavity
nhd pullout
han l~i to fill in (a tooth), put a filling in
Activities

Comprehension. Try to answer the following questions:

a What is Tom complaining about?
b Does he have a temperature today?
c Is there anything seriously wrong with him?
d How many times a day does Tom have to take his medicine?
e Does Mary know for certain which tooth is hurting her?
f Does the tooth have to come out?

True or false?
a Anh Tom dau d'u hal ngay r61.
b £>im qua Tom khOng bl s6t nhung hOm nay anh 'y bl s6t cao.
c Tom kh6ng phi\1 nghl f1 nha m'y ngay.
d Tom phi\1 u6ng thu6c ba l'n sau khl An cO'm.
e Mary bl dau ring.
f Chi 'Y bltft ro chi dau ring nao.
g Bac si kh6ng th~ han 1,1 ring.

Some illnesses

btnh cOm flu vlim ph61 pneumonia

ho cough btnh dal dUO'ng diabetes
dm cold vlim ruOt thaa appendicitis
btnh s6t rtft malaria btnh ung thU cancer
phat ban rash dlll'ng allergy
huytft ap cao high blood pressure ngO dOc thll'c
huytft ap th'p low blood pressure An food poisoning

Unit 11 Do you have a temperaturel 147

 Parts of the body
m~t(face)
4lu (hetld) tal (eo"
mAt(eye)
c6(neck) mOl (nose)
mltng (mouth)
hQng (throat)
val (shoulder) 11161 (tongue)
mOI(I/ps)
ring (tooth)
tim (heolt} ph61 (lungs)
gan (liver)
d\1 d~ (stomach)
tay(ann)
tUI m3t (gallbladder)

bin tay (hand)

lung(back)
ng6n tay (fi~

ctlu g61 (knee)

chAn (leg)

bin chAn (foot) da (skin)

mMd(an/de) Xllang (bone)

Grammatical points

1 bi and dti<JC: multi-purpose words

You might have already noticed that du~c and bj appear quite frequently
in Vietnamese. They are used as main verbs and play several grammatical
roles:

a du~c means to get, to receive.

HOm qua tOI dUQ'c gl'y mO'I. Yesterday I received an invitation.
Em Llin dUQ'c m(lt c'l 'o
m6'1. Li~n got a new dress.

The meaing ofbl is to suffer.

TOI bj mlla. I got caught in the rain.

b dUQ'c and bl are used to express the speaker's attitude to the statement
he or she is making. Bl is used to express the meaning of being affected
adversely by something (it reflects the speaker's negative attitude
and would be used when talking about something unpleasant such
as accidents, illnesses, disappointments, etc.) while dugc carries the
meaning of being affected favourably by something (expressing a
positive attitude). For example:

dUQ'C to be affected favourably by something

ChCing tOI dUQ'c We have a summer holiday. (We were

nghl he. pleased to have a holiday.)
T61 qua Ong Trr dUQ'c Last night Mr Trfwent to the theatre.
dlxem h't. (MrTrl was pleased to go to the theatre,
he likes going to the theatre.)

bl to be affected adversely by something

T6i qua Ong Trr bl Last night Mr Trfwent to the theatre. (MrTrl
dixem h,t. was not pleased to go there, perhaps he
hates going to the theatre.)

A statement with bj/dUQ'c is stronger than one without it.

c Expressing passive meaning in Vietnamese

Vietnamese verbs lack voice distinction; they are neither active nor
passive. However, the Vietnamese language has ways of creating 1ogical'
passive meaning. Both dUQ'c and bl can be used for this purpose.

Unit 11 Do you have a temperaturel 149

The passive meaning is formed as follows:

EmTu'n dUQ'C khen. Tudn was praised.

(Th:ln) (passive dUQ'cJ (to praise)
EmTu'n dUQ'C m, khen.
(Th:ln) (passive dUQ'C) (mother) (to praise) Tudn was praised
by mother.

Sinh viin b! c6 gi~o phi blnh. A student was criticized by the teacher.
86 t6i b! cling an ph~t My father was fined by a policeman.

Use dUQ'c when talking about something you consider pleasant and b!
when discussing something you consider bad and unpleasant.

d dUQ'c placed after the verb means to be able to, can. (See Unit 14 for a
more detailed explanation.)

T6i n6i dUQ'c til1ng Vi.t. I can speak Vietnamese.

2 T~i sao/Vl sao/Sao Why?

When asking Why?, the Vietnamese use T~i sao? Vl sao? or Sao?

For example:

T~i sao anh kh6ng dl1n thlm t6i? Why didn't you come to visit me?
Vl sao ch! dl1n mu~n? Why did you arrive late?
Sao anh bu6n th41? Why are you so sad?

3 Vl ... nin: answering a 'why' question

When answering a why question, we use the following conjunctions:

Vl because

Nin therefore

Vl ... nin
T~i sao anh ay buon? Why is he sad?
Anh ay buon vi anh ay om. He is sad because he is ill.
Vi trai l~nh nen chung toi Because it [the weather] was cold
khong di chdi. [therefore] we did go for a walk.

TrOi l~nh nen chung toi It was cold, that's why we did
khong di chdi. not go for a walk.
Chung toi khong di chdi vi We did not go for a walk
trai l~nh. because it was cold.
Vi quyen sach nay rat hay nen chi Because this book is vety
ay di mua quyen nay. interesting [therefore] I want
to buy it.

Quyen sach nay rat hay This book is vety interesting;

nen chi ay di mua quyen nay. that's why she bought it.
Chi ay di mua quyen sach She bought this book because
nay vi quyen nay rat hay. it is vety interesting.

HQi tho,i 2 Conversation 2

Thuy is worried about her friend.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• C)
: Thuy Helen, hom nay Helen c6 khoe khong? ""!
: Helen Khong, hom nay toi khong khoe 'P "'' ;.
l~m. Toi thay kh6 chlu qua! Toi bl '£.. .../. ...
lliC
nhlic dau va bl dau bl,lng. ....
: Thuy Chi dau b1,1ng nhieu khong? Chi 9
co an gil~ khong?
.: Helen Toi khong nhO. Nhllng suot hom
qua toi khong muon an uong gi ca.
: Thuy M~t chi dol~m. Chi c6 bl sot khong?
: Helen Toi chlla c~p nhi~t dQ.
: Thuy £>e toi lay thuoc cho chi nhe? Uong thuoc di!

Unit 11 Do you have a temperature? 151

 kh6 chju uneasy
!2nhll'c d'u to have a headache
~ dau b1,1ng to have stomach-ache
ts 1\' strange, unusual
~ nh6' remember
c~p nhi•t d~ to take (one's) temperature

Exercises

1 First ask what the matter is with somebody, then reply.

For example:
Ba Mal (dau b1,1ng)
Ba Mai lam sao? Ba Mai b! dau b1,1ng.

a 6ng Tu'n (ch6ng m~t)

b em gai t6i (s6t cao)
c b6 anh Bkh (6m n~ng)
d c6 giao Liin (dau rAng)
e 6ng Baker (ho)
f con gal t61 (cim)

2 Say why the people concerned did not go to work today.

For example:
c6 Hoa (b! dau d'u)
H6m nay c6 Hoa kh6ng di lam duc;tc vl b! dau d,u.

a anh H~ng (viim hc;mg)

b b6 t6i (b.nh tim)
c em gai t6i (dau rAng)
d m, t61 (s6t)
e nha bao H~ng (gay chAn)
f thu k9 Lan (nha tau)

3 Answer the following questions:

T\'i sao ch! kh6ng di chO'i? (trO'i mua)
T6i kh6ng di chO'i vl trO'i mua.

152
 Vl trO'I mua nAn tOI khOng dl cho1.
TrO'I mua nAn tO I khOng dl cho'l.

a T~l sao anh khOng dl hQc? (6m)

b Vl sao anh d~n mu~n? (d6ng h6 tOi ch.m)
c T~i sao anh vui th~? (nh•n thU cua gia d'lnh)
d T~i sao anh mu6n di chQ'? (c'n mua hoa qua tUm)
e T~i sao Ong 'y bu6n? (VQ' cua Ong 6m)
f T~i sao anh di b•nh vi.n? (thAm b~n tOi)
g T~l sao anh khOng dl xem phlm? (b•n qu')
h T~l sao anh khOng mua hoa cho m,? (quin)

4 Join the following sentences using vl ... nAn. For example:

TrO'I mua. Ch.:ing tO I f:J nha.
Vl trO'i mua nAn ch.:ing tOi f:J nha.

a Ti~ng Vi•t kh6. TOi phai hQc nhi~u.

b Thanh ph6 Hu~ d,p. Nhi~u ngUO'i nU6'c ngoai di thAm.
c TOi khOng th41 g~p cO. HOm nay cO Hoa b.n.
d Hi.u An nay r't teSt Hi.u An nay thUO'ng dOng ngUO'i.
e TOI bl nhl:ic d,u. TOI phal dl thAm b'c si.
f TOI chua mua xe d~p. TOI phal dl b~.
g TOI vul. TOI nh•n dUQ'c thucua gla d'lnh.
h T61 qua anh 'Y dl ngu s6'm. Anh 'Y m•t.

5 Transform these sentences to create a passive meaning. For example:

86 tOi "i 0 tO nhanh I'm. COng an ph~t b6 tOi.
86 tOi b! cOng an ph~t. (My father was fined by a policeman.)

a 8~n tOi mO'I tOi di xem h't

b Kh,ch du ljch khen cO Lan- thU ky cua COng ty du ljch
HaN~I.
c HOm qua tO I d~n mu~n. CO g"o da phi blnh tOI.
d C'c nha phi blnh thrch quy41n tl41u thuy~t m6'1 nh't cua
DUO'ng Thu HUO'ng.
e TOI phal dl d~n b•nh vl•n vl con ch6 cua tO I dn tOI.

nha phi blnh critic c'n bite

Unit 11 Do you have a temperature? 153

 6 Give English equivalents:
Chi 'y dUQ'c m(lt bOng hoa d,p.
£)01 gl'y cua tO I bj b,n.
C'c sinh vi An nAm thll' nh't dUQ'c dl thAm £)a L~t
Trin dUO'ng d~n ngin hang Ong Baker da bj mua.
HOm qua tOI dUQ'C thU b6 m, tO I.
Ong 'y phi\ I n~m f1 b•nh vl•n vl Ong 'y bj6m n~ng.

7 Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese:

Don't go to school. Stay in bed, drink some hot tea and take this
medicine. Tomorrow you should feel better.
On Saturday afternoon I played football with my friends. When
I returned home, my leg was hurting and I had to see the doctor
the next morning.
Don't worry, it is not a serious illness- you have flu.
I have a headache, have you got any headache pills?
Last week I played football and I broke my leg.

8 Match each question with a suitable answer. (This exercise requires a

because answer to a why question.)
T~l sao anh d~n mu(ln? m, tOI bj6m n~ng
T~l sao em kh6c? phi\1 ra sin bay
Vl sao anh bu6n? khOng an toan
T~l sao anh khOng thrch kh,ch hOm nay trO'I mua to
s~n nay?
Vl sao Ong d•y s6'm? kha b'n va dOng ngUO'I
T~l sao chj f1 nha? xe d~p tO I bj hong
Vl sao anh khOng thkh chO'I bjl~c dUO'ng
th41thao?

9 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

The weather in England is usually bad, that's why many people go
to the seaside when it is sunny.
I am sorry I did not come to see you; I was very tired.
I have to go to the market because I have guests tonight.
I did not go to the cinema because I have already seen the film.
Have you met his wife? No, I have not met her yet because I was ill.
Write him a Jetter because I have forgotten his telephone number.

154
 We don't need to go by car because the hospital is not far away.
Many foreigners come to visit Hanoi because it is a lovely city.
Vietnamese people usually go by bicycle because it is very convenient.

10 Which of the following sentences below would you use to tell to your
doctor that you have a stomach-ache?
a Thu'a b~c si, h6m nay t61 th'y kh6 ch!u, kh6ng In, kh6ng
ngu duc;tc.
b Thu'a b~c si, dim qua t61 b! s6t cao.
c Thu'a b~c si, t61 b! dau b1,1ng.

11 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

a Whatl the matter with you?
I have a terrible headache and my stomach hurts, too.
Have you got a temperature?
No, I have not.
Go home and rest. And take this medicine three times a day.
b Where are you going?
I am going to the hospital to visit my friend.
Whatl wrong with her?
She broke her leg and must stay in hospital for a week.
c Helen, have you got any aspirin?
I am sorry, I haven't. But I can go to the pharmacy and buy some.
Thank you.
d Whatl the matter with you?
I am not sure. I feel tired and dizzy.
You should go and see a doctor.
Yes, I know./ phoned the surgery and I am going there this
afternoon.

Reading

Read the following text from an educational leaflet on 'How to stay

healthY.

NhCtng 10'1 khuyin cua b~c si

Unit 11 Do you have a temperaturel 155

1 An u6ng m(lt c'ch lanh m~nh (An c'ch lanh m~nh khOng nghia
Ia anh phil ter bo tAt ci nhung thl:i'c An rna anh thrch); An nhliu lo~l
thl:i'c An kh'c nhau, dCtng An thl:i'c An c6 nhliu rna va dUO'ng; An
nhliu rau va rau s6ng; An c' ho~c thjt ga; dCI'ng u6ng nhliu rUQ'u.

2 c6 g'ng di b(l nhiiu hO'n; n~u b~n thUO'ng d~ng xe ho~c sll' d1,1ng
phUO'ng ti•n giao thOng cOng c(lng trong m(lt do~n dUO'ng ng,n, ~~
sao khOng c6 g'ng di b(l thay th~.

3 dl xe d~p, ch~y b(l, bo'll(ll, nhiy mua ho~c lam c" gl kh'c rna b~n
thrch.

4 dl b(llin c'u thang t6t hO'n Ia sll' d1,1ng thang m'Y·

5 c6 g'ng t.p th~ di,IC hai ho~C ba l'n trong m(lt tu,n, moi l'n
20-30 phut. B't d'u nh' nhang va tAng linter tcr.

6 bo hut thu6c (suy nghi ly do t~i sao anh mu6n bo hut thu6c; m(lt
s6 ngUO'i th'y Ia de dang hO'n n~u bo thu6c c~ng v6'i b~n - b~n c6
th~ giup dO' nhau; nghi vi s6 tiin anh c6 th~ danh dUQ'c va anh se
d~ng s6 tlin c6 thim d6 d~ lam gl).

A full translation of the reading is given in the translations section at the

end of the book.

The following riddle (ciu d6) uses several words for parts of the body.
Can you find the right answer?

Ciud6
C6 tay, c6 cc$, c6 vai
C'i d'u khOng c6, nhUng ai cling c'n!
£)61a gl?
(C" a6)
 SUMMARY
At the end of this unit, you should know how to:

1 Ask why something happened:

T~i sao anh hQc titfng Vi.t?
Vl sao chj kh6ng lin 16'p?

2 Give reasons for doing something:

T61 dtfn muOn vl. ••
T611o l'ng vl m, t61 dang 6m.

3 Convey a positive or negative attitude to the statement you are

making:
Chung t6i du'Q'c nghi h~.
H6m qua b~n t6i du'Q'c di xem kjch.

4 Say that you can/cannot do something:

Anh t6i kh6ng n6i du'Q'c titfng Phap.
T6i kh6ng di chO'i du'Q'C vl t6i bj gAy chin.

5 Express passive meaning. For example:

Anh bj glam d6c phi blnh vl dllam muOn.
Em gal t61 du'Q'c m, t61 khen.

6 Name the main parts of the body

7 Describe various ilnesses and pains

8 Handle a visit to a doctor.

Here are some more exercises - just in case you need the practice!

Unit 11 Do you have a temperature?

 1 Complete the following sentences by selecting a suitable answer
from the right-hand column:

a Chung tOI v• nha s6m I vl bjl~c dUO'ng

b TOI khOng che11 b6ng da II vl bj m't xe d~p
dUQ'C ill vl tO I bj gay chin
c TOIIo l'ng lv vl b~ phlm chan
d TOI phi\1 m~c ao qu~n 'm v vl m, tO I dang n~m vl.n.
e TOI dtfn mu~n vi vl mua dOng O'VI•t Nam r't
f Anh tOI phi\1 dl b~ l~nh

2 You should be able to translate the following sentences into English:

a Vl 6m nAn tO I khOng th' dtfn dl,l' le sinh nh•t cua b~n.
b TOI khOng An dUQ'c gl co\ vl tOI bj dau b1,1ng.
c Vl thrch n'u An, Minh da mua m~t cu6n sach d•y n'u cac
m6n An Vl•t Nam.
d Chung tOI khOng lam vl•c dUQ'C vl m't dl.n.
e TOI khOng dl xem hat vl khOng c6 ve.
f HOm qua anh khOng dl hQp vl bj6m.

1 Why are you learning Vietnamese? /Why did you not come to
school? 2 I came late because ... I I am worried because my mum is
ill. 3 We had a summer holiday./Yesterday my friend went to see a
play. 41 cannot speak French I I cannot go for a walk because my leg
is broken. 5 He was critisized by the director because he was late for
work. I My younger sister was praised by mum.

1 (a) iv (b) iii (c) v (d) vi (e) i (f) ii 2 (a) I cannot go to my friend's
birthday party because I am ill. (b) I cannot eat anything because my
stimach aches. (c) Minh bought a Vietnamese cookery book because
she likes cooking. (d) We could not work because of a power cut.
(e) I could not go to the theatre because I did not have a ticket.
(f) Yesterday I did not go to the meeting because I was ill.
 12
Anh c6 biet hi'u an nao ngon
khong?
Do you know a good restaurant?
In this unit you will learn
• How to order a meal in a restaurant
How to familiarize yourseff with some Vietnamese dishes and
ingredients
How to express the meaning of instead of
How to use conjunctions n~u .•. thl (if •.• then)
How to form the vocative

The well-known Vietnamese writer Th;;tch Lam once wrote:

Mu6n bl~t ro m(lt th~mh ph6, khOng c'n phil bl~t nhetng IAu d~lli
mythu.t, nhung nha bilo tang, nhung tO' bao hay nhetng nha wn,
nhu'ng dn phai bi~t nhung ch6n rna dAn thanh ph6 'Y An chO'i. An
va cho'i, phai, d61a hai di~u hanh d(lng rna trong 'Y ngu'O'i ta to ro
cai tAm trnh, cai linh h6n mlnh m(lt each chAn thl,l'c nh't

Ifyou want to know a town properly, you don't need to know all the
palaces, museums, newspapers or writers, but you need to know the
places where people eat and enjoy themselves. Eating and having a
good time, are, after all, two activities in which a person's real heart
and soul are most truthfully reflected.

(Th~ch Lam: Ha N(li bAm sau ph6 phu'O'ng)

•
Unit 12 Do you know a good restaurant? 15 9
 HQi tho~i hang ngay Everyday conversation

Mary has just arrived in Hanoi to visit David. Together with their
Vietnamese friends, Nam and Hoa, they have spent all day walking
around Hanoi. Tired, they have just stopped for a drink.
~ ................................................................ .
;; : Nguai ph~:~c V\1 Cac vi uong gl? ~~.... :
1- : David Cl, toi khat qua! .,,. :
9 Nam Xin cho chung ~~ , .......__
toi hai chai bia /A \~'....?,~ '
l~nh. 'fl ""'\:
Hoa Lam <1n cho tOi

sua. Conch! Mary, ~ ,..~~

chi thfch uong gi? ~ I
Chi thfch uong C!>
0 ca phe hay bia?
: Mary Khong, toi khong thfch ca bia lan ca phe.
: Hoa Neu v~y thl uong nuac chanh hay nuac cam di!
: Mary Xin m9t coc nuac chan h.
: Nguai ph~:~c v~:~ Chi dung da khong?
: Mary ft thoi. Cam dn.
David Mary chua bao gia an m6n an Vi~t Nam. Chung
mlnh di mQt hi~u an d~c san Vi~t Nam di!
Hoa Tot l~m. Anh co biet hi~u an nao ngon khong?
Nam Nguai ta n6i hi~u an Bong Sen c6 nhieu m6n
an d~c san ngon l~m. Nhung hi~u an nay
thU'ang rat dong.
David Khong sao, neu dong nguai thl chung mlnh di
m9t hi~u an khac.
Hoa Nguai Vi~t Nam an b~ng dua. Chi Mary co biet
cam dua khong?
: Mary Biet nhung khong th~o l~m.
Hoa £>ling lo, neu khong an b~ng dua du~c thl an
b~ng thla v~y!
David Toi d6i l~m, chung ta nhanh len di!

160
bla beer
t'ch cup
ca phi coffee
sua milk
co\ bla lan ca phi both beer and coffee
nu'6'c chanh lemonade
nu'6'c cam orange juice
c6cglass
cr' (Ch! dung era kh6ng?) ice (Do you take ice?)
m6n An dish, course
cr~c si\n special (dish), speciality
crua chopsticks
dm to hold
th~o skilful experienced
thla spoon
nhanh lin hurry up

Activities

Comprehension:
a Does Hoa like milk in her coffee?
b What does Mary order to drink?
c Does Mary want some ice in her drink?
d Is Mary familiar with Vietnamese cuisine?
e Where do they all decide to go later? Whose suggestion was it?
f What is the B6ng Sen restaurant famous for? What type of food do
they serve there?
g Will the chopsticks be a problem for Mary?

True or false?
a Mary thrch ca phi.
b Mary chua bao giO' An m6n An Vltt Nam.
c Hltu An B6ng Sen thu'O'ng d6ng qu,.
d Ch! Mary c6 bli't dm dua.

Unit 12 Do you know a good restaurantl

 VIetnamese food

Rice
In Vietnam, as in the whole of Asia, rice is the main food. It accompanies
all meals. There are many types of rice and the Vietnamese language
reflects this variety with a whole list of expressions. The main types of
rice are ICia ti (ordinarYt non-sticky rice) and ICia nlfp (glutinous, sticky
rice). The Vietnamese language is rich in words describing various stages
in growing, harvesting and preparing rice. M~ refers to a rice seedling,
ICia is an expression used for the rice plant growing in the field, th6c is
harvested but unhusked rice, the word g~o describes husked rice, and
finally, cam refers to cooked rice.

~ nem r'n/nem Sal Gon/chi glo are three expressions used for
spring rolls; nem r'n or nem Sal Gon are terms used in the north
while chi glo is a South Vietnamese expression.
~ m.t6'C m'm is a sauce made from fermented salted fish with a strong
aroma. It is used for cooking and dipping. The most famous type is
manufactured in PM Qu6c.

Vegetarian cooking
There is a long tradition of vegetarianism in Vietnam. With its roots in
Buddhism, vegetarian cooking has been perfected over many years and
some regions are famous for their rich and delicious vegetarian cuisine. It is
not surprising that one of the most renowned vegetarian cuisines is that of
Hu~- the traditional centre of Buddhism in Vietnam. The art ofVietnamese
vegetarian cooking lies in the ability to make vegetarian meals look like non-
vegetarian. Vietnamese women are skilled in preparing sumptuous feasts
which include vegetarian versions of many famous Vietnamese specialities
(replacing the meat with soya, bean curd, beans or mushrooms).

Grammatical points

1 nlfu ... thl if ... then

Nlfu ... thl is a conjunction construction expressing the conditional

meaning of if ... then. For example:

162
Nfu trO'I khOng mua thl tO I se If it does not rain then I shall play
chal ten nrt tennis.
Nfu anh mu6n blft tlfng Ifyou want to know Vietnamese
Vltt thl anh phil hQc nhl•u. [then] you have to study a lot.

V•y at the end of a sentence is used to express the meaning instead.

For example:

Nfu anh khOng blft c'm dua If you don't know how to hold chopsticks
thl An b'ng thla v•y! then eat with a spoon instead.

3 Expressions denoting quantity (nhi~u, ft, dli, thieu, thria,

d6ng, vdng, ddy)

nhl•u be a large amount, M, tO I lam vltc nhl•u. My

much, many, a lot mother works a lot.
rt be a small amount, little, TOI rttl.n.
few I have little money.
thlfu (to have) lack Em tral tOIIuOn luOn thlfu tl•n.
My younger brother always
lacks money.
du (to have) enough TOI khOng du tl•n d4 mua otO.
I don't have enough money to
buy a car.
thl)a (to have) too much, Phong nay thU'a ban.
too many There are too many tables in
this room. (There is a surplus of
tables in this room.)
dOng (to be) full (with people), Khach s~m nay thu'O'ng dOng
to be crowded ngu'O'I. This hotel is often
crowded (full of people).
v'ng (to be) empty (ofpeople), Vao bu61 t61 cac duO'ng ph6 Ha
to be deserted N(ll v'ng ngu'O'I.
In the evening the streets of
Hanoi are deserted.
d'y to be full (of), filled with Chal nay d'y nu'6'c. This bottle is
full of water

Unit 12 Do you know a good restaurantl 163

 Note: dOng (ngUO'I) and v'ng (ngUO'I) can only be used when referring
to people .
.....................................................................................................
Insight
Expressions indicating quantity in Vietnamese can be used as
predicates, i.e. they contain verbal meaning, and you, therefore,
do not have to add a verb such as to have.

Make sure you remember that dOng and ring can only be used
when refering to people.

4 Vocative

thua is a vocative particle used when addressing somebody; it always

precedes the noun (kinship term, proper name) referring to the person
addressed; thUa is formal, polite, respectful vocative:

ThUaOng! Sir!
Thua ba! Madam!
ThUa b&1ic si! Doctor!

0'1 is another vocative particle, this time informal, familiar; 0'1 is placed
after the noun referring to the person being addressed:

Anh 0'1! You!

Hoa 0'1! Hoa!

The word d6ng chr (comrade) is frequently used in official contact in

Vietnam. For example, most of the official speeches would start with
ThUa c&1ic d6ng chr! This is often used even for non-party members in
official contact or for correspondence. However, be careful with this
expression; you could easily offend somebody. (Perhaps it is fair to say
that you are not likely to encounter many situations when you would
need to address somebody in this way and where another form of
address would not be acceptable.)

s c6 ... lan both ... and

The phrase both ... and is in Vietnamese expressed by c6 ... lan.

TOI ci blft tlfng Ph'p lan blft I know both French and
tlfng £Krc. German.
Anh tO I thlch ci th' thao lan Am My older brother likes sport
nh~c. and music.

6 Another meaning of Mng: 'eating with'

In addition to other meanings b~ng is also used to express what we can

eat with.

TOI chua bao giO' An b~ng dua. I have never eaten with chopsticks.
NgUO'I chAu Au An b~ng thla, Europeans eat with spoon, fork
nia va dao. and knife.

HC)i tholt'i 2 Conversation 2

Following David's wish to get Mary to try some Vietnamese specialities,

the four of them have just arrived at the restaurant.

NgUO'I Phi.IC VI.! Chao c~cvj.

Nam Chao anh, x~p cho chCing tOi mQt ban b6n nguai.
NgUO'I Phi.IC VI.! Mai c~c vj theo tOi. Xin mai ng6i ban nay.
£>ay Ia thl,(c dan t;~.
Nam C~m an. Mary mu6n an gl?
Mary TOi khOng bi~t gl v~ m6n an Vi~t Nam.
Anh gQi cho tOi di. Gl cling duqc.
Nam Chj da an m6n b~nh cu6n bao gia chua?
Mary Chua.
Nam Th~ thl an thli di! Ngon tuy~t!
Mary T6t l~m.
Nam Th~ thl mQt b~t ph~ bo va Mnh cu6n cho
Mary. Con David, anh thlch an gl?
David TOi se l!y m6n ua thlch cua tOi- nem r~n. Hi~u
nay n6i ti~ng v~ nem r~n. Con m6n ti~p ... tOi
mu6n gQi ga xao sa ~t.
(Contd)

Unit 12 Do you know a good restaurant? 16 5

 .
...: Nam HOm nay tOi thlch an ca. Cho tOi xin ca h!p
n!m huang con banh tOm naa .
: Hoa Hi~u nay c6 m6n an chay nao khOng?
: Ngllltl ph~c v~ C6, n!m xao, nem chay, rau xao, ml xao ...
: Hoa Cho tOi m¢t dia ml xao va m¢t dia rau xao.
: Ngllltl ph~c v~ Th~ thl m¢t bat ph~ bo, m¢t dia banh cu6n,
m¢t dia nem ran, ga xao sa ~t, ca h!p, banh
. tOm, ml xao, rau xao ... Th~m gl mJa khOng?
...: Nam f)~ b~t d~u, ch~ng tOi mu6n thlix~p ILion .
Cho th~m hai bat cam chi~n nhe.
: Ngllltl ph~c v~ Di;l vang, cam an an h. Xin cha m¢t ch~t.
: Ngllltl ph~c v~ Cac m6n an caa cac anh chi day! C6 nu~c
m~m, hi;lt ti~u, ~ day.
: Nam Cam an anh.

x~pto arrange, set up

thl,l'c dO'n menu
gQi call (here: to order)
gl cung dllc;tc anything would be fine
b~nh cake, pie, pastry
b~nh cu6n steamed, stuffed pancakes
thll' (An thll') to try
ngon tuytt delicious
b~t bowl
= phO' noodle soup
~ nem r~n spring rolls
~ ndi ti~ng (v~) famous (for)
J m6n ti~p next course, dish
ga chicken
xao stir fry
si lemon grass
61 chillies
c~ fish
c~ h'p n'm hLIO'ng steamed fish with mushrooms
b~nh tOm shrimp cake
An chay to be a vegetarian
rau vegetables

166
ml noodles
dia plate (a serving of)
xllp (IUO'n) soup (eel soup)
cam chlin fried rice
nU6'c m'm fish sauce
h't tliu pepper

thl,lc ph'm food

b'nh ml bread h'ttliu pepper

bO' butter mu61 salt
sua milk gla vj spices
thjt meat kern ice cream
thlt bo beef b'nh ga-tO cake
thjt IQ'n pork milt jam
ca fish sO-cO-la chocolate
vjt duck ca-cao cocoa
ga chicken k'o sweets
tnl'ng egg
rau vegetables
hoa qui fruit khoal sweet potato
dll'a pineapple khoal tAy potato
dCI'a coconut hanh onion
chu61 banana "'m mushroom
dao peach ca reSt carrot
cam orange dua chu~t cucumber
chanh lemon ca chua tomato
bUO'I grapefruit b'p cil cabbage
qurt tangerine d•u,do beans
xoal mango d•uxanh peas
dudu papaya xa lach salad
nho grapes mAng bamboo shoot
s'u rling durian gl' bean sprout
vii lychee
chOmchOm rambutan tuang soy sauce
nhan Iongan

Unit 12 Do you know a good restaurant1 167

[ ·····i;;~~~~~~:·=~-~~::::~·~::~~~i:::·:~~~~·~::~·~=:~~~:::~·~=··········
d'ng bitter, cay hot, spicy, ngQt sweet, chua sour, nh~t bland,
....................................................................................................
tasteless .

Exercises

1 What are the following dishes like? Answer, making use of the
suggestions in parentheses.
a Chi thAy m6n nem r~n nay th' nao? (ngon tuytt)
b c~c anh thAy phO' bo nay th' nao? (m~n qua)
c Ca phi nay th' nao? (ngQt I'm>
d Anh David, anh thAy bia nay th' nao? (ngon nhu'ng kh6ng
l~nh)
e Ba thAy m6n ga xao dll'a th' nao? (cay I'm nhu'ng ngon
tuytt)
f Rau nay th' nao? (kh6ng tu'O'i)

2 Complete the following choosing a suitable phrase from among those

suggested on the right-hand side. (This exercise gives you practice in if
then clauses.)
a N'u anh kh6ng mu6n Am cO'm Vltt Nam hay u6ng thu6c.
thl _ _. anh nin dl thAm.
b N'u ch! kh6ng nh6' s6 ditn tho~i cua di xem h~t v6'i t6i.
c Nam thl__ hoi anh Ay.
d N'u anh van dau d~u thl__ An cO'm Tiy.
e N'u c6 kh6ng thkh ~o len xanh nay xem bin d6 di.
thl__ mua ~o len niu.
f N'u anh roi thl__ anh lAy xkh 16 di.
g N'u anh chua bao giO' thAm vjnh H~ Long thl _ _.
h N'u kh~ch s~n Th,ng IQ'I xa trung tAm thl _ _.
N'u chj bjl~c du'O'ng thl _ _.

3 Use n'u ... thl in the following sentences. For example:

Em kh6ng m~c Am. Em b! ho.
N'u kh6ng m~c Am thl em b! ho.

168
 a ChOng tOI khOng dl nhanh han. ChOng tOI nha tau.
b Anh khOng bd hOt thu6c. Anh bl6m n~ng.
c Anh c6 tl~n. Anh se dl du lie h.
d Chi khOng vlit thu cho gla din h. 86 m, chi se bu6n.
e TrO'I mua. Chung tOI f1 nha.
f TOI rol. TOI se dl d~o.

4 How would you say the following in Vietnamese?

a My mother cooks delicious Vietnamese specialities.
/like spring rolls, my brother prefers stir-fried shrimps and my
father likes sweet and sour chicken.
Ifyou want to cook spring rolls, you need some meat, noodles,
vegetables, salt, pepper and some other spices.
David is a vegetarian, he does not eat meat.
/like iced coffee with a little bit of sugar.
This grapefruit juice is very cold.
My wife does not like cooking; we usually eat in restaurants.
Let's buy these oranges, they are fresh and juicy.
Could you help me to lay the table, please?
I don't know how to eat with chopsticks.
Would you like a beer or mineral water? (nU6'c kho,ng)

b I cannot buy a new car because I don't have enough money.

Last night the cinema was crowded.
In the morning I walk to my offlce because I hate crowded
buses.
There are too many books on this shelf.
The Hoa Sen restaurant is us ual/y full but last night it was
deserted.
This glass is full of orange juice.
The theatre was full ofpeople.

5 Make the following suggestions to your friend:

Ifyou don't like fish then eat some beef instead.
Ifyou don't want to meet him, write him a letter instead.
Ifyou are busy toda~ visit him tomorrow instead.
Ifyou don't have enough money to buy a new bicycle, buy an old
one instead.

Unlt12 Doyouknowagoodrestaurantl 169

 Ifyou don't like the red shirt, buy the brown one instead.
Ifyou don't want to watch T\1, come and visit me instead.

6 Translate into English:

a A Chao ch!. MO'i ch! vao. Ch! u6ng gl? Nu'6'c ch~ hay ca phi?
B Cho t61 ca phi.
A Ch! u6ng v61 du'O'ng kh6ng?
B Kh6ng. ci\m O'n anh.
b A M6n nay th•t Ia ngon!
B Ch! c6 bli't nA'u An kh6ng?
A Blit nhung rt th61.
B Ch! c6 th' glOp t611am nem r~n kh6ng?
A Ch! dl mua c~c thll"con t61 chu'n b! lam nem.

7 Consult the menu that follows and try to help your friend who does
not speak Vietnamese and who
a is vegetarian
b wants a mushroom dish
c prefers vegetables
d does not like spring rolls
e just wants some soup
f wants to have a noodle dish

to make his choice.

Kh~ch s~m Qui hu'O'ng Thl,l'cdO'n

sOplu'O'n c~ n'u bia
sOp rau ga n'u n'm
sOp cua ga xao so\ 6't
phetga v!tt'n h~t sen
phetbo th!t bo xao chanh
nem r~n bOn th!t nu'6'ng
nem chay mlinxao
cualu(lc mli'nga
c~chua ngQt rau xao
t6m nu'6'ng cO'm chlin
Reading

Read this text; look up all new words in the vocabulary at the end of
the book.

CO'm chay Hutf

Hutf Ia m~t trong nhung trung tim vAn h6a va du l!ch cua Vl•t Nam.
Nhl•u ngUO'I thim Hutf d4 ng'm c~c dl trch l!ch sll' (Hutf c6 g'n trim
ngOI chCia), du thuy•n trin sOng HUO'ng, con nhl•u kh~ch du l!ch
cling thim Hutf d4 An thll'c~c m6n d~c sin cua Hutf. Hutf n61 tltfng
v• nhCtng m6n An d~c bl•t trong d6 Ia nhCtng m6n An chay. CO'm
chay Hutf Ia m~t trong nhung ngh• thu•t n'u An IAu dO'I. Ngh• thu•t
n'u cO'm chay t6n ~I v6'1 sl,l' ph~t trl4n cua d~o Ph•t ~ Vl•t Nam. Hutf
c6 cO'm chay ngon vl dAy Ia thu dO cua Ph•t giao ~VI•t Nam. C6
nhl•u m6n An chay ngon. B~n c6 th4 kh6 nh•n ra m6n d6 dUQ'c lam
b~ng thll' gl. C~l tal cua c~c ba ~dAy Ia v6'1 ~t ca san v•t thlin nhlin,
khOng th!t c~ gl rna van lam nAn glo h,1a, nem Sal Gon, th!t ga •••

a How many pagodas are there in Hu~?

b On which river is Hu~located?
c Hu~ is a traditional centre of which religion?
d Why does Hu~have such an elaborate vegetarian cuisine?

A full translation of the reading is given in the translations section at the

end of the book.

T1,1c ngu Proverbs

An rt ngon nhl.u.
The less we eat, the more tasty the food is.

CO'm v6'1 c~ nhu m~ v6'1 con.

Rice and fish belong together like mother and child.

RUQ'u vao 10'1 ra.

Alcohol makes one talk.

Unit 12 Do you know a good restaurant1 171

 Try to understand the following recipe. The recipe is a real one and you can
try to make it.

Thjt ga xao gltng

(Stir-fried chicken with lemon grass
and ginger)

V~t lifu

o.s kg thit Ilion ga

o.os kg gllng (mQt nhanh gllng
b~ng ng6n tay)
2 nhanh toi
1 cu hanhtay
1 tep sa
2 thia dau an, m9t thia dau dam
2 thia nlloc m~m, mQt ft muoi mui/ngo de trang trf

each lam

1 Lllan ga c~t thanh tllng mieng dai, nho khoang 1 em

2 sa thai mong 1-2 mm
3 Gllng gQt vo, thai mong roi thai thanh s~ nhll que diem, cho
gltng vao mQt bat nho liOp voi 1 thia dau dam.
4 Hanh tay thai dQc thanh mieng b~ng ng6n tay.
5 Toi bam nho.
6 £>un sOi dau an, cho toi, hanh, sa vao, khi thay mui thdm (khoang
2 phut sau) cho thit ga vao xao, khi thit ga san l~i cho bat gllng
dam vao trQn deu. H~ bat Ilia, cho nllac m~m, muoi vlla an, thfnh
thoang dao deu, khi ga chfn (khoang 6-8 phut) xuc ra dia, bay
rau mui len tren. M6n nay an n6ng voi cdm.

gltngginger
e:·.,' thai mong slice
1 thjt Ilion ga fillet of chicken
I gQtpee/
j nhanh lit. shoot, branch, here 'piece'
vo skin, rind

172
ng6n tay finger (rn(lt nh,nh gCI'ng b'ng ng6n tay- 'a finger long'
piece of ginger)
sQ'I string, thread
to I garlic
que dlim match
cu tuber, root
bAm chop, mince
hanh onion
dun s61 boil
tep small bit, section
mCII tham aroma
d'u An cooking oil
sin I~ I condense
d'u d'm vinegar
tr(ln mix
ngo, mCII coriander
h~ b61 leta reduce heat
trang trr to decorate (here: to garnish)
ctao turn
dt to cut
xllc ra scoop up
mli'ngpiece
bay arrange

Time to test your knowledge!

Unit 12 Do you know a good restaurant1 173

 SUMMARY
1 Which of the following statements are correct?
a NgUO'I Trung Qu6c An bling dCia.
b NgUO'I Chiu Au An bling thla.
c NgUO'I ta thUO'ng An xup bling thla.
2 Do you agree with the following statements?
a CO'm blnh din Vl•t Nam r't re.
b M6n An Vl•t Nam r't ngon nhUng m't nhl~u thltl glan
chu'n bj.
c Ca phi Vl•t Nam khOng nhung ngon rna con re noa.
d C1vi•t Nam ph6 nao cling c6 qu'n ph6'.
e Ph6' Ia m6n ua thrch cua ngUO'I Vl•t Nam.
3 How would you ask your colleague what her favourite Vietnamese
dish is?
a M6n nao cua Vl•t Nam chj thkh nh,t?
b Chj c6 thkh n'u m6n gl?
c Chj c6 thkh nem r'n kh6ng?
4 You join your Vietnamese colleagues for lunch. One of them asks
the waiter: 'H6m nay c6 m6n gl d~c bl•t kh6ng?' What does he
want to know?
a Is the fish fresh?
b Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
c Do you have any 'today's specials'?
5 Can you provide English translations of the following sentences?
a Cu~c hQp h6m nay d6ng ngUO'I.
b Ba 'Y dQc r't rt s'ch.
c T61 qua r,p chl~u phlm r't v'ng.
d Nhl~u ngUltl nU6'c ngoal d~n thAm ml~n Trung Vl•t Nam.
e T61 rt khl g~p dUQ'c anh 'Y·
f T61 thl~u tl~n d~ dl du ljch.

1 a, b, c 3 a 4 c 5 (a) There were many people at today's meeting.

(b) She reads very little. (c) Last evening the cinema was deserted.
(d) Many foreigners visit central Vietnam. (e) I seldom meet him.
(f) I lack money to go travelling.
 13
Chi• eli xem du'
•
bao thai tiet
chua?
Have you seen the weather
forecast yet?

In this unit you will learn

How to talk about the weather and understand a weather forecast
How to describe the seasons
How to say what you are wearing
How use the conjunctions khi ••• thl (when ••• then)
How to say not only ••• but also
How to use theo to express your opinion

HQi tho'i himg ngay Everyday conversation

Richard is thinking of going to Vietnam. He is talking with his

0 :
Vietnamese friend Nam and to David (an Englishman who travels to
Vietnam frequently) about the best time to go.
.................................................................
: Richard Anh Nam, mua nao d~p
: nhat dedi tham Vi~t Nam? :
• Nam Rat kh6 n6i. Minh thfch mua :
thunhat. ~. •
Richard T~i sao? ~
(Contd) :

Unit13 Haveyouseentheweatherforecastyet? 175

 Nam Mua thu C1 Vi~t Nam rat d~p- thai
tiet khong nhli'ng d~p macon de
chju nua.
David Toi dong y, toi da C1 Vi~t Nam lau
roi. Mua thu trai mat. H<1n nli'a ft
khi c6 mua! Nhung toi ghet mua
dong - trai khong nhli'ng l~nh ma
con am nli'a!
Nam £>ung the, nhi~t d9 trung binh vao mua dong chi
khoang ,,oc.
Richard Toi nghi rang C1Vi~t Nam khong c6 mua dong.
• Nam C6 chU! Mien Bac Vi~t Nam c6 bon mua nhu chau Au. :
Mien Nam chi c6 hai mua- mua mua va mua kho.
David Khi tham Vi~t Nam anh c6 the thay sl,l' khac bi~t ve
khf h~u cua mien Bac va mien Nam.
Nam Rat nhieu nguai ding thfch mua xuan C1Vi~t Nam vi
d6 Ia mua cua Tet nguyen dan.
David Nguai Vi~t Nam an Tet rat hay. Neu tham Vi~t Nam
vao thai gian nay anh se thay dl1<;1C cac phong ti,IC
Tet. Tet ding con c6 nghia Ia mua xuan bat dau nen
thai tiet am h<1n. Nhllng vao mua xuan ding c6 mlla
phun.
Nam Mua nao cling c6 cai gi d6 d~c bi~t.

Notes

Seasons

Here are the words for the four seasons in Vietnamese (mua season):

muaxuan spring
mua he, mua h~ summer
muathu autumn
muadong winter
 To wear

While English only uses one expression with the meaning to wear
irrespective of what item of clothing one is wearing, Vietnamese uses a
different word depending on what you are wearing.

m~c to wear (clothes), to put on (clothes)

creo (krnh, cr6ng h6, vang) to wear (glasses, wristwatch, necklace)
cr1 (glay) to wear (shoes)
dOl (n6n) to wear (hat)
bOihnl'c (nU6'c hoa) to wear (perfume)

items of clothing
Vietnamese is rather economical with expressions denoting items of
clothing. Generally, &1io is used when referring to the clothes worn on the
upper part of the body and qu'n is used for the trousers. When there is a
need to specify the upper garment, an additional expression is added,
e.g. &1io mua raincoat (mUa =rain); &1io len jumper (len= wool).

Traditional VIetnamese dress

Ao da I (a long tunic) is the national dress for women. It is worn with

wide trousers. In the past, the tunic was worn more frequently; nowadays
it is reserved for special occasions.

N6n (the conical hat) is a traditional hat worn as a protection against the
sun, secured on the head with a ribbon fastened under the chin. As you
pass through the Vietnamese countryside, you cannot fail to notice the
silhouettes of farmers working on the field wearing their n6n. The poem
hat of Hu~ ( n6n thO') is a more elaborate and decorated version of the
plain n6n. A poem or small picture is inserted in between the layers of
the hat; these become visible when held up against the sun.

Unit 13 Have you seen the weather forecast yetl 177

Grammatical points
1 khOng nhung ... rna con ••• (nua)
not only ... but also

To express the meaning of not only ... but also Vietnamese uses khOng
nhCtng •.. rna con. The whole construction is frequently emphasized
by nua (more, in addition) at the end of a sentence.

ThO'I tlit 6'VItt Nam khOng The weather in Vietnam is

nhCtng d'p rna con de
chju (nua). not only nice but also pleasant.
co Hoa khOng nhung d'p rna con Miss Hoa is not only beautiful
thOng mlnh (nua). but also clever.

2 theo to accompanYt to follow

Theo means to accompany, to follow

Theo con du'O'ng nay va Follow this road and you will
anh si din nha ga. come to the station.

Theo is also often used to express the meaning according to.

For example:

Theo tOI thl mua xuin Ia mua According to me [in my opinion]

d'p nh't 6' Vltt Nam. spring is the best season in
Vietnam.
Theo dl,l' b~o thO'i tlit thl ngay According to the weather
mal trO'i si mu'a nhl~u. forecast, it is going to rain a
lot tomorrow.

In the following sentence, theo is used together with the verb mang
(bring), creating the meaning bring along.

TrO'i dang mu'a, anh nh6' It is raining, remember to bring along

mang theo ~o mu'a. a raincoat.
 3 khl ••• thl when ... then

These conjunctions are used to express the meaning when ... then ....
For example:

Khl vul thl t61 hat. When happy I sing.

Khl anh Peter m6'1 b't d'u When Peter began learning
hQc tltfng Vl•t thl anh fy Vietnamese, (then) he knew
bltft rt v~ nu'6'c Vl.t Nam. little about Vietnam.

H()i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

Why does Mary need to know the weather forecast so urgently?

Mary HOm nay trbi l~nh qua nhT? Tu3n sau tOi dinh di bi~n ...a:....
mll trbi xgu nhu th~! Chi da mua bao hOm nay chua?TOi ....
Lan
mu6n xem dl,l bao thbi ti~t tu3n sau nhu th~ nllo.
R6i, tOi da mua bao hOm nay r6i. TOi dang xem- dl,l bao
•
tu3n sau day:Trbi c6 nhi~u may, c6 mila ~vlli nai, nhi~t
d¢ trung blnh 18°C.
Mary Trbi ai! ... A, chi dang dQc dl,l bao khu vl,lc B3c b¢ nhung
tOi l~i di nghT he~ mi~n Nam! Dl/ bao thbi ti~t khu vl,lc
Nam b¢ day. 'ft may, trbi n3ng, g i6 nh~:

dl,l' bao thai tltft the weather forecast

mAy cloud
val few, several, some
nO'I (val nO'I) place (some places)
khu vl,l'c region, area
n'ngsunny
gl6 (gl6 nh,) wind (light wind)

Unit 13 Have you seen the weather forecast yetl 179

 Activity

Do you know the answers to these questions?

a Where is Mary going for her holiday?
b Has Lan bought today's newspaper?
c Why does Mary want to see the newspaper?
d What is the weather going to be like in the north?

H()i thoct~i 3 Conversation 3

Minh is a Vietnamese student currently spending a year in England.

This being his first visit to Europe, he is not quite sure whether he
is ready for the cold weather.
...............................................................
Paul A, anh c6 ao len rn(1i, phai khOng?
Minh Mua dOng s~p d~n, vl th~ tOi da rnua qu~n ao 3'rn, ao
len nlly, gang tayvll khan qullng.
Paul Ao len rn(1i cua anh th~t Ill d~p. TOi djnh rnua ao len
gi6ng nhll ao len cua an h. Anh c6 cai rna nllo khOng?
Minh Anh cho r~ng tOi cang c~n rna ll?
Paul CJ day anh c~n c6 rna. \lao rnua dOng trbi lii!nh l~rn. Con
n~u anh rnu6n l~n nlli thl anh c~n bit t3't dlly.
Minh C6 h~ tOi khOng di l~n nlli.

o§o len jumper, sweater

I
gAng tay gloves
khAn quimg scarf
gl6ng (nhll) similar
rna hat
nil I (lin nil I) mountain (go to the mountains)
bit tit socks
day thick

180
Exercises

1 Translate into English:

Anh c6 thrch m~a xuin kh6ng? T6i rft thrch m~a xuin vl trbl ,m.
Anh lam gl khi trO'i mu'a? Khi trO'i mu'a t6i thkh f1 nha etQc sach hay
xem ti-vi.
Anh nghe dl,l' bao thbl ti~t ngay mai th~ nao? Ngay mai trbl se c6
mu'a vao bu6i chi~u.
Vao m~a xuAn thu'O'ng c6 mu'a ph~n.
Kh6ng khr £>a ~t th~ nao? Kh6ng khr £>a L~t mat me nhung
thu'O'ng c6 su'O'ng m~.
Chi eta etQc dl,l' bao thbl tl~t ngay mal chua?

mat (me) coo/, fresh su'O'ng m~ fog, mist

2 Translate into English:

Khi t6i roi thl t6i thu'O'ng chai b6ng ban.
Khi m, t6i con lam vi•c thl ba eta phili d•y r't s6'm.
Khi t6i con tre thl t6i thkh chai v6'i bup bi.
Khl6ng Quang con hQc f1 tru'O'ng et~l hQc thl6ng 'y phil thui
ml)t phong nhO.
Khl kh6ng mu6n n'u cam thl c6£>ao thu'O'ng etl hl•u An B6ng Sen.
Khl trbl mu'a t61 kh6ng thrch etl chal.

3 Join the following using khi .•• thl. For example:

anh Trr kh6ng khoe/fl nha
Khi anh Trr kh6ng khoe thl anh f1 nha.

a thu' ky H6ng phai lam vi•c sau giO' lam vi.c/r't m•t
b chj Helen v~ nu'6'c/se mang theo nhi~u sach b~ng ti~ng Vi•t
c anh David ra chQ'/bjl~c etu'O'ng
d trbl mu'a/chung t61 phil m~c ao mu'a
e em gal t61 etl bu'U etl.n/mua hal con tern cho t61
f glam et6c C6ng ty du ljch sang nu'6'c Anh/g~p 6ng Baker
g em t61 bj gay chAn/phal n~m b•nh vl•n ba tu'n

Unit 13 Have you seen the weather forecast yetl 181

 4 How would you say the following in Vietnamese?
Don't wear this necklace to school.
Put on some warm clothes before you go out.
In winter you must wear gloves because it is very cold.
That person wearing glasses standing by the door is my younger
brother.
Try this shirt on.
Young Vietnamese women don't like to wear ao dai, they prefer to
wear European clothes.
Why aren't you wearing your watch? It is broken.
Put on your swimsuit and Jet's have a swim in the sea.

5 Answer the following questions, making use of the suggested

expressions:

T~i sao anh thkh mua xuin? - thu'O'ng c6 bao

Mua he O'Vi•t Nam Ia mua - t61 kh6ng phi\1 m~c ao 'm
nhu' thtf nao?
T~i sao anh kh6ng thkh - phong ci\nh cr,p I'm vl
muactong? c6 nhi•u hoa
Mua thu 6' mi•n B'c Vl•t - de chju, mat
Nam thtf nao?
Anh/chj thrch mua nao nh't - trO'I kh6ng nhung l~nh rna
trong ntim, vl sao? con'm
- trO'I n6ng va n'ng I'm
- c6 mu'a phun
- c6 Ttft nguyin ctan
- trO'i c6gl6

6 Form sentences using kh6ng nhung •.. rna con (nua). For example:
xe ct~p t61 (eli, hong)
Xe ct~p t61 kh6ng nhung eli rna con hOng nua.

a khach s~n nay (t6t, thu•n tl.n)

b kysu'Hao (th6ng mlnh,lam vl•c nhl.u)
c anh tral t61 (thrch Am nh~c, thrch th4 thao)

182
 d tCr dh~n tli'ng Vltt nay (m6'1, teSt)
e mCia h~ O'VItt Nam (n6ng, n'ng)
f thanh ph6 Hui (c6, yin tinh)
g phlm nay (dal qu~, ch~n)
h c6ng ty du l!ch (16'n, teSt)
I qua du du nay (tu'O'i, ngQt I'm>
J m6n ml xao nay (kh6ng ngon, m~n)
k tii'ng Vitt (hay, kh6)
I c6 Loan (bii't tii'ng Anh, bii't tii'ng Ph~p)
m hltu An 'S6ng H6ng' (ngon, ri tlin)
n thO'I tlit (mu'a, c6 su'O'ng mCI)

7 Match phrases from the left-hand column with the ones on the right.
thea t61 ngay mal trO'I si n'ng.
thea dl,l' b~o thO'I tlit anh nAn bo hOt thu6c.
thea tin cua Th6ng ~n xa Vitt Nam Vitt Nam Ia m~t nu'6'c d'p I'm.
thea y kii'n cua b~c si quy~n s~ch m6'i nh~'tcua Bao Ninh
thea nha phi blnh Trr thu thu'O'ng Vo VAn Kii't si
thAm Nh•t Ban.

ThOng tAn xa Vltt Nam Vietnamese News Agency

thu tu6'ng prime minister

8 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

a Are you going for a walk?
No, it's not only cold but it is also beginning to rain.
b What was the weather like in England?
It was quite warm but windy.
Did it rain a Jot?
No, it did not.
c Don't forget to take a raincoat.
Why? It's warm and sunny.
But according to the weather forecast, it will rain in the
afternoon.

Unit 13 Have you seen the weather forecast yetl 183

9 Say what you need, using the suggestions:
Khl trO'I mua thl anh c'n gl? ~o mua, 0,
Khl trO'II~nh thl anh phil m~c gl? ~o len, ~o Am
Khl trO'I c6 tuyit thl ngUO'I ta c'n gl? mu, khAn quang c6, gAng tay
Khl trO'I n6ng va n'ng thl ngUO'I qu~t m~y, tu l~nh, ~o
ta c'n gl? bO'I, ~o c~c tay

~o c~c tay short-sleeved dress

tu l~nh refrigerator
~o bO'I swimsuit

10 Khr h•u & nu6'c anh thi nao? C6 gi6ng khr h•u &VItt Nam
khOng?

Write a paragraph or two answering these two questions.

Reading

Can you understand this weather forecast taken from a Vietnamese

newspaper?

ov b'o that tlet ngay va dem n-s-2003

Thanh ph6 Thai ti~t Gi6 (m/s) Nhi~t d¢ (°C)
va thi xa th~p nh~t cao nh~t
Ha N¢i Ngay n~ng, d~m £lOng b~c 25-27 31-33
khOng mua 2-4
H~Longva KhOng mua £lOng b~c 25-27 28-30
HaiPhong 2-4
£li~n Bi~n C61Lic c6 mua rae Nh~ 22-24 30-32
va dOng
Hu~ KhOng mua £lOng b~c 24-26 31-33
2-4
NhaTrang C61Cic mlla r~o v~ Nh~ 24-26 31-33
dOng

D~ L~t C61Cic c6 gi6 nh~ Nh~ 16-18 24-26

TP
HdChf C6 ICic mlla r~o v~ ray 24-26 30-32
Minh dOng 3-5
canTha C6 ICic mlla r~o v~ ray 24-26 29
dOng 3-5

h,lt 101 flood m't cool

h~n h'n drought mlla rao heavy shower
sliO'ng mu61 frost mAy cloud
sliO'ng rna fog, mist s'ng bright
bao storm, kh6 ch!u unpleasant,
typhoon terrible
gl6 maa monsoon dech!u pleasant
d6ng thunderstorm

Unit 13 Have you seen the weather forecast yetl 185

 SUMMARY
Here is a final checklist of issues covered in this unit and some exercises
in case you need to do more revision. At the end of this unit, you should
knowhow to:

1 Express the meaning of 'not only but also~ For example:

a Em gai t6i kh6ng nhung hQc ti~ng Phap rna con hQc ti~ng
Nga nua.
b C6 Mal kh6ng nhung d'p rna con th6ng mlnh nua.
c Thanh ph6 nay kh6ng nhilng c6 rna con d'p nua.
d Xe may cua t61 kh6ng nhung eli rna con hong.
e £)UO'ng ph6 nay kh6ng nhung s~ch rna con yin tinh nua.

2 Use 'thea' to indicate somebody's opinion. For example:

a Thea bac si anh nin bo hC.t thu6c.
b Thea t6i 6ng 'Y
Ia ngUO'i teSt
c Thea c6 giaa c6 Haa r't chAm chi.

3 Create complex sentences using khi ... thl state (when ... then).
For example:
a Khl dl xe may t61lu6n lu6n d(ll mu xe may.
b Khl t61 du tl•n thl t61 si dl du ljch.
c Khl t61 nghe ngUO'I Vltt Nam n61 thl t61 van chua hh~u h~t.

4 Create questions using the construction khi ... thi. For example:
a Khi em roi em thUO'ng lam gl?
b Khi trO'i l~nh thl anh phai m~c gl?

5 Differentiate between the various Vietnamese expressions meaning

'to wear~ For example:
a H6m nay trO'I ret nin t61 dl gAng tay.
b B~n gal cua t61 thrch dea nhan nhung kh6ng thrch dea
haa tal.
c Vl h6m nay trO'I mua nin t61 phal m~c aa mua.
d Ph1,1 nuVItt Nam thuO'ng m~c aa dal.
e 86 t6i phai dea krnh.
 6 Describe the main items of clothing

7 Name the seasons of the year

8 Describe various weather conditions

9 Understand the weather forecast.

1 (a) My younger sister not only studies French but also Russian.
(b) Mai is not only pretty but also clever. (c) This town is not only
ancient but also very beautiful. (d) My motorbike is not only old but
also broken. (e) This street is not only clean but also quiet. 2 (a) In
his doctor's opinion, he should give up smoking. (b) In my opinion,
he is a good person. (c) According to the teacher, Hoa is very
hardworking. 3 (a) When I go by motorbike I always wear a helmet.
(b) When I have enough money I will go travelling. (c) When I hear
the Vietnamese talking I still don't understand them completely.
4 (a) What do you normally do when you are free? (b) What do you
wear when the weather is cold? 5 (a) It is cold today, therefore I am
wearing gloves. (b) My girlfriend likes wearing a wring but she does
not like wearing earrings. (c) Because it was raining yesterday, I had
to put on a raincoat. (d) Vietnamese women usually wear ao d~i.
(traditional Vietnamese tunic). (e) My father has to wear glasses.

Unit 13 Have you seen the weather forecast yetl

 14
Anh co nhan gi khong?
Do you want to leave a message?

In this unit you will learn

How to make a telephone call
How to leave a message
How to use modal verbs in Vietnamese
How to use the constructions t11 ••• lay and m9t mlnh

HQi tho,i hang ngay Everyday conversation

David phones Nam to invite him out. He is having some problems
getting through.
Anh Nam dang ngoi d<;>c sach thi nghe thay tieng chuong di~n tho~i.
Anh VQi ch~y den may di~n tho~.
................................................................
...
1ft

IIIC
~m M~ ~
1- David A-lo! Anh Nam day
• Nam
phai khong?
Vang, Nam day. Ai gQi
d~y?
David Toi, David.
Nam Ai day? Anh n6i to len!
Toi nghe khong ro.
David David day.
Nam A, anh David .... Anh David, anh day a? A-lo, a-lo!

188
 Sau miy phCit David gQI dltn lllJII.
David A-10! Anh Nam ~?
Nam Vang, Nam day.
David David day. Xin IOi anh, chOng ta bj ng~t m~ch.
Nam Lau l~m khOng n6i chuy~n v~i an h. C6 vi~c gl khOng?
David CJ Nh~ hat mda r6i mi~c dang c6 m¢t bu6i bi~u
di~n m~i. Chdng mlnh di xem nhe!
Nam Tuy~t qua nhr. HOm n~o chdng mlnh di?
David TOi phai gQi di~n d~n Nh~ hat. TOi se gQi l~i cho anh
sau Ide sau gib.
Nam Th~ thl d6ng 9. Anh gQi l~i nhe.
David now phones the theatre to enquire about tonight's programme.
David A-10! C6 phai day I~ Nh~ hat mda r6i m.t~c khOng ~?
Nha h't vang! Anh c~n gl?
David TOi mu6n h6i, hOm nayc6 bu6i bi~u di~n n~o
khOng?
C6, hOm nay c6 hai bu6i bi~u di~n-chi~u v~ t6i.
Bu6i bi~u di~n t6i b~t dau Ide mgy gib?
Baygib.
Con ve khOng ~?
Con mgyve.
Cam an co.
KhOng dam.

ng6i sit
nghe thiy hear
titfng chu6ng ditn thollJii telephone bell
ng't mllJich to be interrupted
nha h't theatre
r6ipuppet
mCia dance
nu6'c water
mCia r61 nu6'c water puppet show
bl'u dlen performance
tuytt qu" excellent, perfect!
d6ng y to agree
ve ticket

Unit 14 Do you want to leave a message? 189

 Activity

True or false?
a Anh David phai n6i to len vi anh Nam nghe khong ro.
b David se gQi difn l~i anh Nam sau hk sau gia.
c Moi ngay i:J Nha hat mua roi m.tac co hai buoi bieu dien.
d Buoi bieu dien toi bat dau luc sau gia.
e David muon di xem buoi bieu dien toi nhung nha hat het ve.

Vietnamese water puppets

Vietnamese water puppetry (mua roi

m.tac) is a specific form of performing
art. Its uniqueness lies in its use of a
water surface as a stage for performances;
the puppets are guided and controlled
by puppeteers who are submerged in
the water. A complex mechanism is
employed to operate the puppets, creating
a fascinating spectacle. A much loved
character, ongTeu (buffoon,joker),
introduces the performance, comments
on it and laughs with the audience. Music
played on traditional Vietnamese musical
instruments accompanies the show.
Performances draw their themes from
folklore and mythology as well as from the
everyday life of ordinary farmers.

Grammatical points

1 Modal verbs

Here is a list of the main modal verbs. You already know some of them
and now you have a chance to learn some more:

190
 ~ Mu6n (want)

TOI mu6n hQc tli'ng Vltt. I want to learn Vietnamese.

Em g" tOI mu6n dl chO'I My younger sister wants to go for
v61 tOI. a walk with me.

to Nin (ought to, should)

Anh 'y nin l'y xkh 10. You should take a cyclo.
Anh 'y
khOng nin u6ng rUQ'u. He should not drink alcohol.

~ Phil (must)

Chi 'y
phil dl btnh vltn.
TOI phil vlit thU cho gla Cllnh tOI.
She has to go to the hospital.
I have to write a letter to my family.

TOI c'n mua rau qui tUC11. I need to buy some fresh fruit and
vegetables.

~ C6 th4 +verb/verb+ dUQ'c (can be able to)

There are two ways of expressing the meaning of to be able, can. You can
use c6 th4 (placed before the main verb):

co 'Y c6 th4 hat. She can sing.

or you can use dUQ'c positioned after the main verb, before or after a
compliment:

TOI n61 dUQ'c tli'ng Vltt. I can speak Vietnamese.

TOI n61 tli'ng Vltt dUQ'c.

A combination of both c6 th4 (before the main verb) and dUQ'c (after the
main verb) can be used in one sentence.

CO 'y c6 th4 n61 tli'ng Vltt dUQ'c. She can speak Vietnamese.

Unlt14 Doyouwanttoleaveamessagel 191

 Modal verbs are negated in a normal way using khOng. The negative
version of c6 th4 is khOng th4:

Ngay mal tO I khOng th4 g~p an h. I cannot meet you tomorrow.

2 tl,l' (tl,l' ... l'y) reflexive self

The meaning of tl,l' is self, by oneself, personally. It is used to indicate

that somebody is doing something by himself (without anybody's help).
Tl,t can be used in combination with l'y (or l'y can also be used on its
own). The example that follows illustrates the correct position of these
words in a sentence.

tl,l' l'y tl,l' ••• l,y

TOI tl,l' d!ch bal thO' TOI d!ch l'y bal thO' TOI tl,l' d!ch l'y bal thO'
nay sang tltfng Vl•t nay sang tltfng Vl.t. nay sang tltfng Vl•t

I translated this poem into Vietnamese by myself.

Anh Thao tl,l' chila xe Anh Thao chua l'y Anh Thao tl,l' chua l'y
d~p. xed~p. xed~p.
Thao has repaired the Anh Thao chua xe
bicycle by himself. d~pl,y.

tl,l' is placed before the verb while l'y is placed after the verb (before or
after the object).

3 m~t mlnh alone

M~t mlnh means alone. For example:

T61 qua tO I da f:J nha m~t mlnh vl Yesterday I was at home alone
b6 m, tO I dl xem h-'t because my parents went to the
theatre.

192
H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

& promised, next day David is trying to phone Nam back to confirm their
arrangements. Lan, Nam's colleague, picks up the phone:

David A-10, l~m an cho tOi n6i chuy~n v~i anh Nam.
Lan R~'t ti~c, anh ~Y vera m~i di ngan h~ng c6ch day mgy phCit.
David Chi c6 bi~t bao gib anh gy v~ khOng?
Lan Xin lc!li, tOi khOng bi~t. Anh c6 nh~n gl khOng?
David L~m an nh~n anh gy gQi di~n cho tOi. 56 di~n tho~i caa
tOi I~ 87356.
Lan Anh y~n tam, tOi se chuy~n lbi.
David C~m an.
Lan KhOng c6 gl.

ngin hang bank

each from, distant
nh'n leave a message
yin tim feel assured
chuy4n IO'i pass on a message

Activities

Comprehension:
a Is Nam in his office when David phones back?
b With whom does David speak?
c Where did Nam go? When is he coming back?
d Does David leave a message for Nam?

True or false?
a Anh Nam vera m6'i di buu ditn.
b Anh David khOng mu6n nh'n gl ci.
c C6 Lan kh6ng bi~t bao giO' anh Nam v~.

Unlt14 Doyouwanttoleaveamessagel 193

 Exercises

1 Translate into English:

Anh nin m~c thU' ao len nay.
Anh kh6ng nin thll'c khuya.
H6m nay t6i roi, chCmg ta c6 th41 di xem phim.
T6i chua lai du'Q'c 6-t6.
Sang mai t6i se phai d•y s6'm.
Chi 'Y c'n gl~t bl) qu'n ao b'n nay.
M' t61 phallam vltc thea ca.
MQa mu'a s'p d,n, chj nin mua ao mu'a.
Anh nin & nha nghi.

2 Fill the gaps with a suitable modal verb:

ChC.ng t6i •.. cam O'n ch! 'Y·
Ngay mai t6i .•• di cU'a hang bach h6a.
T~i sao anh .•• hQc ti,ng Vitt?
Cac anh kh6ng ••. thll'c khuya.
T6i mtt qua! T6i .•• ngu.
T61 khat l,m, t61 ••• u6ng nu6'c.
C6 ••• dl xem mC.a reS I nu'6'c Vltt Nam.
T61 kh6ng ••• dl thAm vltn bao tang nght thu•t.
M' t61 ••• 1am vltc thea ca.
Ong Chung ••• g~p glao su'Trr.

3 Say what you should do or must do tomorrow.

- vi't thu' cho gia d'lnh - t•p n6i bling ti,ng Vitt
- di thu' vitn - di chQ' mua hoa qua tu'O'i
- di kham btnh - t•p th41 d1,1c bu6i sang
- gQi ditn tho~i d'n khach - djch xong bai thO' cua Xuin
s~n va danh tru6'c phong Dltu
- mua ve may bay dl Thanh - thao lu'n ~n cr•nay v6'1 glao
ph6 H6 Chr Minh su'Chung
- bo hC.tthu6c Ia

194
4 Translate into Vietnamese:
You cough a lot. You should give up smoking.
I need to speak to Nam.
We ought to eat more vegetables.
You should play more sport ifyou want to be healthy.
My parents want to buy a new car.
He has got a temperature. You should call the ambulance.
Many tourists want to visit Ha Long bay.
You should not eat so much sugar.
Do I need an umbrella? No, you don't.
I need a new Vietnamese-English dictionary; this one is too old.
You have to see the film lndochine. It is very interesting. [£)0ng
DUO'ng Indochina]
Before going to Vietnam, you should buy some anti-malarial
medicine.
You should not smoke here.
She does not have to go to school tomorrow.
My mother has to cook every day.
You have to ask him about his visit to Vietnam.
Can you translate this article into Vietnamese?
It is cold today. You should wear a jumper.

5 Rephrase the following sentences, using tl,l" ••• l'y or mOt mlnh.
For example:
KhOng al glOp tOI djch b~li b'o nay.
TOI tl,l" djch bal b'o nay.

Khl khOng c6 al f1 nha, em Tuy~t sf!.

Khl f1 nha mOt mlnh, em Tuy~t sf!.

a KhOng al glOp m, tOI may 'o sa ml nay.

b T61 qua khOng al dl v6'1 tO I thAm VAn Ml~u.
c Tu'n qua chi c6 tOI d~n l6'p hQc tl~ng Anh.
d T61 qua khOng c6 al dl xem h't v61 tOI.
e KhOng al glOp em g" tOI vl~t bal ~P f1 nha.
f Anh A9 dl u6ng ca phi v61 al?
g KhOng al dl v6'1 tOI Ursin bay v~ dAy.
h Chi f1 cung phong v6'1 al?
KhOng al glOp m, dQn ban An.

Unlt14 Doyouwanttoleaveamessagel 195

6 Give Vietnamese equivalents:
Who cleaned this room? I cleaned it myself.
I prefer to work alone.
My sister is ill, therefore I have to go and visit my parents on
my own.
I hate going to the cinema on my own.
This text is too difficult./ cannot translate it by myself.
She was sitting alone when I entered the room.
I am busy, you have to cook the dinner yourself.
Last night Lan was at home alone.

7 Here is part of a telephone conversation. Fill in the missing parts.

A-10, •••?
D~ phil, kh,ch s~n BO' H6 dAy. Anh mu6n n61 v6'1 al?

Xln lol, cO Lan khOng c6 f1 dAy...•?

D~ khOng, tOI khOng mu6n nh'n gl.

8 Learn this useful vocabulary from a telephone directory.

Anh/chj nAn bli't mAy s6 dltn tho~ I quang trQng sau dAy:
HaNOI
cApcll"u 15 ambulance, first aid
cOng an 13 police
cll"u hoa 14 fire brigade
sU'a chCta dltn tho~l 19 telephone repair service
ding ky gQI trong mt6'c 10 internal calls
ding ky gQI ngoal nu'6'c 11 international calls
chi dan 16 information
bao giO' 17 time
Reading

Read this passage about Vietnam and answer the questions below.

Vi•t Nam n~m trin ban dilo E>6ng Du'O'Ilg 6'E>6ng NamA. Phra B'c
giap Trung Qu6c, phra lAy giap Lao, Cam-pu-chia, phra E>6ng, phra
Nam du'Q'c bao bQC bO'i bi~n E>6ng va phra lay Nam Ia vjnh Thai lan.
Vi•t Nam c6 di•n tkh 329 566 km vu6ng v6'i din s6 g~n 70 tri•u
ngu'O'I.

Ha Nl)lla thu 66 cua nu6'c Vl•t Nam (CI)ng hoa xa hl)l chu nghia
Vl•t Nam). N61a ml)t thanh ph6 c6 ljch sll' IAu do'l. Ha Nl)l c6 nhliu
dl trch ljch sll' va danh lAm th,ng cilnh. N'u d'n Ha Nl)l, b~n dCI'ng
quin di thAm cac di trch l!ch sll' ndi ti,ng (vr d1,1 Chua Ml)t Cl)t, VAn
Mi,u, din NgQc SO'n .•• ).

Hu' Ia ml)t trong nhung trung tAm vAn h6a 16'n 6' miin Nam Vi•t
Nam. Hu' Ia ml)t thanh ph6 cr,p; Hu' c6 d'n hang trAm ng6i chua,
ti~u bi~u nh't Ia chua Thiin M1,1. Hu' ndi ti,ng v6'i nhung lAng t&m
cua cac vua Nguyen.

Tcr Hu' n'u dl may bay b~n se d~t chAn xu6ng sAn bay qu6c t'nn
SO'Il Nh.t, each trung tAm thanh ph6 H6 Chr Minh bily km. Thanh
ph6 H6 Chr Minh (Sal Gon) Ia thanh ph6 tri m61 c6 khoang ba trAm
nAm nay, n~m giCta d6ng b~ng s6ng Cll'u Long.

a Which countries have borders with Vietnam?

b Name some of the most famous historical sights of Hanoi.
c What is Hu@' famous for?
d Ho Chi Minh city is located in the delta of which river?

Unlt14 Doyouwanttoleaveamessagel 197

 SUMMARY
Complete the end-of-unit test and find out how well you got on
this time.

1 You phone your friend's office only to be told by his secretary: 'Xin
anh chO' m~t chCit. d~ t61 xem anh 'y c6 f1 diy kh6ng: Is she:
a telling you that your friend is not at work today?
b asking you if you want to leave a message?
c asking you to wait while she checks ifhe is present?

2 Today is your wedding anniversary and you want to surprise

your wife by booking a table in her favourite restaurant, Qu@
Hue1ng.The person who answers the phone informs you: 'Xin loi
anh, anh nh'm s6 r6i, f1 diy kh6ng c6 hi•u In Qui Hu'O'ng:
What do you do?
a You phone a restaurant that is not fully booked.
b You ask to reserve a table for two by the window.
c You dial the restaurant's number one more time, this time
making sure that you don't misdial.

3 You are calling directory enquires to find out the correct area code
for Hanoi. What do you say?
a A 16, chao anh, anh lam O'n cho t61 bii't rna di•n tho~i
qu6cti.
b A 16, chao anh, t61 mu6n bii't rna thanh ph6 Ha N~i.
c A 16, chao anh, t61 mu6n tlm s6 di•n tho~ I cua bu'u di•n
chrnh f1 Ha N~i.

4 Your mobile phone has run out of charge and you need to make an
urgent phonecall. Your friend suggests: 'Niu c'n g,p, anh c6 th~
dang di.n tho~ I di d~ng cua t61.' What is he proposing?
a He suggests that you use the nearest public phone box.
b He offers to lend you his mobile phone to make your
urgent call.
c He suggests that you go to the nearest shop and ask to use its
phone.
5 You phone Mr Quang's office only to be told by the operator:
'£>UO'ng dAy dang b.n, val phllt nua xln anh gQII~I: Is the
operator:
a asking you to phone another time because Mr Quang is
currently very busy?
b asking you to call back in a few minutes because Mr Quang's
line is engaged?
c telling you that you must have the wrong number because
nobody called Mr Quang works there?

1c2c3b4b5b

Unit 14 Do you wantto leave a message?

 15
Thll ai Anh mat bao lau?
How long does it take for a letter
to get to England?

In this unit you will learn

• How to conduct basic transactions at the post office
How to write a letter
How to use the phrase the more ... the more
How to say apart from
How to use th,/v•y

H{»i thoct~i himg ngay Everyday conversation

At the post office ...

Nhinvlin Chaoanh.
Mark Chao chj. TOi mu6n glli bac thll nay di Luan DOn.
Nhinvlin Vang 1\1· Anh c6 glli thll baa dam khOng?
Mark KhOng, thll thllang thOi. Thll di Anh mgt baa Iau?
Nhinvlin Kh6ang ba tu3n.
Mark Th~ thl cho tOi glli thll nhanh.
Nhinvlin vang 1\1. Mllai nghln d6ng.Anh c3n gl naa?
Mark CJ day c6 ban bllU anh khOng?
Nhinvlin C6 cha, bllU anh day. Mai anh chQn.

200
 Mark 0, buu ~nh ch1,1p Chua M¢t C¢t nay d~p l~m. Con
day Ia H6 Hoan Ki~m .... Cho tOi hai t!m buu ~nh
nay. va hai c~i tern naa. T!t c~ bao nhi~u ti~n?
NhAnvlin T!t c~ 29 nghln d6ng.
Mark C~man chj.
NhAnvlin KhOng d~m. Chao anh.

gll'i to send, to post

(bl1c) thllletter
thll bio dim registered Jetter
thll thllO'ng ordinary mail
thll nhanh express Jetter
buu inh postcard
chc;m choose, select
tern stamp

Activities

True or false?

a Mark da din buu dltn d' gll'l thu.

b Thll dl LuAn £>On m't hal tu,n.
c Ngoai gll'i thll anh Mark cung mu6n mua m'y bl1c bllu inh.
d Bllu ditn ban nhi~u bllu inh d'p l,m, vr d1,1 bllu inh cua Chua
M~tC~t.
e Anh Mark da chc;m m~t bl1c bllU inh ch1,1p H6 Hoan Kii'm.
f Anh Markda mua hai bl1c bllU inh nhllng khOng mua tern.

How would you say the following in Vietnamese:

Do you want to send this Jetter registered?

No, thank you, just normal post.

Do you sell postcards?

Unit 15 How long does It take for a letter to get to Englandl 201
 Of course, please have a look.

How long does it take for a Jetter to get to London?

Three weeks.

I@ TR 16, 0.48

CJ bu'u cti•n anh c6 th41 mua Things you can buy at the post office

tern stamps
bu'U inh postcards
giAy vh1t thu' writing paper
b~o va t~p chr newspapers and magazines
phong bl envelopes

HC)i tho~i 2 Conversation 2

Hoa is waiting anxiously for the postman.

Hoa Ngubi du'a thuda d~n chua?

Peter Chu'a, sao chi li;ti hoi th~?
Hoa TOi dang chb thucua b6 m~ tOi. £>a m!y tu~n
nay tOi khOng nh~n du'qc thu' cua gia dlnh tOi
n~n ngay cang lo l~ng. Th~ng tru'&c m~ tOi bj
6m, vl th~ tOi mu6n bi~t bay gib sac khoe cua
m~ tOi th~ nao.
Peter ca~n tam.m.rng lo!A ngubi dua thuday!
Hoa HOm nay tOi c6 thu' khOng?
Ngu'ltl ctua thu' Xin 16i chj, khOng c6 thu'.
Hoa N~u v~y thl tOi phai gQi di~n thoi;ti cho b6 m~
tOi. G~n day c6 di~n thoi;ti cOng c¢ng khOng?
Ngu'ltl ctua thu' C6, cu6i du'bng nay c6 m¢t tr1;tm di~n thoi;ti
cOng c¢ng. Hay chi cung c6 th~ QQi ?J bu'u
di~n.

202
ngUO'I dua thu postman
lo l'ng to worry
sll'c khoe health
yin tAm have peace of mind
m~y dl•n tho~ I telephone
cling c~ng public
tr~m station

Activity

True or false?

a E>a IAu ch! Hoa khllng nh•n dUc;tc thu cua gla d'lnh.
b Th~ng tru~c m, cua ch! Hoa b! 6m.
c Hoa khllng bl~t m, cua ch! bAy giO' th~ nao?
d NgUO'I du'a thU c6 m~t bll'c thU cho Hoa.
e Ch! Hoa da d!nh gQI dl•n b6 m,.
f Vl g'n dAy khllng c6 m~y dl•n tho~ I cling c~ng nin ch! Hoa
phil dl buu dl.n.

Grammatical points

1 thl!v~y so: relative pronoun

th~/~y is a relative pronoun used when referring to something that has

been previously mentioned. The use of th~/v•y enables the speaker to avoid
having to repeat the same (sometimes very long) statement.

M' tlll thrch Am nh~c. Tlll cling My mother loves music. So do I.

v(ty. (Tlll cling thrch Am nh~c.) (I also like music.)
Xe d~p cua tlll bl hong. My bicycle is broken. That is why
Vl the(vl xe d~p cua tlll bl (because my bicycle broke down)
hong) tlll khllng d~n dUc;tc. I could not come.

Unit 15 How long does It takeforaletterto gettoEnglandl 203

 HOm nay trO'I mua. Vl v(ly (vl trO'I It is raining today. That is why
mua) chCing tO I phil & nha. (because it rains) we had to stay
at home.

Sometimes th41/~y can be combined with nhU, making nhU th41 (nhU
v•y), and with cling, making cling th41.

Anh vao 16'p hQc khOng chao He entered the classroom without
cO gl~o. Lam nhu'thlla sal. greeting the teacher. To behave
like that is wrong.
Anh £>1l'c thUO'ng dl xem phlm. fJilt goes to the cinema. So do I.
TOI cling thl. (TO I cling (I also often go to the cinema.)
thUO'ng dl xem phlm.)

2 ngoal, ngoal ... ra apart from, in addition to

Ngoal tll1ng Vl•t (ra), tO I Apart from Vietnamese, I also know

cling bll1t tll1ng Trung Chinese.
Qu6c (nua).

ngoal ra apart from anything else, apart from other things

Ngoal ra, tOI rAt thrch dl xem Apart from anything else (apart
phlm. from other thingsJ /like going
to the cinema.

It is important to distinguish between ngoal ... ra (at the end of a

sentence where we specifically mention all facts) and ngoal ra (where we
do not specify all the facts.)

3 cang ... cang the more ... the more

Cang ... cang is used in Vietnamese to create the meaning of the more ...
the more.

ChOng tOI cang hQc nhl~u cang bll1t nhl~u.

(we) (the more) (study) (a lot) (the more) (know) (a lot)
The more we studYt the more we know.

204
The construction dmg ngay cang (or just ngay cang) expresses
the meaning that something is increasing day by day (every day).
For example:

Mua ve may bay cang ngay Buying plane tickets is getting

cangd't more expensive every day.
Trltl ngay cang ,m. The weather is getting warmer
day by day.

Cang ngay cang is often shortened to become ngay cang:

Trltl ngay cang teSt. The weather is getting better

day by day.

Insight
Remember that when using the construction cang ..•cang (the
more ... the more) you should not add hO'n (more) to adjectives
because the meaning of'more' is already contained within the
construction.

Exercises

1 Use th41/v.y. For example:

Ve di xem hat tell nay era h41t r6i. (phai di xem hat ngay mal.)
Ve di xem hat t6i nay era h41t r6i. Vl th41 chCmg t61 phai di xem hat
ngaymai.

a LAu qua t61 kh6ng nh•n du'Q'C thu'cua gla Cl'lnh. (phai gQI
di•n tho' I b6 m, t61)
b Vq t61 6m. (kh6ng th' sang nu'6'c Lao du ljch)
c Thu' dl chiu Au m't ba tu,n. (phal gll'l thu' may bay)
d TrO'I ngay cang n6ng. (mu6n dl bO' bl'n nghi mat)

2 React to these statements by using cling (nhu') th41. For example:

Ch6ng t61 thkh u6ng bia.
My husband likes drinking beer.

Unit 15 How long does It takeforaletterto gettoEnglandl 205

 TOI cung th,,
So dol.

a Chu nh•t qua em g" tOI trO' v• quA huang.

b Cac sinh viin 16'p ti,ng Vi•t da thAm Vi•n bilo tang
l!chsll'.
c Ong Tu'n mua m'y buu an h.
d Bac si Canh lam vi•c 6' b•nh vi•n Vi.t-E>Il'c.
e Anh tOi thkh chai b6ng da.
f M' tOI thrch mua ban 6' chQ'.

3 Translate into English:

v~ may bay cang ngay cang d't.
ChOng tO I cang dQc nhl•u cang bl't nhl•u v• vAn hQc Vl•t Nam.
N'u anh 'y d'n dUQ'C thl chOng tOi cang vui.
Mua xuin s'p d,n, trO'i ngay cang ,m.
Vao mua dOng hoa ngay cang d't
£>i xe d~p 6' trung tim Ha N~i cang ngay cang kh6.

4 Form sentences using ngoai (ra):

bac si Chung/thrch dQc sach v•ljch sll'/thrch xem phlm klnh dj
m, tOI/mua ao sa ml m61/ao len m6'1
b~n tOI/dl du ljch £)0ng Nam AlthAm Trung Qu6c
Ha N~l/c6 nhl•u dl trch ljch sll'/c6 phong canh r't cr,p
Vl•t Nam/c6 nhl•u bal bl,n/nhl•u day nOI cao
b6 tOi thkh An cam Vi•t Nam/An cam chiu Au

phong cilnh landscape, scenery day nOi mountain range

5 Can you say the following in Vietnamese?

My parents are getting older day by day.
The more you play sport the healthier you are.
The more tourists visit Vietnam the better.
When /lived in Vietnam, my Vietnamese was getting better day by day.
The more people come to my birthday party the better.
The bigger the room in the hotel, the more expensive it is.
The larger the room, the more comfortable.
The more you practise, the better your Vietnamese pronunciation is.

206
6 Complain to your friend that things are not what they used to
be and that everything is getting worse day by day (make use of the
constructions ngay cang/cang ngay cang). Make up at least two
complaints. (For example: the prices are increasing, your health is
not what it used to be, the weather is getting cold, theatre tickets are
expensive, roads are congested, etc.)

7 What would you say if you needed to find out where you can send a
fax from?
a GOI fax gl' bao nhliu tl~n?
b CJ dAy c6 djch Vl,l gll'l fax khOng?
c CJ dAy c6 b'n buu inh khOng?

8 Say that you are going to the post office to:

..,.. phone your parents
..,.. send an urgent telegram (bll'c dl•n telegram, kh&m
urgent)
..,.. buy some stamps, envelopes and writing paper
..,.. post a registered letter to England
..,.. ask how long it takes for a letter to get to Europe
..,.. buy some postcards from Hanoi
..,.. send a parcel to your friend (bll'c ph&m parcel)

9 What did Mary ask at the post office?

Mary ?
Nhinvlin lhu di Anh m~'t khoang ba tu3n.
Mary ?
Nhinvlin C6 chll', buu anh aay. Mbi chi chQn.
Mary ?
Nhinvlin Ta't ca 35 nghln a6ng.

10 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

a I want to buy two stamps.
I am sorry, we don't sell stamps here.
And where can I buy them then?
You must go to the post office.

Unit 15 How long does It takeforaletterto gettoEnglandl 207

 b There are two letters for you, Mr Smith.
This one is registered, I need you to sign here. And there is a
postcard for you as well.

Writing a letter in Vietnamese

In familiar context (writing to your friends, for example), the best way to
start a letter is using thin or thin m~n (dear):

Anh Nam thdn men, DearNam,

C'c b~n thdn men, Dear friends,
Em Hoa thdn, DearHoa,

This type ofletter should be signed off with Thin or Thin m~n (Yours),
followed by your signature.

A formal letter should start with krnh m~n or krnh (dear; more
respectful than thin m~n) and should be signed off with Krnh or Krnh
thu' (Yours sincerely) followed by your signature.

Now read this letter.

Chi Hoa thin m~n,

T61 mu6n vi~t thu' cho chi nhi~u l'n r6i nhu'ng t61 b•n qua. T61 ~
Vi•t Nam m~t thang r6i va t61 dang d'n d'n lam quen v6'1 cu~c
s6ng ~dAy. T61 ~ m~t khach s~n nho g'n H6 lAy. Mol ngay t61
phi\ I di xe d~p d~n tru'O'ng. Tru'6'c, t61 Sf! di xe d~p vl ph6 Ha N~i
hi•n nay d6ng I'm nhu'ng bAy giO' t61 kh6ng Sf! nua.

Chi c6 khoe kh6ng? Th61, t61 xin ngetng but~ dAy. Mong nh•n
thucua chi s6'm.

Thin Mary

208
 SUMMARY
Complete this end-of-unit test and check how you are progressing.

1 You arrive at the post office to post a letter to England. The clerk
behind the counter says: 'MO'i anh ct~t thu' lin bim cAn cti!' What
are you supposed to do?
a Put the letter in a letter box.
b Go to the next counter because this counter is only used for
posting parcels.
c Place the letter on the scales.

2 Having weighed the letter the clerk asks: 'Anh dn gll'l thu' bio
dam hay blnh thu'O'ng?' What is he asking you?
a Do you want to send the letter by air mail?
b Do you want to send the letter by courier?
c Do you want to send the letter by registered or normal mail?

3 While you are at the post office, you want to buy ten envelopes and five
stamps. How do you ask for these items in Vietnamese?
a Mu'O'I c~l phong bl va nAm c~l tern g" bao nhliu?
b TOI mu6n mua mu'O'I c" phong bl va nAm c~l tern.
c CJ ctiy c6 b~n phong bl va tern khOng?

4 A customer at the next counter asks the clerk: 'GI~ tern cho mOt
bll'c thu' thu'O'ng Ia bao nhiiu?' Is he asking:
a where can I buy some stamps?
b what is the price of a stamp for a regular letter?
c how much is this postcard?

5 Your friend moans: 'Mua ve m~y bay cang ngay cang ct't' Is he:
a complaining that all tickets for his chosen flight are sold out?
b complaining that plane tickets are getting more expensive
everyday?
c complaining that his flight has been cancelled?

Unit 15 How long does It take for a letter to get to Englandl

6 Your English classmate proudly announces: 'TOI cang 6'VItt Nam
IAu cang n61 gl61 tling Vltt: What is the proud statement saying?
a The longer I am in Vietnam the more my Vietnamese
improves.
b The longer I am in Vietnam the more difficult I find it to learn
Vietnamese.
c The longer I am in Vietnam the more I know about the
country.
 16
Toi ghet nh,c co c.th!n
I hate classical music
In this unit you will learn
How to talk about your hobbies and leisure activities
How to express the meaning although
How to say that something is happening at the same time as
something else

HQi tho,i hang ngay Everyday conversation

Mark comes to visit his friend Tuan
.................................................................
: Tuan Chao anh. Moi anh vao. :
: Mark Chao anh! Nghe tin anh om nen toi den tham anh. Troi di! 0

Chan cua anh lam sao?

: Tuan Chu nh~t vua roi toi chdi bOng da va bj gay chan.
: Mark Chdi bong da a? Toi chi thfch xem the
0
0
0
thao tren ti-vi nhung toi khong chdi
mon nao, theo toi chdi the thao khong
an toan gl ca. Toi chi thfch hai thu: di
du ljch va ch~;~p anh. May ma hai ho~t
d9ng nay l~i phu h~p voi nhau. Ch~;~p
anh thl ch~c Ia an toan hdn chdi the thao!
: Tuan Anh da den nhli'ng nllac nao roi? 0

(Contd) :

Unit 16 I hate classical music 211

 .
T!t c~ c~c nuac Chau Au, nhi~u mrac ~ Chau A n~o I~
..: Mark
In-dO-ne-xi-a, Ma-lai-xi-a, n~o I~ Nh~t B~n, Trung Qu6c .
. Ngo~i ra tOi cung da d~n My nhllng tOi chlla di chau Phi.
Anh da di du ljch kh~p th~ giai nhf?
: Tuin
Chuy~n du ljch vera r6i cua tOi I~ di tham mi~n Trung Vi~t
...: Mark
Nam. Da tcr lau tOi mu6n tham quan th~p Ch~m, nam
.. ngo~i tOi mai di duqc.
: Tuin Th~ ~? Chuy~n di th~ n~o?Th~ vj chiP.
: Mark D6i vai tOi day I~ m¢t chuy~n di khOng th~ qu~n dLiqc.
: Tuin C~ch day m!y thang tOi da xem tr~n ti-vi m¢t phim t~i li~u :
giai thi~u n~n van minh Ch~m.
: Mark Khi n~o anh khoe mai anh d~n tham nh~ tOi. TOi se cho
.. anh xem c~c bl1c ~nh v~Vi~t Nam .
: Tuin Duqc. Con tOi se mai anh di xem cu¢c d!u b6ng d~ c6 tOi
. tham dl/. C61e anh c6 th~ ch1,1p ~nh tOi!
.................................................................
: Mark Th~ thl hay qu~!

tin news, information

chO'i to play
b6ng d' football
th' thao sport
mOn classifier (field, speciality)
an toan safe, secure
may rna luckily, fortunately
a ho~t d~ng activity
~ ph~ hQ'p to be suited to, correspond
!11: chiu AAsia
a chiu Au Europe
chiu Phi Africa
kh'p thi gi6'i all over the world
th'p Cham the Cham towers
phim tailltu documentary film
vAn minh civilization
tham dl,l' participate in

212
Activities

Comprehension:

a What has happened to Thfu?

b What are Mark's hobbies?
c What does he think about sport?
d Has Mark ever been to Africa?
e Where was his latest trip?

True or false?

a Anh TuAn thrch chO'I th' thao.

b Theo Mark thl chal th' thao kh6ng an toim.
c Mark thkh ch1,1p i\nh va ctl du l!ch.
d Mark chua bao giO' thim m.t6'c My.
e Chuytfn Cl1 thim quan cu61 c~ng cua anh Ay Ia Cl1 thim thap Cham.
f Khl khoe anh TuA'n se ctl thim anh Mark ct' xem cac bll'c i\nh
cua anh Mark.

H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

Ben is having some difficulties trying to persuade his friend to see a new
exhibition. Let's see if he has succeeded.

~ ·8~~ ····;.;~~~· ba~· ;~~~ ·~~h~· th~~t ·c1~~~·~6 ·c·~c;~ t;ti~ i§~ t;~~h· ·: ;
: l1,1a cua Nguy~n Phan CMnh. Ch~ng ta ai xem nhe! t-
: H~ng Cam an anh, a~ hOm kMc, hOm nay tOi b~n. TOi phai ai
.. xem ca nh1;tc vai vq tOi.
9

: Ben TOi nghi r~ng anh khOng thrch nh1;tc.

: H~ng TOi ghet nh1;tc! Mijc d~ tOi khOng thrch nh1;tc, nhung thfnh
thoang tOi vAn phai ai vai vq, vl vq tOi r~t thrch nh1;tc.
: Ben Anh khOng thrch loi;ti nhi;tc nao ca, phai khOng?
(Contd) :

Unit 16 I hate classical music 213

 . .
: HCmg TOi kha thlch nhii!C rock, nhllng nhii!C c6 di~n thl chan qua. :
M6i 18n di xem tOi r!t bu6n ngu. TOi thlch ?J nha xem ti-vi,
hay di hi~u an, n6i chuy~n vai biitn, u6ng ruqu va nh~y
han.
: Ben Tii!i sao anh khOng n6i th~ vai vq anh? C61e chi ay c6 th~
di vai m¢t ngllbi biitn khac.
: Hung Vl tu3n trllac vqtOi da di xem vai tOi m¢t b¢ phim kinh
di r6i. Anh cung bi~t r~ng vq tOi ghet xem phim kinh dj.
. M~c du vqtOi ghet xem phim loii!i nay nhung ...

.................................................................
: Ben ... nhllng thinh thoang ba a9 di xem chi vl anh thlch.

bio tang nght thu•t Museum ofArt

(cu¢c) trl'n lam exhibition
tranh h,1a painting on silk
ca nh~c concert
~~~ ghet hate
'I' thinh thoang from time to time
!l!i: lo~l type, kind
I nh~c rock rock
nh~c c6 truy•n classical music
chan boring
bu6n ngu sleepy
nhiydance
phlm klnh dj horror film

Activities

Can you answer these questions?

a What does Ben want to do tonight?

b What are Hung's plans for the evening?
c Is he looking forward to it?
d What kind of music does he like?
e Given a choice, what would his ideal evening be like?
f Why does he feel that he must accompany his wife to a concert?

214
True or false:

a Anh HCmg thrch nh~c c6 truy•n nhung t61 nay anh Ay mu6n
f:Jnha.
b Anh HC.ng thkh dl chO'I, n61 chuy•n v61 b~n va nhi\y.
c Vfl anh kh6ng thkh xem phlm klnh d!.

Grammatical points
1 m~c dCI (tuy) ••• nhung although, despite

The above conjunction construction has the meaning of although,

despite.

M~c dCI trO'I mua nhUng chung Although it was raining, we still
t61 van dl d~o. went for a walk.
Tuy b•n nhUng 6ng Chung Despite being busy, Mr Chung still
van glup t61. helped us.

2 vera ••• vera at the same time

The use of vera ••• vera indicates that something is happening at the same
time as something else. For example:

T61 thUO'ng vera An vera dQc bao. I often eat and read the newspapers
at the same time// often read
newspapers while I'm eating.
M, t61 vera niu cO'm vera My mother cooks and listens to
nghe ra-dl-6. the radio at the same time/
My mother cooks while listening
to the radio.

3 nhau each other

Nhau means each other.

Unit 16 I hate classical music 215

 Anh Tuan yeu chi Mai. Chi Mai Tuan loves Mai. Mai loves Tuan.
yeu anh Tuan.
Anh Tuan va chi Mai yeu nhau. Tuan and Mai love one another.

4 may ma fortunately, luckily

May ma means fortunately, luckily. For example:

Khi toi di thim anh toi bi l~c When I was coming to visit you
duang. May ma toi da hoi m9t I got lost. Luckily, I asked a
nguaiquaduangdu~c passer-by.

Exercises

1 Translate into English:

Toi thuang vlla nghe tin vlla luy~n ~P tieng Vi~t.
Anh Tuan vua lai xe vua nghe nh~c
Ba Mai thllang VUa nau cdm VUa hat.
Co NgQC thllang VUa dQC bao VUa in sang.
80 m~ toi vlla n6i chuy~n vai nhau vlla xem ti-vi.

2 Say that you like doing the following:

chai b6ng dti chai b6ng r6 diucti chai ten nft

~
~
che11 du lOng c!QCsllch Clldu llch

216
 ch1,1panh lamvuoo dihi~uan chai b6ng ban

3 Rephrase the following sentences, using nhau. For example:

Toi di ngoi doi ditn vai David.
Toi va David di ngoi doi ditn vai nhau.

a Em Hoa thu'ang di chdi vO'i bo m~.

b Ong Hung thu'ang chdi co vO'i belie si Quang.
c Anh David hqc tieng Vitt vO'i anh Mark.
d Trong lap hqc toi ngoi ben ~nh chi Lien.

4 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

Although I hate sport, from time to time I have to watch football with
my husband.
Despite the weather being cold, my father was still gardening.
Although the house is very beautiful, I don't want to rent it because it
is a long way from my office.
Although I have never visited Vietnam, I have many friends there.
Although my father is 70 years old, he is still healthy.
Although I enjoy working in a hotel, I don't like working shifts.
Despite being tired, my younger brother still went to a party.

5 a Say that you like doing the following when you are sad:
listening to classical music
1>
staying at home and going to bed early
1>
1> going out to meet some friends
1> watching a horror film on TV
1> reading a book
b How would you ask your friend if he enjoys the following?
1> rock music
1> playing sport
1> gardening
1> reading historical novels
1> travelling

Unit16 lhateclassicalmusic 217

 1> playing chess (cho'l cO')
1> cooking
1> watching football on television
1> going to the park for a walk
1> fishing
c Explain to your friend why you dislike the following activities:
1> driving a car in the town centre/it is usually crowded
1> playing football/too dangerous
1> cooking/it takes up too much time
1> classical music/it is very boring
1> being late/it is not polite {ljch 51,1')
1> swimming/you are not very good at it

6 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

I was late. Luckily, I found a public phone and called him.
My bicycle broke down. Fortunately, my father helped me to repair it.
We forgot our raincoats. Fortunately, it did not rain.
I got lost. Fortunately, I met a person who spoke English and she
helped me.

Reading

Below is a programme ofVietnamese television. Study it carefully and

then answer the questions.
...
t·~~
cOcOcO~c·c·c·c·c·-c··~-·-HcO-.cOcO.;;;;;·h~;;;;;;;c·-H·c·H!cOc ~c·-

VTVt1 ,CIIIW•II ld1nlh1 . j

lb.lnlllll,ll~...- ·
.......-..........
......................~.~-~-~-~-.........~.-·........~.........~.-·.........~.--........~.........~.--.........~·-·-----~-.........~.-·.........~.- ~.-· .......-.....
.........~.-
05.35 Th' d1,1c bu6i 5'ng
o6.oo Chao bu6i 5'ng
06.30 Phim truytn
07.25 Bin tin thO'i tii"t
o8.3o Phim tailltu
og.oo Bin tin
1o.oo ThO'i 51,1'

218
 13.00 Th' thao
14.00 Bin tin tling Anh
14.30 Bin tin tling Ph~p
15.00 On t•p vAn ho~ l6'p 12
16.oo Thi gi6'i ct~ng v•t
17.00 Kinh ti
17.30 D~y tin hQC
18.oo Phim truy•n (phim Him Qu6c- t•p 3)
19.00 Vong quanh thi gi6'i
19.30 Phlm truy.n: Nga ba thO'I glan (t•p 3)
21.00 Y klin b~n xem truy•n hlnh
22.oo HQc ngo~l ngu: hQc tling Anh qua tro chal va bal h~t
23.00 ThO'I 51,1' cu61 ngay

VTV2
1o.oo Sll'c khoe cho mQi ngu'O'i
11.00 Phim ho~t hlnh
11.30 Bin tin tru'a
12.00 Phim khoa hQc
12.30 Chuang trlnh danh cho thii'u nhi
14.00 Vl•t Nam- ct't nu'6'c- con ngu'O'I
15.00 Qua t~ng Am nh~c: bal ca quA huang
16.oo Ca nh~c
18.oo VAn ho~ th' thao quAn ct~l
19.00 ThO'I 51,1'
2o.oo Quing c~o
20.15 C~c v'n cr• xa h~i
21.00 Kinh doanh va ph~p lu.t
21.30 Du l!ch vAn ho~: khu du l!ch ct~m Long
22.00 E>i'm tin b6ng cr~
22.15 Phim tai li.u: tlm hi'u ngh• thu•t cd truy•n Vi•t Nam
23.o5 Tin cu61 ngay

chuang trlnh programme

phlm ho~t hlnh cartoon
phlm talll•u documentary film
phim truy•n feature film
chii'u phim to show, screen a film

Unit 16 I hate classical music 219

sAn kh'u stage drama
tin news
tin trong nu6'c domestic news
tin thi gi6'i world news
thO'i sl,l current news
th6ng tin thUO'ng m~i business news
phim ph6 bii'n kiln thll'c educational film, lit. film disseminating
knowledge
di~m b~o reviewofnewspapers
ca nh~c concert

a Does Vietnamese television broadcast news in English?

b Do Vietnamese viewers have an opportunity to voice their views?
c At what time can you watch the weather forecast?
d At 22.15 VTV 2 is showing a documentary film. What is the subject
of this documentary?
e Are there any programmes for children?

Now test your knowledge with this end-of-unit test.

 SUMMARY
1 You ask your friend ifhe prefers sport or music. He answers:
'TO I vera thrch Am nh~c vera thrch th' thao.' Does he:
a enjoy sport but hate music?
b enjoy both sport and music?
c dislike both sport and music?

2 You are discussing films. How do you ask your colleague what type
of films he likes?
a Theo anh tO I nin xem phlm nao?
b Anh c6 xem phlm nay trin vo tuy'n khOng?
c Trong c~c lo~l phlm anh thrch lo~l phlm nao nhAt?

3 Another of your colleagues asks: 'T6i nay c6 phim gl hay trin vO

tuy'n khOng?' Does he want to know:
a if you liked the film that was on TV last night?
b if they are showing any interesting film on TV tonight?
c if you ever watch television?

4 Your friend asks: '£)im qua anh c6 xem b6ng d~ trin tl vi

khOng?' He enquires if you:
a watched football on TV last night?
b played football last night?
c read the results of the football match that was shown on
TV last night?

5 Your colleague says: 'TOi khOng thkh phim v6'i ph1,1 d~: What does
he dislike?
a He does not like horrors.
b He does not like films with subtitles.
c He does not like cartoons.

1b2c3b4a5b

Unit 16 I hate classical music

 17
Toi c6 the bay aen Vi't Nam qua
auang Hong Kong khong?
Can I fly to Vietnam via
Hong Kong?

In this unit you will learn

• How to make travel arrangements/book a hotel room,
buy a ticket change money, arrange a visa, buy
souvenirs
How to use verbs expressing direction of movement
How to say which means of transport you use
How to express the meaning of returning from somewhere

~TR18

HC)i tholt'i hang ngay Everyday conversation

Travelling is exciting but can also be tiring or even dangerous.

The following people all plan to go abroad and have to make various
arrangements to make sure their journey is enjoyable and safe.
 Booking a room
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• C)
: Ong Baker Chi cho toi d~t tntac m9t phong C1 khach s~n : d
Metropole. ~\ : rJS
: Nhin vien D~ ving. Xin cho biet ten ~· ~ -;if) ~ ;;
: Ong Baker Ten toi Ia David Baker. -+-§ :C ~ : t-
: Nhin vien Ong muon C1 khach s~n ° 9
: Metropole tu ngay nao den ngay nao?
: Ong Baker Tu ngay thu hai tuan sau den thu bay tuan sau.
0 The Ia 6 ngay t~t ca.
: Nhin vien D~ ving.

Buying a ticket
................................................................. .-
: Khach du ljch Xin loi co. Toi co the bay den Vi~t Nam qua : -..;
0

: Nhin vien ban ve

dllong Hong Kong khong?
f>ll~c, chi~· Hang khong Qantas bay tu Luin
...rA
IIIC
£>on qua Hong Kong den Ha NQi. Chi co the C1 1-
Hong Kong may ngay va sau d6 bay tiep den
Ha NQi. Chuyen bay nay r~t hap dan doi voi
•
khach du lich.
: Khach du lich
0 •
V~y xin co m9t ve di Ha NQi qua dllong
Hong Kong.
: Nhin vien ban ve Bao gio chi di?
: Khach du ljch Toi dinh di vao thu hai tuan sau.
: Nhin vien ban ve
0
Thu hai tuan sau ... nghia Ia ngay 23.
Ve mQt Ill~ hay khu hoi?
: Khach du ljch Xin cho ve m9t Ill~. Cam dn chi.
: Nhin vien ban ve Khongdam.

hang khong aviation, airlines

chuyen bay flight
hap dan interesting, attractive
ve mQt Ill~ one way ticket
ve khu hoi return ticket

Unit 17 Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kong? 223

 Foreign currencies in Vietnamese

Changing money

Kh,ch du l!ch Xin ch~o. TOi cAn ddi 100 dO Ia sang d6ng Vi~t Nam.:
Nhinvlin Xin anh cho xem h¢ chi~u.
Kh,ch du l!ch H¢ chi~u day. Gia h6i doai I~ bao nhi~u?
Nhinvlin M¢t dO Ia I~ 11,026 d6ng Vi~t Nam. Xin anh k9 t~n
fJday.
Cflm an cO.

d61 to change, exchange

a h~ chitfu passport
~ gi' h6i do'i exchange rate
ti ky (tin) to sign (name)
~ Ngin hang Nha m.t6'c Vi•t Nam Vietnamese State Bank
gi' chrnh thll'c exchange rate

Thu t1,1c lin m'y bay Checking in at the airport

.: Nhinvlin Ch~o On g. Ong l~m

h¢chi~u.
an cho tOi xem ve may bay v~ :
•
: Kh,ch du l!ch Day~~

...
: Nhinvlin Cam an Ong. Ong bay d~n Bangkok~? H~nh 19
cua Ong fJ dau?
: Kh,ch du l!ch TOi chr c6 h~nh ly xach tay thOi.
: Nhinvlin Ong tlfd6ng va li l~y phai khOng?
: Kh,ch du l!ch vang, tOi tlf l~m l~y.
: Nhinvlin Ong mu6n ng6i b~n c~nh ella s6 hay b~n c~nh 16i :
di?
: Kh,ch du l!ch Xin cho tOi ch6 c~nh ella s6.
...
: Nhinvlin Phi~u l~n may bay day. Bay gib xin Ong l~m ti~p
thu t1,1c ki~m tra h¢ chi~u v~ thu~ quan .
: Kh,ch du l!ch Cam an cO.
: Nhinvlin ChCic Ong l~n dLibng blnh an!

224
hanh ly (X~ch tay) luggage (hand luggage)
d6ng va II to pack a suitcase (va II= suitcase, from French valise)
161 dl aisle
phh1u lin m~y bay boarding card ~
thu t1,1c formality, procedure ~
ki~m tra to check, control ts
thutf (quan) tax, duty (customs ofc1cial) ~
chuc to wish
blnh an safe, secure
Chuc Ong lin dUO'ng bl nh an! Have a safe journey!

Buying a souvenir
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• W\
: Mary TOi s~p v~ nuac. TOi mu6n mua m¢t vai t~c phgm Vi~t Nam :
mang v~ lam kY ni~m. Theo anh tOi n~n mua gl?
...ttr~
...
: Nam M¢t m6n qua th~tVi~t Nama? Chi da xem tranh dan gian
f>Ong H6 bao gib chua? NgUbi ta thUbng b~n tranh nay
;
t-
vao dip T~t. N6 th~t d~p va re. 9
: Mary T6t l~m. TOi se mua mgy bllt tranh dan gian. Concho m~ tOi :
.. tOi mu6n mua ~o dai Vi~t Nam va khan trai ban th~u tay. :
: Nam f>Oi voi g6m cung hgp dAn qu~! Chi phai mang cgn thgn.
va dang qu~n n6n Vi~t Nam.
: Mary Nhi~u qu~! Khi tOi sang Anh tOi ch~c se phai tra ti~n qu~
can m~t!

t~c ph'm work (of an author)

ky ni•m memento, souvenir, anniversary
tranh din gian folk painting
d!p (vao djp) occasion (on the occasion of)
Ttft New Year festival (Ttft nguyin d~n)
khAn tril ban tablecloth
a6 dallong tunic (traditional Vietnamese dress)
thiu (thiu tay) embroider(ed), (hand embroidered)
vol elephant
g6mpottery
c'n th'n carefully
n6n conical hat
qu~ cAn excess weight

Unit 17 Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kongl 22 5

 Insight
At the airport you may hear:

Chi tl,l' d6ng va lll'y phil khOng? Did you pack the suitcase
yourself?

Chj c6 gl phil khal kh6ng? Do you have anything to declare?

£)~ nghj cho t61 xem phl41u lin may bay va h~ chl41u? Can I see
your boarding card and your passport?

.....................................................................................................
Insight
Some useful vocabulary to help you find your way around the
airport:

Kh1m tra an nlnh security check

Kh1m tra hil quan customs

N~p thui sin bay airport tax

N~p thui qua cu6'c excess baggage

Transport

Vietnam still lacks a reliable public transport system. Old and overcrowded
buses are usually the only means of public transport connecting many
distant provinces and villages. The main railway line cutting through
Vietnam from the north down to the south is in need of repair. Until
recently there were hardly any private cars. This has, however, changed
following the liberalization of the economy in 1986. Most Vietnamese rely
on a bicycle or a motorbike to get about. The xrch 16 (cyclo pedicab) is
the main form ofhired transport. It is usually quite safe and cyclo drivers
are generally quite friendly. This does not mean, however, that they do not
try to overcharge you. You have to bargain and the safest way is to agree a
price before you set foot on the cyclo, so avoiding any later dispute. While

226
previously nearly non-existent (with the exception of a few cars available
at the airport and the largest hotels for foreigners), taxis are gradually
becoming more numerous, at least in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The
increase in the number of cars and motorbikes makes the already chaotic
traffic system yet more hazardous. In 1997 the government issued a new
traffic code, but don't be surprised if it is not observed very closely.

The following cartoon illustrates the chaotic situation on a typical

Vietnamese road.

Anh thong cam, toi mai nhin den hifu vi hQ treo cao qua!
I beg your pardon, I was preoccupied with looking at the traffic
lights; they are hanging so high!

Grammatical points

1 Direction of motion

The following words all refer to a movement:

len go up, movement upwards

xuong go down, downwards

Unit 17 Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kong? 22 7

 ra go out (of)
vao go in, enter
qua/sang go over, across

These verbs take a direct object and can be combined with another verb
of motion (for example di (to go), d.fn (to come, arrive), ch~y (to run),
1~1 (to arrive, come)), etc.

C6 gl&1io vao tn.tO'ngJ The teacher entered the school.

C6 gl&1io di vao trUO'ng.

Be careful when translating these sentences; they could present some

problems. While the verb states the direction of motion, the noun
denotes the destination.

M,t61 ra chQ'. My mother went (out)

(my mother) (go out) (market) to the market.

Many geographical locations are perceived as being up or down or in,

inside or out, outside as they would appear looking at a map (for example,
up in the north or down in the south, up in the mountains or down by
the sea, as well as in the country, or outside the country= abroad). The
Vietnamese would use in these circumstances words denoting the
appropriate direction of motion.

Going from Hanoi down south is usually expressed by using vao, while
the opposite direction (from south up north) is expressed with ra.

Tu'n trU.,c b6 m, t61 vao Nam. My parents went south last week.
Cu6i th&1ing nay t61 mu6n bay At the end of the month
ra Ha N~i. I want to fly to Hanoi.

~ Sometimes these verbs appear in the following form: lin trin,

xu6ng dU.,I, vao trong, ra ngoal.
~ Lin and xu6ng are also used to express the meaning get on (lin)
and get off (xu6ng) a vehicle. For example:

228
lin tau hoa get on the train
xu6ng m'y bay get off the plane
....................................................................................................
Insight
Translating sentences containing verbs of motion can be
confusing. Remember that in this sentence, Sinh viin ra thu' vi.n,
ra indicates the direction of the movement (ra =going out) and
thu' vi•n specifies the destination. This sentence, therefore, means
The student went out to the library (not 'The student came out of
the library').

2 di... ve: combining sentences

Anh Nam di Hui v~. Nam returned from Hul

(older brother) (Nam) (to go) (Hul) (return)

The above sentence combines the meanings of the two sentences, the first
sentence being Anh Nam di Hui Nam went to Hul and the second Anh
Nam v~ Nam returned.

This 'condensed' way is frequently used to express the meaning of

returning from somewhere. Here are some more examples:

M' tOi ra chQ' v~. My mother came back from the market./
My mother went to the market and returned.
Ong Baker sang Mr Baker returned from Vietnam.!Mr Baker
Vi•t Nam v~. went [over] to Vietnam and returned.

·1n·s·i·Q'iit························································································
When combining two sentences in order to say that 'you returned
from somewher~ remember the following- you have to go
somewhere first before you can return from there; therefore,
simply state where you are going/where you went and just add the
verb v~ at the end.

Unit 17 Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kongl 22 9

 3 bling bymeansoftransport

To go by some means of transport can be expressed in Vietnamese by

using bAng. For example:

Anh ay da di Hue bang may bay. He went to Hue by plane.

Ong Hung thuang di bang xlch 16. Mr Hung often goes by cyclo.
Anh David kh6ng thlch di bAng David does not like going by
tau hoa. train.

However, the use of bang in this meaning is optional and can be

omitted.

Anh ay da di may bay vao Hue.

Ong Hung thuang di xlch 16.
Anh David kh6ng thlch di tau hoa.

xe IU'a, tllu hila train tllu thuy ship miiy bay plane

xe miiy motorcycle xe d'p bicycle xe6t6car

xlch 16 cyc/o
thuyen small boat, sampan, junk
xe (6t6) buyt bus
xedi•n ng'm the underground
dibq to go on foot, to walk

230
H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

David wants to extend his stay in Vietnam. He has just arrived at the
Ministry of the Interior to enquire about the right procedure to prolong
his visa.

At the Ministry of the Interior

David ChaoOng.
NhAnviin Chao anh.Anh c~n gl?
David lhua Ong, thi thl,(c cua tOi s~p h~t hc~m nhllng tOi
mu6n ~Vi~t Nam thim m¢t thbi gian naa. TOi phai
lam th~ nao d~ gia hc~m thi thl,(c bay gib?
NhAnviin Anh dang lam gl ~Vi~t Nam?
David TOi dang vi~t Sikh hLi~ng dan du ljch Vi~t Nam va tOi
cung hQc ti~ng Vi~t ~Trung tam ngo~i nga.
NhAnviin Baa gib thj thl,(c anh h~t h~n?
David Cu6i thang sau, nhLing tOi mu6n ~Vi~t Nam hai
thang nOa-d~n d~u thang mLibi.
NhAnviin Anh phai di~n vao dan xin gia h~n thj thl,(c nay.Anh
cung c~n m¢t thucuaTrung tam ngo~i ngOcho
phep anh duqc ti~p t1,1c hQc d~n d~u thang mLibi.
David Cam an Ong. Xin chao Ong.

th! thl,(c visa

htft h~n expire
thO'i gian time, period
gia h~n (th! thl,(c) extend (visa)
sach hLi6'ng dan du ljch tourist guide (a book)
c:Mn (vao dO'n xin gia h~n th! thl,(c) fill in an application for a visa
extension
ngo~i nga foreign language
cho ph~p to give permission

Unit 17 Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kongl 231

 Activities

You should now be able to answer the following questions:

a In David's case, is it possible to prolong his Vietnamese visa?
b How much longer would David like to stay in Vietnam?
c What is he doing in Vietnam?
d Does he speak Vietnamese?
e When does his visa expire?
f What does he have to do to be able to extend his visa?

True or false?
a Anh David da din B(l N(ll V1,1 Vltt Nam d4 gla h~n thj thl,l'c.
b Anh David dang vlit s~ch v~ Vltt Nam.
c Anh David mu6n O'VItt Nam ba th~ng nila.
d Anh David kh6ng mu6n tlip t1,1c hQc tling Vltt.
e Anh 'y'Yphi\1 dl~n dO'n xln gla h~n thj thl,l'c.
f Anh cling dn m(lt thu' cua Trung tim ngo~l ngu.

Exercises

1 Translate into English:

a Nam qua t61 da vao ml~n Nam Vltt Nam d4 thAm quan d6ng
b~ng S6ng CU'u Long.
b Bu61 bl4u dlen dip b't d~u. Chung ta vao dl!
c NAm tru'6'c anh Minh (VItt Kl~u) sang Vltt Nam du ljch va
thAm hQ hang.
d Anh Nam 0'1! Xu6ng g~c dl, c6 ngu'O'I din thAm anh!
e Xln ba vao phong t61. MO'i ba ng61 xu6ng.
f Mol bu61 s~ng r't s6'm m, t61 da ra chQ'.
g TrO'I n'ng l,m, chung ta ra vu'O'n dl.

2 Using the suggested means of transport, answer the following

questions. For example:
Anh di lam b~ng gl? (xe d~p)
T61 dllam b~ng xe d~p.

232
 a Nam qua anh dl Hui b'ng gl? (tau hOa)
b Em g" anh da v~ qui huang b'ng gl? (xe o tO)
c NhOng ngUO'I tri & Vltt Nam thrch dl b'ng gl? (Xe m~y)
d Gl~o su Chung vao ml~n Nam b'ng gl? (m~y bay)
e M, anh thUO'ng ra chQ' b'ng gl? (xkh 10)
f Nhl~u ngUO'I & Luin E>On dllam vltc b'ng gl? (xe dltn ng~m)
g Ch! se sang Vltt Nam b'ng gl? (m~y bay)

3 How would you say the following?

t> every morning you go to work by train
t> last year you went from Vietnam to Cambodia by plane
t> you dont like travelling on the underground because it is always
very crowded
t> Vietnamese people usually use bicycles or cyclos to go to work
t> you are always sick when travelling on a ship
t> Vietnam does not have the underground
t> last summer you went on a boat trip around H~ Long bay
t> to get from your house to your office takes about ten minutes by
bus or half an hour on foot
t> your father usually takes a taxi when going to the airport

4 Ask where the people returned from and answer. For example:
(Nam, thAm qui huang)
Anh Nam dl diu v~?
Anh Nam dl thAm qui huang v~.

a cO glao - dl hQp
b m, tO I- dl chQ' mua rau qua tual
c anh tral tOI - du l!ch E>Ong Nam A
d ch! Mal - dl chal
e c~c sinh vlin- tham quan H~l An
f ch! NgQc - dl kh~m btnh
g glam d6c cOng ty du l!ch- dl sin bay d6n kh~ch
h anh Th~l - d1 buu dltn gll'l bll'c dltn
I ba Qui- nghi & bO' bl'n
J Ong Tu'n- dl btnh vltn thAm b~n
k em g" tOI - dl hQc
I anh M~nh- ngin hang

Unit 17 Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kongl 233

 5 You are at a hotel reception desk. Use the additional vocabulary
provided to:
a say that you want to rent:
1> a single room with private bathroom
I> a double room with air conditioning
I> a room with telephone and fridge
1> a double room for three nights with a TV set (even better
with a satellite TV)
1> a room on the ground floor

dh~u hoa nhltt dO air conditioning

phong t'm rling private bathroom
truy•n hlnh vt tlnh satellite TV
s~c cheque
thetrn d1,1ng credit card

b ask whether:
1> you can pay by credit or cheque
1> the hotel offers car hire service
1> you can buy theatre tickets in the hotel
I> you can have your shirts washed
I> they can wake you up at 7.30 next morning
c complain that:
1> there is no hot water
1> the air conditioning does not work
I> there is no mineral water in the fridge

6 a Say what you have to do before going to Vietnam:

1> buy a plane ticket
1> book a hotel room
1> get a visa
I> change money
I> buy a map and a good travel guide
1> find the address and the telephone number of the
British Embassy in Vietnam
1> go to the library and read some books about the country

234
 I> buy some anti-malarial tablets
1> check the weather forecast
1> phone a taxi to take you to the airport
b Say that you are going to:
I> visit museums and galleries
I> send a postcard to friends and family
1> take photographs
1> buy some souvenirs
1> try some spedalities
I> practise your Vietnamese language
I> read newspapers in Vietnamese
1> buy some books about Vietnam
c Say what tourists usually buy in a duty free shop
1> perfume
I> alcohol
I> cigarettes
I> chocolates and sweets
I> maps and travel guides
I> cameras
I> camera :films
I> tapes
I> jewellery

s'ch hu6'ng dan du ljch travel guide

thu6c btnh s6t ret anti-malarial tablets
phong trh1n lam galleries
cll'a hang mien thutf duty free shop
nU6'c hoa perfume
phiminh camera films
bing tapes

7 At the airport check-in counter you overheard these questions.

What were the people asking?
a M'y nay c6 an toan cho phim inh?
b Xin loi, lam thu t1,1c lin m'y bay & diu?
c Ba tl! d6ng va II lAy phil khOng?

Unit 17 Can lflytoVIetnamvla Hong Kongl 235

 Some popular souvenirs

tranh h,1a painting on silk

tranh san mal lacquer picture
d6i voig6m a pair ofpottery elephants
dua san mai lacquered chopsticks
aodai long tunic
tranh din gian E>6ng H6 folk paintings from DOng H6 (village)
n6nVi.tNam conical hat
khAn tril ban thiu tay hand-embroidered tablecloth
qu~t tre bamboo fan

It is time to test your knowledge - again!

 SUMMARY
1 After work you meet with your workmates in the nearby coffee shop
to deliberate over your holiday plans. One of your colleagues asks:'
E>i du l!ch ba 16 hay di trc;m g61, thea anh each nao hay hO'n?'
What does he want to know?
a Have you ever gone backpacking?
b Do you prefer backpacking or package holidays?
c Do you think backpacking is dangerous?

2 You and your friend decide to travel from North to South Vietnam.
Your friend tries to convince you that the best way to travel this route
is by train. He explains: 'N41u anh di ~ng tau hoi thl anh si c6 d!p
ng'm phong cinh dQc duong: Why is he keen to recommend the
train?
a You can travel overnight and save money on hotel rooms.
b You don't have to buy expensive plane tickets.
c You can admire the scenery.

3 Having agreed to travel by train, your friend points out that you
need to make some more decisions: 'Chung ta nAn mua v~ h~ng
nh't hay h~ng hal?' What are your choices?
a Whether to buy a first class ticket or a second class ticket?
b Whether to take an express train or an ordinary train?
c Whether to take a direct train or change trains several times on
route?

4 Given the length of the journey it seems wiser to book a sleeper

train and that means having to make some more choices. 'Chung ta
nAn mua v~ giUO'ng m~m hay v~ giUO'ng cllng?'
a Shall we buy a 'soft sleeper' ticket or a 'hard sleeper' ticket?
b Shall we buy a 'hard sleeper 'ticket as it is cheaper than a 'soft
sleeper' ticket?
c Shall we reserve a sleeper ticket in advance?

Unit 17 Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kongl

5 Your parents decide to do some travelling while in Vietnam and go
to a travel agent to see what trips are on offer. The agent says:
'ChCing tOI c6 r't nhh~u chuyin dl trc;m g61:
a We dont sell any package holidays in Vietnam.
b We have a large selection of package tours.
c We currently provide a discount on holidays in Vietnam.
 18
Anh c6 biet nui nao cao nhat
iJVi't Nam khong?
Do you know the highest
mountain in Vietnam?

In this unit you will learn

• How to talk about contemporary vietnam, its culture, economy
and politics
How to familiarize yourseff with useful vocabulary for reading
vietnamese newspapers, including a list of abbreviations
How to form passive sentences
How to use the verbs tr6' nin and tr6' th~mh (to become)
How to use 1~1

HC)i tholt'i hang ngay Everyday conversation

Peter is leaving for Vietnam soon. He is trying to get as much

background information about the country as possible .
.................................................................
: Nam Anh dQc s~ch gl rna hay th~? :
: Peter Hi~u s~ch veta mai n h~n dLtqc q uy~n nr di~n b~ch khoa •
Vi~t Nam. TOi s~p di Vi~t Nam nin tOi mua d~ dQc thim
v~ d~t nLtac va con ngltbi Vi~t Nam. cang bi~t nhi~u v~
(Contd) :

Unlt18 DoyouknowthehlghestmountalnlnVIetnaml 239

 ljch sll, dja lyva van h6a Vi~t ~
Nam thl chuyen di cua toi se cang ~
thu vj. Trong sach nay co nhieu ,~
dieu th~t hay. Vf d~;~, anh co biet ... ..__ ,.. ~
nui naocao nh~tC1Vi~t Nam khong? '(~~
Nam 6, xin loi, dia ly khong phai Ia "' '
mon hQC hap dan doi VOi toi.
Peter £>ola nui Phan-xi-pan cao 3,142 met. MQt cau hoi nua: Tren
dat mtac Vi~t Nam co bao nhieu dan tQc ft nguOi sinh s6ng?
Nam Cau hoi nay de l~m: C1 Vi~t Nam co hdn so dan tQC ft
nguoi. Ngoai nguoi Vi~t ding co dan t9c Hoa, ray, Thai,
Meo, Khd me, ~de, Ba Na, Gia Rai v.v.
Peter Gioi l~m! Nhllng anh co biet r~ng moi dan tQC co vai ba
ten gQi khong? Vf d~;~ nguoi Vi~t con co cac ten nhu Kinh,
Ke Ch~, Giao, Nha Nhfv.v.
Nam Cole anh se co dip len cac lang dan t9c ft nguoi de
chU'ng kien CUQC song hang ngay cua hQ. Bay gio toi
muon hoi: Hi~n nay dan s6 Vi~t Nam bao nhieu?
Peter Cho mQt chut, toi phai tim th~y trang noi ve dan s6.
A, day. Dan s6 Vi~t Nam-vao nam 1999 Vi~t Nam cogan
77 tri~u nguoi.
Nam Quyen nay th~t hay! Anh dQc gi nua di!
A few days later Nam returns with a present for Peter.
Nam Toi mua cho anh m9t so tac pham van hQc Vi~t Nam djch
ra tieng An h. Toi biet anh cham hQc tieng Vi~t may thang
roi nhllng toi van nghi cole tieng Vi~t cua anh con chua
dude dQC sach b~ng tieng Vi~t.
Peter £>ung the! Tuy toi da hQc nhllng van chua gioi. A, 'Truy~n
Kieu~ Cam dn anh. Toi da dQc quyen nay roi nhllng toi
thfch dQC l~i.
Nam Con day Ia may quyen hi~n d~i hdn: tieu thuyet 'Noi buon :
chien tranh' do nha van Bao Ninh viet va may truy~n
ng~n cua Nguyen HuyThi~p.
Peter Toi nghe noi nhieu ve Bao Ninh nhllng toi chlla dQC 'Noi
buon chien tranh~ Nghe noi Ia hay l~m phai khong?
Nam Toi thay Ia hay. £>ola mQt quyen noi ve chien tranh chong :
My. Chien tranh da Ia de tai quan trQng nhat cua van hQc
Vi~t Nam trong nlla the ky qua. Bao Ninh da Ia chien siva
ong ay da thay chien tranh the nao.

240
 Peter TOi nghe n6i quy~n nay duqc t~ng giai thll~ng Van
hQc caa H¢i Nha van Vi~t Nam nam 1990 va tr~ n~n n6i
ti~ng ngoai Vi~t Nam .... Anh con quy~n nao kh~c mJa
khOng? Cho tOi mllqn dQc.
Nam Anh n~n dQc m¢t quy~n caa Dllang Thu HUang. Hi~u s~ch
h~t ban djch 'Ti~u thu~t vO d~ nhllng tuan sau se c6.

hi.u sach bookshop

Ur cti41n bach khoa encyclopaedia
ctA't nl16'c country
con ngllO'I people, humankind
ljch sO history
ctl~ 19 geography
vAn h6a culture
chuy'n ctl trip, journey
th(l v! interesting
nCii mountain
m6n hQc subject of study
hAp dan attractive
ct6i v6'i as regards, with
dAn t(lc nation
dAn t(lc rt ngllO'I ethnic minority
sinh s6ng live
ngoal apart from
djp occasion
Ia ng village
chll'ng ki'n to witness
cu(lc s6ng life
hang ngay every day
dAn s6 population
s6 number
trangpage
tac ph'm work
hl•n ct~l contemporary, modern
tl41u thuy't a novel
no I bu6n sorrow
chi'n tranh war
truy•n ng'n short story

Unit 18 Do you know the highest mountain In Vletnaml 241

 ch6ng against, to oppose, to fight against
di tal topic
quan trQng important
nll'a half
thtf ky century
chitfn si soldier
t~ng to give, award
giili thu'O'ng prize
H~i Nha vAn Vi•t Nam Vietnamese Writers' Association
n61 tltfng famous
m u'Q'n borrow
bin djch translation
vo di untitled

Activity

True or false?
a Anh Peter s'p di Vi•t Nam.
b Anh da mua quy'n Tadl'n b'ch khoa Vl•t Nam.
c Nam khOng thrch dja ly.
d Ngoal ngu'O'I Klnh, O'VI•t Nam cung c6 nhliu dAn t~c rt
ngu'O'I.
e Anh Nam khOng bltft dAn s6VI•t Nam bao nhliu.
f Peter va Nam cung n6i chuy•n vi c'c dAn t~c rt ngu'O'i.
g Peter hQc titfng Vi•t m'y th,ng r6i nhu'ng chua d'm dQc
s'ch bling titfng Vi•t
h Peter chu'a bao g iO' dQc Truy•n Kiiu.
M'y truy•n ng'n cua Nguyen Huy Thi•p du'Q'c djch ra
titfng Anh.

H{»i thoct~i 2 Conversation 2

Minh (Vi~t Ki~u) has just returned from Vietnam. His friends are
enquiring about the current situation in Vietnam.

242
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
: Ruth Anh th!y tlnh hlnh hi~n nay 6Vi~t Nam th~ nao? ...
0\

.
: Minh
:
M!y nam r6i Vi~t Nam thl,lc hi~n chfnh s~ch d6i m(1i va
m6 cera. c~ nu(1c thay d6i r~t nhanh.
cc:
....
9
: Robert TOi c6 dQc th!y r~ng Vi~t Nam, tnJ(1c kia Ia mQt nU'(1c
thi~u luang thl,lc nhU'ng nay da tr6 thanh mQt nU'(1c
xu!t kh~u g~o.

....
:Minh Ddng th~. hi~n nayVi~t Nam Ia mQt nU'(1c dGng hang
thG ba tr~n th~ gi(1i trong s6 c~c nU'(1c xu!t kh~u g~o •
. sau Th~i Lan va My.

..
: Robert TOi nghe n6i r~ng bay gio 6 Vi~t Nam c6 r!t nhi~u ngU'oi
nu(1c ngoai.
VI Vi~t Nam c6 nhi~u thG h!p dAn d6i v(1i kMch du
.
:Minh
ljch- chAng h~n nhU' thi~n nhi~n. ndi non bi~n c~. di tfch
•
:
ljch scrv.v- n~n nganh du ljch Vi~t Nam pMt tri~n r!t :
nhanh. Ngoai ra con c6 nhi~u cOng ty nu(1c ngoai m6 •
tn,1 s6 t~i Vi~t Nam.
: Robert Hlnh nhU' mQi d~u t6t d~p c~. ph~i khOng?

...
:Minh Cung con c6 nhi~u v!n d~ c~ chfnh trj IAn kinh t~. Con
c6 nhi~u ngU'oi ngheo, nhi~u thanh ni~n khOng c6 vi~c
lam. Anh cung c6 th~ th!y m~t tr~i cua sl,l ph~t tri~n cua :
nganh du ljch - nhi~u dja di~m du ljch khOng dU'qc s~ch :
se va m~t dQ giao thOng ngay cang cao. C~c duong phd •
Ha NQi khOng nhang dOng ddc rna con c6 mQt v!n d~
.............................................................
kh~c- sl,l o nhi~m mOi trU'ong.

tlnh hlnh situation

thl,lc hi•n carry outr implement
chfnh sach policy
d6i m6'i renovation
(chfnh sach) mO' cU'a open-door policy
IU'O'ng thl,lc food
xuit kh'u export
dGng to stand
hang (hang thG ba) rankr liner row (third rank)
thlin nhlin nature
ndl non blin ci mountains and the sea
phat triin progress
tn,1 sO' headquarters/ main office

Unit 18 Do you know the highest mountain In Vletnaml 243

 chrnh trj politics
klnh t' economics
m~t tr'l negative side
nganh (nganh du ljch) branch, field, discipline (tourism)
ctja cti41m location, place
gilt (gilt s~ch se) keep (keep clean)
giao th6ng traffic, communication
v'n cr~ problem
6 nhiem m6i tn.tO'ng air pollution

Activity

True or false?
a Vi•t Nam dang thl,l'c hi•n chrnh s'ch mO'cU'a.
b Vi•t Nam thi'u h.tO'ng thl,l'c.
c rt kh,ch du l!ch ct'n thAm Vi•t Nam.
d Thiin nhiin Vi.t Nam th.t Ia ct,p.
e Nhi~u ctja cti41m du l!ch b,n.
f M.t ctO glao th6ng 6' Vl.t Nam ngay cang cao.

Notes

Abbreviations

In the Vietnamese media as well as on many public signs, you will often see
abbreviations. These are quite difficult to decipher without a good knowledge
of Vietnamese. You may find the following list useful:

CHXHCN COng hoa xa hOI chu nghia VIetnamese Socialist

Vl.tNam Republic
TPHCM Thanh ph6 H6 chr Minh Ho Chi Minh City
TTXVN Th6ng t'n xa Vl.t Nam VIetnam News Agency
CP chrnh phu government
QH Qu6cH6i National Assembly

244
H£>NN H(li d6ng nha nu6'c Council of State
Q£>ND Quin d(li nhin din People's Army
UBND uy ban nhin din people's committee
HTX hQ'p t'c xa co-operative
KH&KT khoa hQc & kythu•t science & technology
LHQ Llin hi•p qu6c the United Nations
GS glaosu professor
TS titfn si doctor (academic title)

Grammatical points
1 Expressing passive meaning

In earlier units, we have already seen two words that are used for this
purpose - dUQ'c and b!. In this unit, we have encountered another
word - do (caused by, the result of), often used in Vietnamese to express
passive meaning:

Ti'u thuytft Noi bu6n chitfn The novel Sorrow of War

tranh do nha vAn Bio Ninh vitft [that was] written by Bao Ninh.
M6n An do m, tOi n'u ngon The meal [that was] prepared
I'm. by my mother is very tasty.

2 Everything, everybody, everywhere ..•

There are several expressions in Vietnamese that mean everything,

everybody, everywhere. In addition to the words we have already
encountered, a special grammatical construction can be used to express
the same meaning. Study carefully the table that follows (you will see
that there are always at least two options). You can use either:

a an interrogative word ai, diu or bao giO' followed by cling

or
b a noun followed by nao cling
aicling everybody
ngUO'i nao cling everybody (every person)

Unit 18 Do you know the highest mountain In Vletnaml 245

 sinh viAn nao cling everybody (every student)

AI cling thrch hoa. NgUO'I nao Everybody loves flowers.

cling thrch hoa.

diu cling everywhere

cho naocling everywhere (every place)

CJ Ha N~l diu cling c6 cAy. There are trees everywhere

CJ Ha N~l cho nao cling c6 cAy. in Hanoi.

bao giO' cling always

ICic nao cling always (every moment)

Bao giO' t61 cling nh6' quA. I remember my home all the time.
LCic nao t61 cling nh6' quA.

All these constructions can be negated using kh6ng (no, not). Notice
that cling does not appear in the negative versions.

kh6ng al nobody
kh6ng ngUO'I nao nobody

kh6ng diu nowhere

kh6ng cho nao nowhere

kh6ng bao giO' never

kh6ng ICic nao never

·····inSi.9iit······················ ······ ······ ······ ······ ······ ································

The grammatical construction employed to express the meaning
'everything; 'everyone; 'everywhere; can create some problems.
Make sure that you read the whole sentence before attempting to
translate it. It is important to realize that the word cling forms a
part of a construction and you must not translate it as if it were
a separate word meaning also.
 3 tr6' thanh/tr6' nAn to become

Both these words mean to become; however, tr6' nAn is followed by an

adjective or adverb while trO' thanh is followed by a noun.

Ngay mal thO'i titft se tra nen The weather will become bad
d'u. tomorrow.
Sau khi t6t nghl•p d~i hQc After graduating from university,
anh t61 mu6n tra tMnh lu•t su'. my older brother wants to
become a lawyer.

~r;·~~;-~:::~~-:~-~~~==~-~~·::·~~-=~·::~~-:~·~=~=~::::~··········1
to become. Make sure you remember: tr6' nAn precedes adjectives/
....................................................................................................
adverbs and tr6' thanh precedes nouns .

41~1 to come, to arrive

L~i is a verb meaning to come, to arrive. In addition to its original

meaning, I~ I also has several distinct grammatical roles.

a mainverb

MO'I chll~l nha t61. Please come to my house. (I am

inviting you to come to my house.)

b When I~ I follows the main verb, it means to do something over

again, to do it one more time.

T61 thkh quy~n s~ch nay. T61 /like this book./ want to read
mu6n dQc I~ I quy~n s~ch nay. this book again (one more time).

c When I~ I precedes the main verb, it implies the meaning of

resuming some activity.

BAy giO' t61 m•t l,m, ngay mal I am very tired now, tomorrow
t6i I~ I dQC quy~n S~Ch nay. Ishall resume reading this book.

Unit 18 Do you know the highest mountain In Vletnaml 247

 d I~ I is also used to express surprise (when something is contrary
to our expectations):

T~l sao anh I~ I n61 nhu thi? Why do you say that? i.e.
I am surprised you say that.

e verb dl verb I~ I

The above construction means to do something over and over again.

For example:

TOI dQC dl dQC I~ I b~ll b'o nay I have read this article over
nhung tOI chua hl4u. and over again but I still don't
understand it.
Anh hoi dl holl~l tOI v~ vfn He kept on asking me over and
cr~ nay. over again about this problem.

Exercises

1 Translate these sentences into English:

T61 thll' biy nha h't nao cling hit ve.
AI cling thrch cO Mal.
Trong l6'p hQc nay khOng ngUO'I nao n61 dUQ'c tli'ng Ph'p ci.
Sinh vlin nao cling thkh hQc tli'ng Vl•t
Mua he nao tO I cling dl nghl m't f1 v!nh H~ Long.

2 How would you say the following in Vietnamese?

Every child loves ice cream.
There are bicycles everywhere in Hanoi.
Every market sells fresh fruit and vegetables.
I am sorry, all the tickets are sold out.
I never eat any breakfast.
Everybody in our class wants to visit Vietnam.
Nobody likes hospitals.
Every young person in Vietnam wants to learn English.
There are books everywhere in his study.
Every department store sells clothes.
3 Translate these sentences into Vietnamese:
One of the most famous pictures by Nguy~n Phan Chdnh is called
'C6 thu~~
This story written by L~ Minh Khu~ was translated into English.
The postcard sent to me by my parents is very pretty.
I have never read the famous Tale of Ki~u (Truy•n Ki~u) written by
Nguy~n Du but I have heard a lot about it.
The dress that my mother bought for me is too big.

4 Use do in the following sentences. For example:

Bio Ninh/vi41t ti'u thuy41t'Noi bu6n chi41n tranh'/rAt hay
Ti'u thuy41t 'No I bu6n chi41n tranh' do Bio Ninh vi41t, rAt hay

a Nguyen Phan Ch~nh/vi tranh 'CO thiu'/n6i ti41ng

b Nha b~o Minh/vi41t bai v~ o nhiem mOl truang/rAt t6t
c Nha xuAt bi\n Ha N~i/xuAt bin quy'n nr di'n b~ch khoa Vi•t
Nam/kh~d't
d 86 tOI/ch1,1p bile inh nay/d'p I'm
e B~m t01/t6 chile bu6i liin hoan/vui I'm

t6 chile to organize (bu61)11in hoan party

5 Use tr6' nin or tr6' thanh in the following sentences. For example:
Theo dl,l" b~o thai tl41t ngay mal tral si rAt xAu.
Theo dl,l" b~o thai tl41t ngay mal tral si tr6' nin xAu.
(According to the weather forecast, the weather is going to get bad
tomorrow.)

a Em trai tOI si Ia nha b~o.

b Tlnh hlnh kinh t416'Vi•t Nam si t6t hO'n.
c Ong E>llc si Ia th'y giao.
d N41u tOIIuy•n t•p nhl~u thl tl41ng Vl•t cua tO I si glol han.

6 Give Vietnamese equivalents:

I enjoyed the trip to Nha Trang; if I have enough money I want to go
there again.
He was asking me over and over again about her.
I went to visit my friend but because he was not at home I will have to
go there again.

Unit 18 Do you know the highest mountain In Vletnaml 249

 The documentary film on the history of Vietnam was shown over and
over again on rv.
Come to my house tomorrow. It is my birthday.
He gave up smoking last year but this year he started smoking again.
This exercise is not correct, do it again.

Reading

Vietnamese newspapers occasionally publish short articles describing

the impressions of foreigners visiting Vietnam. This is a short account of
Helen's trip:

Helen sang Vi•t Nam sau thang nghiin cll'u v~ b•nh nhi•t d6'i. Ngay
Ur nhCtng ngay d~u tiin, Helen hQc titfng Vi•t hy VQng c6 th~ n6i v6'i
ngu'O'i b•nh. C6 An u6ng thoai mai cac m6n An Vi•t Nam. Helen con
vao thAm cac gia Cl'lnh ngu'O'i Mu'O'ng, ngu'O'i Dao, dll'ng ch1,1p ilnh
v6'i cac ph1,1 nO H'Mong trong b~ ao din t~c. C6 chua bao giO'ch1,1p
anh nhi~u nhu' m'y thang O'Vi•t Nam. C6 kh6ng nhung chi ghi hlnh
nhetng canh cr,p no1 era dtfn thAm, rna con c6 nhl~u bll'c anh sinh
ho~t: m~t gla Cl'lnh H'Mong bin btfp lOa, nhung con thuy~n trin
s6ng, m'y em nhO dll'ng tru'6'c Cl'lnh lang •••

Luc chla tay Helen n61: 'T6t r't yiu phong canh, con ngu'O'I va vAn
h6a Vi•t Nam. T6i Ia ngu'O'i may m'n vl ngoai c6ng vi•c t6i da di
du'Q'C nhi~u nO'i, du'c;tc titfp xuc v6'i cu~c s6ng hang ngay cua con
ngu'O'i Vi•t Nam. Vl thtf t6i hi~u du'c;tc d't nu'6'c cac b~n nhi~u hO'n
nhCtng ngu'O'i du l!ch blnh thu'O'ng~
 SUMMARY
In this unit, you should have learnt the following grammatical issues:

1 How to express passive meaning using 'do':

a T6i r't thkh truy•n ng'n nay do nha wn Nguyen Huy Thi•p
vi~t
b M6n An nay do m, t6i n'u ngon tuy•t
c T6i dang dQc ti~u thuy~t do nha vAn Bilo Ninh vi~t
d H6m qua t61 da mua s'ch hQc tl~ng Vl•t do ~n gl6'1 thl•u
v61 t61.

2 How to say everything, everyone, everywhere/nothing, nobody/

nowhere using a grammatical construction:
a Tu'n nao b~n t6i cling chO'i b6ng d,,
b Chu nh•t nao t6i cling di bO'i.
c T6i thll' bay nha h't nao cling h~t ve.
d Chu nh•t nao b6 m, t6i cling lam vu'O'n.
e Kh6ng ai thkh bj phi blnh.
f NAm nao t6i cling v~ quid~ An T~t nguyin d,n,
g C1vl•t Nam lang nao cling c6 chC.a.
h Bao giO' t61 cling dl hQc dung giO'.
C1 n6ng th6n Vl•t Nam cho nao cling tr6ng lua.

3 How to say 'to become' correctly:

a Sau khi teSt nghi•p d~i hQc anh t6i mu6n tr6'thanh lu•t su'.
b H6m nay trO'i tr6' nin l~nh qu,,
c C6 'Y tr6' thanh m~t c6 g'i d,p.
d NAm nay b6 t6i tr6' nin 6m n~ng.
e Ong cua t6i da tr6' thanh m~t nha wn n6i ti~ng.

Unit 18 Do you know the highest mountain In Vietnam?

 Revision unit

1 Do you understand this conversation

between David and Liin?

Liin Anh {J Hll N¢i bao lau r6i?

David G8n hai thang.
Liin Anh th!y Hll N¢i th~ nllo? Anh c6 thlch Hll N¢i khOng?
David TOi b~n qua n~n chlla c6 djp nllo d~ di tham quan c~.
Han mJa, tOi cung sq bj l~c 18m.
Liin Anh dang lo! Hll N¢i khOng lan 18m dau.
Nam A, tOi bi~t r6i! ChCI nh~t anh c6 r6i khOng?
David TOi r6i.
Nam Chllng mlnh c6 th~ g~p nhau vllo bu6i chi~u vll di d~o.
Anh c6 th~ v~a t~p n6i ti~ng Vi~t vera ng8m c~ nh Hll N¢i.

2 Give Vietnamese equivalents

1 Excuse me, can you show me the way to the nearest bank?

2 There are many souvenir shops in Hanoi.

3 I have never travelled on a Vietnamese plane.

4 Have you visited HQ Long bay yet? Not yet, but I plan to go there
next month.

5 Whatj the matter with you? I have a headache and feel dizzy.
You should go and see a doctor.

6 This stir fry is too spicy. Can I have a glass of mineral water, please?

7 Vietnam does not have many department stores. People usually shop
at the market because it is more convenient.

252
 8 The best season for tourists to visit Vietnam is in the autumn.

9 If I have enough money, I shall buy a silver watch.

10 Although the meal was delicious, we still did not like the restaurant
because it was crowded.

11 My younger sister returned from the market; she bought ten eggs,
a bottle offish sauce and ten pairs of chopsticks.

12 If you don't like this brown dress, try the pink one instead.

13 How old is your father?

14 Lastweek/wenton a trip to the Perfume Pagoda. The pagoda

is about 70 km away from Hanoi. I went there by car. In the evening,
although /was very tired and hungry, I still wanted to tell my friends
about the trip.

15 In my opinion, this is the best restaurant in Chfl Utn.

16 Have you ever written a letter in Vietnamese?

17 Follow this road and in about ten minutes you will see the One
Pillar Pagoda.

18 Jane did not phone me. She sent a letter instead.

19 Although her parents live far away, Loan phones them nearly
everyday.

20 Are there any traffic lights in the centre of Hanoi?

21 I havejustfinishedwriting a letter to my brother.

22 If you go to Vietnam this summer, don't forget to bring along your

dictionary.
 23 /like both singing and dancing, but I hate sport.

24 Whatl the name of this fruit in Vietnamese?

25 Many people in Vietnam want to work for a foreign company.

26 If you want to understand Vietnamese people, you have to learn

more about their culture.

27 Many foreigners are afraid of crossing the roads in Vietnam.

28 What do you drink? I am not very thirs~ perhaps a small glass of

orange juice.

29 Vietnamese people like to eat rice with a little bit of meat, fish,
vegetables or eggs.

30 I am sorrYt I don't remember the name of the man sitting next to

MrQuang.

31 Are you free tonight? Do you want to go for a walk with me?

32 There are many lakes in Hanoi; one of the most beautiful is the Lake
of the Returned Sword.

33 I want a vegetarian meal. Could you help me choose?

34 Every day the train arrives on time but today it was late.

35 My fridge has broken down. Where can I buy a new one?

36 When I was in hospital, I had to call the nurse every time I wanted to
getup.

37 I did not go home by undergrounci I took a taxi instead.

38 You should not smoke here.

254
39 I have to find the telephone number for an ambulance.

40 Vietnam is a tropical country with many beautiful holiday resorts.

41 Can I speak to Mr Baker, please? I am sorry, he is not here. Do you

want to leave a message?

42 My mother has to work shifts.

43 Nobody enjoys being ill.

44 After lunch I usually take a walk or read for a while.

3 Translate Into English

1 CJ Ha N~i c6 kha nhi~u tai n~n giao th6ng vl nhi~u ngu'O'i cttfn
ctu'O'ng c'm xe ct~p, ctu'O'ng m~t chi~u v.v.

2 Phong cua ch! Loan ~bin c~nh phong An, ct6i di•n v6'i phong
khach.

3 Nhl~u ngu'O'I nu6'c ngoal r't thrch nhung m6n An ct~c sin cua Vl•t
Nam.

4 Vl Vl•t Nam Ia m~t nu'6'c ~ ml~n nhl•t ct61 nin c6 r't nhl~u lo~l
hoa qui.

5 T6i ctau b1,1ng, c6 le t6i b! 6m n~ng.

6 Tru'6'c ctiy Nam thkh ch~y xe nhanh. Nhu'ng biy giO' thl anh 'y
kh6ng dam ch~yxe nhanh nua.

7 T61 bj nlim vl.n.

8 H6m qua t61 du'Q'c cac b~n mO'I ctl xem phlm.

9 Theo dl,l' bao thO'i titft, h6m nay trO'i se mu'a.

10 TOI dUQ'C mOt tin vul.

11 Xln lol chj, rAt tlic, chu nh•t nay tOI khOng dl Hil Phong dUQ'c.

12 Anh Nam ra ph6 mua s&lich. Anh Nam vao hi•u sach mua hai
cu6n ti~u thuyit mang v~ nha.

13 NgUO'i HaNOi di xe d~p nhi~u khOng phili vl hQ thrch di xe d~p rna

vl Ha NOi van chua c6 mOt h. th6ng giao thOng re ti~n va thu.n ti.n.

15 Bac si khuyin chung tOI khOng nin An qui chua chrn.

16 TOi dang hQc nghiin cll'u chiu A.

18 E>6i v6'i ngUO'i Vi•t Nam, tii'ng Anh biy giO' quan trQng I'm.

19 Chi c6 tOI va anh Nam bli't tling Phap thOI.

20 Anh Dung vaa dl vaa v~ bling may bay.

21 Tuy tO I c6 n61 to han nhung cO Ay van khOng nghe thAy.

23 Anh c6 mua dUQ'C gl khOng?

24 Hal qui cam nay bling nhau.

25 Trong bal gling cua glao su c6 vAn d~ nao cac anh khOng hl~u
khOng?

26 Ca phi O'VI•t Nam khOng nhOng ngon tuy•t rna con re tl~n nua.

27 Chung tOi m6'i g~p nhau l~n d~u.

28 Chi m(lt th,ng nua thO I chung tOI se nghi h~.

29 TOI khOng mu6n n61, chi mu6n lm l~ng.

31 N~u c'c anh c6 thltl glan rol, mal c'c anh 1,1 chO'I nha tO I.

32 TOI d~ ngh! anh nin n61 thing v6'1 cO 'y v~ vl•c nay.

33 Chu nh•t nay b6 m, chung tO I ky nl•m so nAm ngay hal ngUO'I

l'ynhau.

34 N~u anh mu6n d~n nha Ong HC.ng thl anh ell' dl thing d~n bO'
sOng, r61 re tay phal.

35 TrU6'c luc dl ngu khl nao tO I cling rll'a m~t.

37 £)im qua b'n tOI da b! 6m; tO I sq qu' phal dua b'n 'Y dl b•nh
vl.n. Nhung may rna hOm nay anh 'y khOe.

4 Write the following letter In Vietnamese

DearNam,

I have been in Vietnam for two months now. Since this is my first visit
to Vietnam, I want toseeallthe historical sights and museums. My
Vietnamese is not very good but I am able to talk to my Vietnamese
friends. If they speak slowly, I can understand them. Everybody in
Vietnam wants to learn English and lam helping my friends with their
pronunciation. I love walking along the streets, taking photographs,
watching people riding their bicycles, children playing football, people
chatting and drinking coffee in small restaurants. Best of all, /like going
to the market. To shop at the market is very convenient. You can buy

Revision unit 257

anything there from electrical goods, shoes, toys, to flowers, fruit and
vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, spices, etc. The largest market in Hanoi is
called 'f)6ng Xudn~ It is in the centre of Hanoi not far from the bank of the
Red River. It is always very crowded.

Last week I was invited for a meal by a Vietnamese family. The dinner was
delicious. We had spring rolls, sweet and sour pork with mushrooms and
beef noodle soup. The dessert was fresh pineapple with ice cream./ have
to learn to make spring rolls myself because /like them very much.

In the evening, I usually stay up late and read a book or a Vietnamese

newspaper or write a letter to my family. The weather is quite pleasant;
it is not very hot nor very cold either. Although it does not rain very often,
/got caught in the rain last Sunday when /was returning from the
cinema. I had to buy a new raincoat.

Vietnam is a very interesting country./ hope to be able to go down to the

south and to visit some provinces in Central Vietnam. I would also like to
go to the seaside.

I am looking forward to your letter.

Julian

5 Fill In the missing diacritics

1 Gla dlnh tol an sang vao luc tam glo.

2 Buol tol tol thuong o nha doc sach hay xem vo tuyen truyen hlnh.

3 May bay khong cat canh duoc vi tho I tlet xau.

4 Tal sao hom qua cac anh khong dl xem phlm?

5 Ban tol Hoa Ia thu ky. Co ay lam vlec o Ha Nol. Anh Tuan khong
song o Ha No I. Anh ay song gan Ha Nol. Anh Tuan Ia sinh vlen. Anh
ay hoc tleng An h.
6 Co Hoa va anh Tuan gap anh David truoc khach san. Co Hoa va
anh Tuan chao David.

6 Read carefully and translate the words below

2 khat- khac

3 to-tO'

4 gla-gla

6 cho- ch6- chQ'

1 ba-ba

8 mua - mua - mu'a

9 bay- biy

10 may-mAy

11 ngay- ngay

12 b6-bo

13 s6ng- s6ng- xong

14 ban- b~n- ban

16 chua- chua
7 Write a short essay on some of the following topics

Ill> Why I am learning Vietnamese.

Ill> You would like to apply for a job in Vietnam. Prepare a short
summary of your life (education, work experience, language
knowledge, etc.) and state your plans for the future
(see Units 1 and 8).
Ill> Describe where your house is located and the route you take
from the nearest tube (railway) station back to your house
(see Units 9 and 10 ).
Ill> Write a few lines about your family (see Unit 4).
Translations of dialogues

Unit 1

Conversation 1

Nam Ah, David. Hello.

David Hello, Nam.
Nam It has been a long time since I met you. How are you
these days?
David Thanks. I am fine. And what about you?
Nam Thank you. I am fine. Oh, I am sorry. Allow me to
introduce to you my friend, Miss Li~n.
David Hello. My name is David.l am very pleased to meet you.
Llin Hello. You are American, aren't you?
David No.I am an Englishman.
Nam I am very thirsty. Let's go and drink some coffee!

Conversation 2

Blnh Hello.
Mark Hello. I am Mark. And what about you, what is your name?
Blnh My name is Blnh. I am very pleased to meet you.
Mark I am also very pleased to meet you. This is my friend,
Peter.
Blnh Hello, Peter.
Peter Hello, Blnh.
Blnh Where are you from (from which country are you)?
Peter I am English.
Blnh And what about you, Mark? You are also an Englishman,
aren't you?
Mark No, I am not an Englishman like Peter, I am a Canadian.

Translations of dialogues 2 61
Unit2

Conversation 1

Peter, Mark Hello.

Hoa Hello.
Peter Excuse me, you are Miss Hoa, aren't you? I am
Peter, Nam's friend.
Hoa Ah, Nam.l have not met him for a long time. How
is he these days?
Peter Nam is fine. I am sorry, this is my friend Mark.
Hoa I am pleased to meet you. What are you (pi ural)
doing in Hanoi? Did you come here as tourists or
to work (on business)?
Peter I am a student.! came here to learn Vietnamese.
And Mark ...
.: Mark I work in a travel agency. And what about you
Hoa, what do you do (what is your profession)?
Peter You are also a doctor like Nam, aren't you?
Hoa No, I am a nurse. I work in the Bt;~ch Mai hospital.
Where do you live?
Peter We live in the hotel SOng H6ng ('Red River').
Hoa Oh, I am sorry. I have to go now. I hope to see you
again soon.
Peter, Mark Goodbye.

Conversation 2

Llin You are an Englishman, aren't you?

David Yes, I live and work in London, the capital of England.
Llin Oh, you are also from a capital like me.llive in Hanoi-
the capital of Vietnam. What is your occupation?
David I am a journalist. And you? Are you a doctor like Nam?
Llin No. I am a secretary.
Nam Li~n works in a publishing house.
 Llin What are you doing in Hanoi, David?
David I came here as a tourist but I also want to learn
Vietnamese. I want to talk to Vietnamese people and
understand this country.
Nam How long have you been learning Vietnamese?
David Only two months. Vietnamese is very difficult!

Unit3

Conversation 1

Clerk Hello, sir. What do you want to ask?

Richard Hello. We want to find a small hotel or guest house
near the centre of town. Can you recommend a
good one?
Clerk Hanoi has many tourist hotels. The Hotel Bb H6
(Lakeside Hotel) in the town centre is very nice but is
often full. Young people often choose the Hoa Blnh
(Peace) hotel or the Thap RC!a (the Turtle Tower) guest
house.
Richard What's the Hoa Blnh hotel like?
Clerk (This hotel) is big and very beautiful. It is near the
Returned Sword lake on the Ba Tri~u street.
Richard And what about the Thap RC!a guest house?
Clerk This guest house is small and peaceful.
Tom Is it expensive?
Clerk Not very.
Tom All right. Please book us a double room in the Thap
RC!a guest house for two weeks.
Clerk Yes. (polite)
Tom Thank you.
Clerk You are welcome.

Translations of dialogues 263

 Conversation 2

Nam Excuse me, I see you are reading a Vietnamese

newspaper. Do you speak Vietnamese?
Mark Yes, but only a little. I am learning.! can understand but
I don't speak well.
Nam Where do you study Vietnamese?
Mark In London and Hanoi.
Nam I see. What do you think of Vietnamese? Is it difficult?
Mark Yes, I think Vietnamese is interesting but difficult to learn.
Nam Your pronunciation is very good. (You pronounce very well.)
Mark Oh, thank you.

Unit4

Conversation 1

Hoa How long have you been in Vietnam?

Mary Five months. This is the first time I have been away from
my family for so long.
Hoa Where is your home?
Mary In the south of England, in the seaside town of Brighton.
And you, Hoa, where is your birthplace?
Hoa I was born in a small village in North Vietnam. Province
H~ B~c.
Mary I see.
Hoa Is your family large?
Mary Large.... Do you want to see a photograph of my family?
Hoa Yes, of course.
Mary This is my whole family on the occasion of my mother's
birthday. Here are my parents, next to them is my older
brother and older sister.
Hoa Who is that old man sitting next to you?
Mary Oh, that's my (maternal) grandfather. He was 78 but he
has died now.
 Hoa And what about your grandmother?
Mary She is still alive. How many brothers and sisters do you
have, Hoa?
Hoa I have one younger sister and one younger brother.
Mary That means you are the oldest child in the family.
Hoa That's right. And you are con ut in the family?
Mary What does con ut mean?
Hoa It means the youngest (smallest) child in the family.

Conversation 2

Nam Are you married yet, Mark? (Have you formed a family
yet, Mark?)
Mark I am not married yet. (I have not formed a familyyet.)
I have a girlfriend but we have not married yet. And
what about you, Nam?
Nam I have a wife. (I am married). Her name is Ph liang. Perhaps
Vietnamese people marry earlier than Europeans.
Mark How old are you this year?
Nam Twenty-three. My wife is younger than I am.
Mark Have you got children?
Nam I have two children- one daughter and one son.
My daughter's name is Mai and my son is called Quang.

UnitS
Conversation 1

Richard Are you free tomorrow?

Dung Why do you ask?
Richard I have decided to invite you to the cinema (to go to
the cinema with me).
Dung I see. What day is it tomorrow?
(Contd)

Translations of dialogues 26 5
 Richard Friday.
Dung Friday? Let me think- tomorrow morning I have to
go to the market to buy some food, write a letter to
my family, in the afternoon I have to go to an English
lesson and afterwards I need to repair my bicycle. And :
in the evening I must go to the library. I would like to :
go to the cinema with you but it looks as if I am very
. busy tomorrow. •

.: Richard That's a real pity. You work too much. You should have
a rest. And what about the day after tomorrow? Are
:

you doing anything? (Are you busy?)

: Dung Saturday, Saturday in the afternoon I usually play
football but in the evening I am free.
: Richard OK. We'll go to the cinema on Saturday in the evening.

Conversation 2
.................................................................
Thio It's very warm today. Would you like to go out
somewhere?
David I'd like that very much.l know what! Tomorrow is
Saturday and the day after tomorrow is Sunday, which
means two free days. We can go to the seaside.
Thio Fine. Let's go to Halong bay.
David When shall we go?
Thio Let's go early tomorrow morning. Tomorrow in the
afternoon we can already be swimming in the sea.

..: David And tomorrow evening we shall go for a walk along the
beach.l heard that there are many delicious restaurants
. in Halong!
: Thio On Sunday in the morning we could hire a boat and go
. to see Halong bay.

...: David Oh, I forgot! Sunday evening I have to go to the airport

to meet a friend of mine. When shall we return to
Hanoi?
: Thio In that case we shall return on Sunday in the afternoon.

266
Unit6

Conversation 1
.................................................................
: Mark Could you tell me, please, when is there a plane (going) to •
Hu~?
...
: Clerk Three times a week. On Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
When do you want to go to Hu~?
• Mark I want to fly on Thursday. What time does the plane to
Hu~ take off?
Clerk The plane to Hu~ takes off at half past ten.
Mark And what time does the plane arrive at Hu~?
Clerk At ten to twelve.
Mark Please give me two return tickets. Is there a place (seat)
on Thursday?
Clerk There are still a few places.
• Mark What time do I have to be (present) at the airport?

.
: Clerk You need to be at the airport before half past nine, or at
eight in the morning be at the Vietnam Airlines office to
. go to the airport.
: Mark Thank you.
: Clerk You are welcome.

Conversation 2

: Mark What's the time?

: Hoa Half past nine.
..
: Mark Damn it! It's too late! My watch says only ten past
nine.
: Hoa Your watch is 20 minutes slow. Let's hurry up
otherwise we'll miss the train.
: Mark Even if we hurry, we will not manage it. I have to
. hire a taxi. Taxi! Taxi!
: Taxi driver Hello, sir. Where do you want to go?
(Contd) :

Translations of dialogues 267

 Mark I need to go to the railway station. Will you manage
(to get there) before ten o'clock?
Taxi driver It is only 9.35 now. I will take the shortest route,
from here to the station it takes around ten
minutes. Don't worry, we have enough time.
Mark I'll get off here. Thank you for getting me here on
time.

Unit 7

Conversation 1

At the market

Shopkeeper Please, madam, buy something (buyto'open the

shop~'be the first customer'). Oranges, bananas,
grapes- (all are) very fresh.
Mary Give me one mango.
Shopkeeper Please choose some. This one is very sweet and
juicy.
Mary How much is this one?
Shopkeeper 3,ooo dongs.
Mary That's rather expensive, would 2,500 be all right?
Shopkeeper Well, all right then. Do you want to buy anything
else?
Mary I want a bunch (a 'handful') of bananas.
Shopkeeper This bunch is ripe and tasty.
Mary How much is it all?

In the bookshop
.................................................................
: Shopkeeper Hello, which book are you looking for?
...
: David I want to buy a dictionary. .
: Shopkeeper Which dictionary?

268
 David A dictionary of the Vietnamese language.
Shopkeeper Here is The Dictionary of the Vietnamese Language
by Ho~ng Ph~. This dictionary was published in
1995. Here, have a look.
David Is it good?
Shopkeeper It is the latest ('newest') and best dictionary.
• David OK, I'll buy it (sell it to me). How much is it?
: Shopkeeper 68,ooo. Do you want to buy anything else?
...
: David Have you got a map of Hanoi? (lit.'Do you sell a
map of Hanoi here?)
: Shopkeeper I am sorry, we are sold out.

In the department store

: Assistant Hello, sir. What do you want to buy?

: John I want to buy a jumper.
: Assistant Which size are you (Which size do you take?)?
John I am not sure. Perhaps size 40.
Assistant It does not matter, you can try it on. Which colour
do you like?
John xanh (green or blue).
Assistant Sorry sir, which xanh (blue or green)?
John Blue.
Assistant Please try this one on.

Conversation 2
................................................................
: Hoa Hello, Mary. Where are you going?
: Mary Hello, Hoa. I need to buy some fruit and vegetables. I
: have decided to cook a meal (and) invite a few friends.
: Hoa I am free now, can I come with you?
: Mary You can! (OK.) Let's go to the £>6ng Xuan market. I love
shopping at the market, I love the buzzing atmosphere
of a market.
(Contd)

Translations of dialogues 26 9
 Hoa and Mary are entering the D6ng Xuful market.
Mary Good heavens! I have never seen so many kinds of
fruit and vegetables! There are many kinds of fruit and
vegetables I don't know yet (I don't know their names
yet). What is that fruit over there called in Vietnamese?
Hoa That's 'ch6m ch6m' (rambutan).
• Mary And what about that one? What is it?
Hoa That's 'ctu ctu' (papaya). It is very sweet.
Mary What is that? ... Hoa, can you smell something nice?
Hoa Yes, of course. There is a flower stall over there.
Mary Let's (go and) have a look and buy some flowers.
What's that flower called?
Hoa Which one?
Mary That yellow flower over there.
Hoa Ah, that's 'hoa cue' (chrysanthemum).
Mary Do you like flowers, Hoa?
Hoa I like rose(s) but generally speaking, I like all flowers.
Having the name Hoa (flower), I can't not like flowers!

UnitS

Conversation 1

Hoa Why hasn't he arrived yet? He promised to come at eight, :

didn't he?
Nam Yes, let's wait for a few minutes. He will definitely come.
... Ah, here is Peter.l was worried you would not come. •
• Peter I am sorry for being late. I overslept. I only went to bed at :
two in the morning.
Hoa Why so late?
Peter I had to finish writing an article for the Hanoi m(li
(New Hanoi) newspaper last night. And in the morning
I could not get up. I did not manage to clean my teeth,
wash my face and even have some breakfast. I just got
up, got dressed and ran here to meet you.
Nam Well, let's have some breakfast first.

.................................................................
Peter Agreed.
 Conversation 2

Peter Do you still work in the hotel, Hoa?

Hoa No, I don't work there any more. I am now working in a
foreign languages publishing house.
Peter Why don't you work in the hotel any more?
Hoa I had to work a lot, begin very early and finish very late.
And the salary was quite small. And on top of that, I
often had to work overtime. And one more thing, last
year I got married and my husband also works shifts.
Many days we did not see each other at all.
Peter So what is your new job like?
Hoa There is also a lot of work here but the work is more
interesting. I meet a lot of interesting people- writers,
poets, journalists. I can practise speaking English. And
from time to time I have to go abroad.
Peter And what about the working hours?
Hoa The working hours here are more convenient. I start at
eight. I read many interesting books and magazines, write
letters, phone, receive visitors. The working hours fin ish at
five. This means that in the evening I have enough time to
go to the cinema, to the theatre or to visit friends.
Peter It looks like you enjoy your new job a lot.
Hoa There is only one problem. I have to learn to use a
computer. I am afraid I won't be able to learn it.
Peter Don't worry, nowadays every child knows how to use a
computer. There's nothing difficult about it.

Unit9

Conversation 1
..................................................................
.:Tim Hello. Excuse me, how do I get to the British
Embassy? (If I want to go to the British Embassy,
I must take which road?)
(Contd) :

Translations of dialogues 271

 .
: Passer-by British Embassy? Have you got the address?
:Tim 16 LyThuang Ki~t street.
: Passer-by 16 LyThuang Ki~t street, I know. Now you are at
Qu6cTLt Gi~m street. Go straight on as far as the
crossroads and then turn right. Keep going till
Nguy~n Khuy~n street, then turn left, go to the
crossroads with traffic lights and turn left one
more time. The British Embassy is opposite the
park. Do you remember it?
Tim Thank you. Is it (still) far?
Passer-by Quite far. On foot it takes about 30 minutes.
Tim That's a long way. I will be late.
Passer-by You should take a cycle. By cycle it only takes ten
minutes.
Tim Thanks a lot.
Passer-by Not at all.
Tim Cycle! Cycle!
• Cyclo driver Hello, sir.
: Tim How much is it from here to the British Embassy?
: Cyclo driver Fifteen thousand, sir.
:Tim All right then.
: Cyclo driver Get in, please.

Conversation 2

Helen Oh, I am very tired. Are you sure this is the way to
the History Museum?
Lan I am certain. Make an effort for a little bit longer!
It's not far at all. According to this map we only
have to go to the crossroads in front of us (in front
of our eyes), cross the square and go straight on for
a few more minutes.
Helen Well, then. Here is the crossroads but where is the
square?
Lan Ah, the square ... Perhaps we are lost!
Helen We are definitely lost. We have to ask (directions).
Lan Hello.

272
 Passer-by Hello.
Lan Excuse us. We think we are lost.
Passer-by Where are you going to?
Lan To the History Museum.
Passer-by You are going in the wrong direction, you have to
go back to the end of this street, keep walking for
a few minutes and you will see a square. Cross the
square and you will see a tall yellow house with a
statue. That's the History Museum.
Lan Thank you very much. Let's go!
Helen No, I need a little rest.

Unit 10

Conversation 1
..................................................................
: Mr Baker Good morning. .
: Clerk Good morning, what do you need?
: Mr Baker I need to rent a house.
: Clerk Do you want to rent a small house or a big house?
. In the town centre or on the outskirts?
...: Mr Baker I want a house for three people not far from the
centre .
: Clerk Do you want your own garden?
..: Mr Baker I don't know ... maybe my wife would like to have her :
own garden .
: Clerk We have a house on the Chu Van An street.
Downstairs there is a sitting room, kitchen, dining
room and a small study. Upstairs there are two
bedrooms and a bathroom. Behind the house, there
is a small garden with many trees.
: Mr Baker Does the house have a private parking place?

.
: Clerk Yes, in front of the house there is a small parking
place . .
(Contd) :

Translations of dialogues 2 73
 .
: Mr Baker Is the Chu Van An street busy?
...
: Clerk Not at all. The area around the house is very
peaceful.
: Mr Baker All right. Can I see the house?
: Clerk Yes, you can.

Conversation 2

Ngqc Oh, Helen. Hello.

Helen Hello, NgQc.
Ngqc Last week I came to your house but there was nobody
at home.
Helen Oh, I am sorry. The whole family has just moved to
another place. Please come and see us.
Ngqc Yes, all right. I'll be pleased to.
Helen Could we meet tomorrow evening?
• Ngqc Yes. Where is your house now?
Helen Here is my address. My house is very easy to find. I live
in a tall brick building opposite the National Library.
Ngqc Thank you. See you tomorrow.
The next day. NgQc has just arrived to visit Helen.
Helen Please come in to my room.
Ngqc Yes, oh, your room is really pretty.
Helen This room is quite small, there is nothing special about
it. There is only a bed, a wardrobe, a chair and a few
bookshelves. But the best thing is that, because it is on
the second floor, I can see the whole park with the trees
and flowers from the window.
Ngqc I like that picture on the wall over there.
Helen Oh that's a picture by an English painter.
Ngqc And who is in that photograph hanging on the wall by
the window?
Helen That's a photograph of my parents.
Ngqc I like your room a lot.
Helen I have not finished decorating it yet. I still need to buy a
few things to make it nicer.

274
Unit 11

Conversation 1

Tom Hello, doctor!

Doctor Hello. What's the matter with you?
Tom Doctor, I have a headache, cough and a runny nose.
Doctor Have you been in pain long?
Tom Two days.
Doctor Have you got a temperature?
Tom Last night I had a high temperature but this morning
I feel better, I don't have a temperature any more.
Doctor Open your mouth!
Tom What's the matter, doctor?
Doctor There's nothing serious. You have a sore throat. You
have to rest a few days. Here is a prescription, take it to
the pharmacy and buy the medicine.
Tom Thank you, doctor. Doctor, how do I have to take the
medicine?
Doctor Three times a day before a meal.
Tom Thank you, doctor.
Mary has a different problem - toothache.
Mary Doctor, I have terrible toothache. I was in terrible pain
all last night.
Doctor Please sit in the chair. Which tooth is hurting you?
Mary I am not sure, doctor, I only know it's on the right.
Doctor Open your mouth. Ah, this tooth is rotten.
Mary Does it have to come out?
Doctor No, I'll give you a filling.
Mary Thank you, doctor.

Translations of dialogues 2 75
 Conversation 2
..................................................................
: Thuy Helen, are you all right today? .
: Helen No, I am not very well today. I feel very unpleasant
('uneasy~ 'difficult to bear'). My head is hurting and
I have stomach-ache.
: Thuy Does your stomach hurt a lot? Did you eat anything
strange?
...: Helen I don't remember. But all yesterday I did not want to eat
and drink anything .
: Thuy Your face is very red. Have you got a temperature?
: Helen I have not measured (the temperature) yet.
: Thuy Let me get you some medicine, all right? Take this
medicine (drink it).

Unit 12

Conversation 1

Walter What would you like to drink? (What do you drink?)

David Oh, I am very thirsty!
Nam Please give us two bottles of cold beer.
Hoa For me a cup of white coffee, please. What about you,
Mary, what would you like to drink? Do you like coffee
or beer?
Mary No, I don't like either coffee or beer.
Hoa If that's the case then have (drink) some lemon juice or
orange juice.
Mary A glass of lemon juice please.
Walter Do you take ice?
Mary A little. Thank you.
David Mary has never eaten a Vietnamese meal before. Let's
go to a restaurant (preparing) Vietnamese specialities!
Hoa OK. Do you know any good restaurants (any'tasty'
restaurant)?
 .
..: Nam I heard that the BOng Sen (lotus) Restaurant does many
delicious Vietnamese specialities. But that restaurant is
usually very crowded.
: David It does not matter, if it's full then we will go somewhere :
else (to some other restaurant).
.: Hoa Vietnamese people eat with chopsticks. Do you know
how to hold chopsticks, Mary?
: Mary I do but not very well (only a little).
...: Hoa Don't worry, if you can't eat with chopsticks then eat
with a spoon .
: David I am very hungry. Let's hurry up.

Conversation 2
.................................................................
: Walter Hello! :
: Nam Could you show us to a table for four people?
: Walter Please follow me. Please sit at this table. Here is the menu.
: Nam Thank you. What would you like to eat, Mary?
: Mary I don't know anything about Vietnamese food. Order
for me, please. Anything is fine.
: Nam Have you ever eaten b'nh cucSn (steamed stuffed
pancake)?
: Mary Not yet.
: Nam Then try it. It's delicious.
: Mary All right.
...
: Nam Well then, a bowl of phlt (noodle soup) and b'nh cucSn
for Mary. And what about you, David, what do you like
. to eat?

.: David I am going to have my favourite meal- spring rolls.

This restaurant is famous for its spring rolls. And to
follow -I want to order stir-fried chicken with lemon
grass and chillies.
I feel like (eating) fish today. Please give me steamed
..: Nam fish with mushrooms and shrimp cake.

.: Hoa Have you got anything vegetarian? (Does this

restaurant have any vegetarian meals?) .
(Contd) :

Translations of dialogues 277

.
...: Walter Yes, stir-fried mushrooms, vegetarian spring rolls,
stir-fried vegetables, stir-fried noodles ...
...: Hoa A plate of stir-fried noodles and stir-fried vegetables
for me.
: Walter So, bowl of phb', (a plate, a serving of) b&1inh cu6n,
spring rolls, stir-fried chicken with lemon grass and
chillies, steamed fish, shrimp cake, stir-fried noodles,
. stir-fried vegetables ... Anything else?
...: Nam Let's try the eel soup to begin with. And two bowls of
fried rice please.
: Walter Yes, thank you, sir. Wait a while, please.
Here are your dishes. And here is fish sauce, pepper
..
: Walter
and chillies .
: Nam Thank you.

Unit 13

Conversation 1

: Richard What is the best season to visit Vietnam, Nam?

: Nam It's difficult to say. I like the autumn best.
: Richard Why?

...
: Nam The autumn in Vietnam is very nice, the weather is not
only warm but also pleasant.

.: David I agree. I have been living in Vietnam for a long time.

The weather in the autumn is fresh. Moreover it
seldom rains! But I hate the winter- the weather is
not only cold but also wet. And everybody must put
up with the cold wind.
: Nam That's right. The average temperature in winter is only
about 11°C.
: Richard I thought that there was no winter in Vietnam.

.
: Nam Of course there is! North Vietnam has four seasons like
Europe. The south only has two seasons- a wet and
a dry season.
 David When you visit Vietnam you will see the difference
between the north and the south.
• Nam Many people also like the spring in Vietnam because
this is the season of the New Year festival.
David The Vietnamese celebrate the lunar new year in a very
interesting way. If you visit Vietnam during this time you
will be able to observe the new year customs. And the Tet
also means that the spring is beginning so the weather is
warmer. But you still have the drizzle in the spring.
Nam Every season has something special!

Conversation 2
.................................................................
: Mary The weather today is very cold, isn't it? I have decided :
to go to the seaside next week and the weather is so
bad! Have you bought today's newspaper? I want to see
what next week's weather forecast is like.
Lan Yes, I have bought today's paper. Let me see, here is next
week's weather forecast: 'Cloudy, rain in some places,
. average temperature 18°C:
: Mary Good heavens! ... Ah, you read the forecast for North
Vietnam but I am going for the summer holiday to the
South. Here is the weather forecast for the South: 'Few
clouds, sunny, light wind, average temperature 27°C:

Conversation 3
.................................................................
Paul You have got a new jumper, haven't you? .
Minh The winter is coming so I bought some warm clothes,
this jumper, gloves and a scarf.
Paul Your new jumper is really nice. I have decided to buy a
similar one. Have you got a hat?
Minh You think I need a hat?
Paul You need a hat here. In the winter the weather is very
cold. And if you want to go to the mountains then you
need thick socks.
.................................................................
:Minh I probably won't go to the mountains.

Translations of dialogues 279

 Unit 14

Conversation 1

Nam Hello!
David Hello, is that Nam?
Nam Yes, this is Nam. Who is that?
David This is David.
Nam Who is it? Please speak up. I cannot hear clearly.
David This is David.
Nam Ah, David. David! David, are you there? Hello, hello!
In a few minutes David rings again.
David Hello, is that Nam?
Nam Yes, this is Nam (Nam speaking).
David This is David. I am sorry, we were interrupted.
Nam I have not spoken to you for a long time. What's
new? (What's happening?)
David There is a new performance on in the water puppet
theatre. Let's go and see it.
Nam Brilliant! When shall we go and see it?
David I have to phone the theatre. I shall ring you back
after six.
Nam OK. (Agreed.) Phone me back.
David now phones the theatre to ask about tonight's programme.
David Hello, is that the water puppet theatre?
Theatre Yes, what do you need?
David I want to ask, is there a performance on tonight?
Theatre Yes, there are two- in the afternoon and in the
evening.
David What time does the evening performance begin?
Theatre At seven.
: David Do you still have tickets?
: Theatre We still have some.
: David Thank you.
: Theatre Not at all.

280
 Conversation 2

David I want to speak to Nam.

Lan I am sorry. Just a few minutes ago he left for the bank.
David Do you know when he will return?
Lan I am sorry, I don't know. Can I give him a message?
David Please ask him to call me. My phone number is 87356.
Lan Don't worry, I will pass it on.
David Thank you.
Lan Not at all.

Unit 15

Conversation 1

Clerk Hello.
Mark Hello. I want to send this letter to London.
Clerk Yes, sir. (Do you want to) Send this letter registered?
Mark No, just normal post. How long does it take for the letter
to get to London?
Clerk About three weeks.
Mark In that case, send it express.
Clerk Yes.1o,ooo dongs. Do you need anything else?
Mark Do you sell postcards here?
Clerk Of course, here they are. Please choose some.
Mark Oh, this picture of the One Pillar Pagoda is very pretty.
And here is the Lake of the Returned Sword. Give me
these two postcards. And two stamps. How much is it
all?
Clerk Twenty-nine thousand.
Mark Thank you.
Clerk You are welcome.

Translations of dialogues 281

 Conversation 2

Hoa Has the postman arrived yet?

Peter Not yet, why do you ask?
Hoa I am expecting a letter from my parents. I have not
received a letter from my family for a long time and I
am getting more worried day by day. Last month my
mother was ill so I want to know how her health is
these days.
Peter Keep calm. Don't worry! Ah, the postman is here.
Hoa Is there a letter for me today?
Postman I am sorry, there isn't.
Hoa In that case I have to phone my parents. Is there a
public phone near by?
Postman Yes, at the end of this street there is a public phone.
Or at the post office.

Unit 16

Conversation 1

Tuin Hello, come in, please.

Mark Hello. I heard (the news) that you are ill, so I came to
visit you. Good heavens! What happened to your leg?
Tuin Last Sunday I played football and broke my leg.
Mark So you played football, did you? I like watching sport on
television but I don't play any (sport). In my opinion any
sport is not safe at all. I only like two things- travelling
and photography. Luckily these two things go together
well. And photography is definitely safer than sport!
Tuin Which countries have you visited?
Mark The whole of Europe, many countries in Asia such as
Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China. Apart from that I have
also visited America but I have not been to Africa yet.
.
: Tuin You have travelled all over the world!
: Mark My last trip was visiting Central Vietnam! For a long time
I have been wanting to see the Cham towers and only
last year I was able to go.
: Tuin Is that so? How was the trip, was it interesting?
: Mark It is a trip which I will never forget.
..
: Tun A few months ago I saw a documentary film on
television about the Cham civilization .
..: Mark When you recover, please come and visit me. I will show •
you the photographs from Vietnam .
: Tuin OK. And I shall invite you to come to a football match
with me. Perhaps you could take my photograph.
: Mark All right, agreed.

Conversation 2
.................................................................
• Ben In the Museum of Art, there is an exhibition of paintings •
on silk by Nguy~n Phanh Chan h. Let's go and see it.
Hung Thanks, some other day, I am busy today. I have to go to
a concert with my wife.
Ben I thought you did not like music.
Hung I hate music. But although I don't like music, from time
to time I have to go with my wife because she likes
music.
Ben You don't like any music at all?
Hung Rock is quite interesting but classical music is so boring!
Every time I go to see it, I feel very sleepy. I prefer to stay
at home, watch television or go to a restaurant, talk to
my friends, drink and dance.
Ben Why don't you say that to your wife? She could go with
a friend.
Hung Because last week she went to see a horror movie with
me. And you know that my wife hates horror movies. But :
although she hates it (watching horror movies)... •
Ben ... from time to time she goes to see it because you like it!

Translations of dialogues 283

Unit 17

Conversation 1

Booking a room
..................................................................
: Mr Baker Please make an advance room booking for me in
the Hotel Metropole.
: Receptionist Yes. What's your name?
: Mr Baker My name is David Baker.
: Receptionist You want to stay in the Hotel Metropole from
. which day until which day?
...: Mr Baker From Monday next week till Saturday next week. •
Which means six days.
: Receptionist Yes.

Buying a ticket

Tourist Excuse me. Can I fly to Vietnam via Hong Kong?

Ticket office Yes, you can. Quantas flies from London to Hanoi
via Hong Kong. You can stay in Hong Kong for a
few days and then continue to Hanoi. This flight
is very popular with tourists.
Tourist In that case, one ticket to Hanoi via Hong Kong.
Ticket office When do you (want to) go?
Tourist I have decided to go on Tuesday next week.
Ticket office Tuesday next week, that means the 23rd. One
way or return?
Tourist One way. Thank you.
Ticket office You are welcome.
Changing money

: Tourist Hello. I need to exchange 100 dollars into Vietnamese

. dongs .
: Clerk Can I see your passport, sir?
: Tourist Here it is. What is the exchange rate?
..
: Clerk One American dollar is 11,026 Vietnamese dongs.
Please sign here .

.................................................................
: Tourist Thank you.

Checking in at the airport

: Clerk Hello, sir. Can I see your ticket and passport?

: Tourist Here you are.
.
: Clerk Thank you. You are flying to Bangkok, are you?Where
is your luggage?
: Tourist I only have hand luggage.
Clerk Did you pack the suitcase yourself?
Tourist Yes, I did it myself.
Clerk Do you want to sit by the window or by the aisle?
Tourist Please give me a window seat.
Clerk Here is your boarding card. Now please proceed to the
passport and customs control.
Tourist Thank you.
Clerk Not at all.

Buying a souvenir

Mary I am returning home shortly. I want to buy some

Vietnamese articles to take home as souvenirs. What do
you think I should buy? (In your opinion what should
I buy?)
Nam A real Vietnamese present, uhh? Have you seen the folk
pictures from DOng H6? People buy them usually for the
Tet (New Year festival). They are pretty and cheap.
(Contd)

Translations of dialogues 285

 Mary Fine. I shall buy some folk pictures. And for my mum I
want to buy a Vietnamese ao dai (Vietnamese traditional
costume) and a hand-embroidered tablecloth.
Nam A pair of pottery elephants is also very attractive! Only
you have to carry them carefully. And don't forget the
Vietnamese conical hat.
Mary That's a lot! When I return to England I will definitely
have to pay excess weight.

Conversation 2

At the Ministry of Interior

..................................................................
: David Hello. ..
: Clerk Hello. What do you need? .
..
: David My visa is about to expire soon and I want to stay in
Vietnam a little bit longer. What do I have to do to
. extend myvisa?
: Clerk What are you doing in Vietnam?

.: David I am writing a tourist guide to Vietnam and I am

also learning Vietnamese at the Centre for Foreign
Languages.
: Clerk When does your visa expire?
...: David At the end of next month, but I want to stay in Vietnam
two more months until the beginning of October.
: Clerk You have to fill in this application to extend a visa
and you also need a letter from the Centre for Foreign
Languages allowing you to study there until the
. beginning of October.
: David Thank you. Goodbye.

286
Unit 18

Conversation 1

Nam What book are you reading that is so interesting?

Peter The bookshop has just received an Encyclopaedia of
Vietnam. I am about to go to Vietnam so I bought it to
learn more about the country and the people of Vietnam.
The more I know about Vietnamese history, geography
and culture, the more interesting my trip will be. There are
many really interesting things in this book. For example,
do you know what the highest mountain is in Vietnam?
• Nam Uh, sorry, geography is not my favourite subject (I am
not interested in geography).
Peter It is mountain Phan-xi-pan, 3,142 metres high. One more
question: How many minorities live in Vietnam?
Nam This question is very easy: there are over so minorities in
Vietnam. Apart from the Kinh people there are also Hoa,
"Thy, Thai, Meo, Khmer,~ d~, Ba Na, Gia Rai, etc.
Peter Very good! But do you know that every nation has
several names? For example, the Vi~t people are also
called Kinh, Ke Chq, Giao, NM Nhl, etc.
Nam Perhaps you will have an opportunity to visit villages
of the (ethnic) minorities to witness their everyday life.
Now I want to ask: what is the current population of
Vietnam?
Peter Wait a moment, I have to find the page (talking) about
the population. Ah, here it is. The Vietnamese population
-in 1999 Vietnam had nearly 77 million people.
Nam This book is really interesting! Read some more!
: A few days later Nam returns with a present for Peter.
• Nam I bought you some Vietnamese literary works translated
into English.! know (that) you have been learning
Vietnamese for a few months but I thought that perhaps
your Vietnamese was not yet (good) enough to read
books in Vietnamese.
(Contd) :

Translations of dialogues 287

 Peter You are right! Although I am learning, I am still not very
good. Ah, The Tale ofKi~u. Thank you. I have read this
book already but I'd like to read it again.
Nam And here are some more contemporary books: the novel
The Sorrow of War written by the writer Bao Ninh and a
few short stories by Nguy~n HuyThi~p.
Peter I have heard a lot about Bao Ninh but I have not yet read
The Sorrow of War. It is supposed to be very interesting,
isn't it?
Nam I find it interesting.lt is a book about the war against
the Americans. War is an important topic in Vietnamese
literature of the last half century. Bao Ninh was a soldier
and he saw what the war was like.
Peter I heard that this book was awarded a literary prize of
the Vietnamese Writer's Association in 1990 and became
famous outside Vietnam (abroad) .... Do you have any
other books? Lend them to me to read.
Nam You should read a book by Du'ang Thu Huang. The
bookshop sold out the translation of the Untitled Novel
but they will have it next week.

Conversation 2
.................................................................
• Ruth What do you think about the current situation in •
Vietnam? (How do you see the current situation in
Vietnam?)

..:Minh For a few years Vietnam has been carrying out the
renovation and open-door policies. The whole country
is changing fast.
Robert I read that Vietnam, previously a country lacking food,
. has nowadays become a country exporting rice.

...:Minh That's correct, at present Vietnam is the third (largest)

exporter of rice in the world, after Thailand and
America.
Robert I heard that there are currently a lot of foreigners in
Vietnam.

288
.
: Minh Because Vietnam has a lot of interesting things for
tourists- not least nature, mountains and the sea,
historical sights, etc. Vietnamese tourism is developing
very rapidly. Apart from that, many foreign firms are
opening offices (headquarters) in Vietnam.
Robert It looks like everything is OK., doesn't it?
: Minh There are still many problems- both political and
economic. There are still many poor people, many young
people do not have a job. You can also see the negative
side of tourism- many tourist localities are not clean and
traffic density is growing day by day. The streets of Hanoi
are not only crowded but there is another problem- the
air pollution.
Translations of selected texts

Unit 7

The market is an important place in the life of every family, every village,
every area. A large market usually has tens of stalls selling chickens,
pigs, fish, sauce, medicines, china, fabrics, conical hats, meat, fish, betel,
noodles, rice, peanuts, vegetables, bananas, bowls, chopsticks, etc.
The market is not just an economic centre but it is also a cultural centre.
People come to market not only to shop but also to chat with friends, idle
about, dance. Shopping at the market is very convenient. In the market,
the shopper only needs to go once and can buy all he or she needs.

Unit8

Every week the Sunday Times newspaper publishes an article describing

a working day of a famous person. This week the Sunday Times
introduces the writer X.

I hate getting up early. I never get up before nine o'clock. I wash my

face, read the paper and drink coffee. I dont eat any breakfast because
I could not work. I start working at about eleven. From 11 till three
I am working in my study. I dont answer the phone and dont speak to
anybody, I just sit and write. I smoke a lot. I know I should not smoke.
At three I finish writing and prepare lunch or go to a small restaurant
near my home to have lunch. In the afternoon I return to my study-
I phone, reply to letters or discuss problems with the publishing house.
Before I used to like going out or playing tennis in the afternoon but
now I dont play sport any more. If the weather is nice I like doing some
gardening. In the evening I am rarely at home, I meet friends, go to the
theatre or talk to journalists. 'IWice, three times every week I have to
attend parties. I never watch television. Before going to bed I usually
drink a glass of alcohol and read a few pages I wrote in the morning.
I can still remember when I was younger I often went to bed at four or
five in the morning but nowadays I can't stay up late any more.

Unit 11

Some advice from a doctor:

Eat and drink healthily (eating healthily does not mean that you have to
reject everything you like), eat a lot of varied food, don't eat food with a lot
of fat and sugar, eat a lot of vegetables or raw vegetables, eat fish or chicken,
don't drink much alcohol (ifyou are thirsty drink something non-alcoholic).

Try to go on foot more, if you often take a car or other means of public
transport on short journeys why don't you try walking instead?

Go by bicycle, run, swim, dance or do something else you like!

Walking up the stairs is better than using the lift.

Try to exercise twice or three times a week, each time 20-30 minutes.
Start gently and gradually increase.

Give up smoking (think of a reason why you want to give up smoking;

some people find it easier if they are giving up together with a friend -
friends can help each other; think of the amount of money you can
save and how you could spend the extra money).

Unit 12

The vegetarian cuisine of H~.

Hu@' is one of the Vietnamese centres of culture and tourism. Many

people come to Hu@' to admire historical sights (Hu@'has nearly one
hundred pagodas), take a boat ride on the Perfume River, and many

Translations of selected texts 291

tourists also come to try the special dishes of H~. Hu@' is famous for
its special cuisine, including vegetarian dishes. The vegetarian cuisine
of Hu@' is one type of the art of cooking that has existed for a long time.
The art of vegetarian cooking is associated with the development of
Buddhism in Vietnam. H~ has vegetarian cooking because it is the
capital city of Buddhism in Vietnam. There are many delicious vegetarian
meals. It is difficult to recognize what the meals are made of. The talent
of the women (of H~ lies in their (use of) natural ingredients, without
meat or fish they still manage to cook 'spring rolls: 'chickeO: 'meat pie'
Taking it further

Recommended reading

Titles marked * are generally no longer available to purchase, but may be

found in libraries.

Bibliographies
*Marr, D. (1992), Vietnam. World Bibliographical Series, vol. 147.
Oxford: Clio Press.

VIetnamese language
Hoang Ph~ ed. (1992), Tit ditn titng Vi~t- A Vietnamese Dictionary.
Hanoi: Vi~n Khoa h9c xa h(>i Vi~t Nam - Vi~n ng5n ngt1 h9c.

Thompson, L. C. and O'Harrow, S.D. (1987),A Vietnamese Reference

Grammar. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

VIetnamese literature
Ngu~n Dinh Hoa (1994), Vietnamese Literature: A Brief Survey.
San Diego, CA: San Diego State University.

Durand, M. and Nguyen ThAn Huful (1985), An Introduction to

Vietnamese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press.

VIetnamese literature/translations Into English

Balaban, J. Ca dao Vietnam (1982), A Bilingual Anthology of Vietnamese
Folk Poetry. Greensboro, NC: Unicorn.

Balaban, John, Nguyen Qui Due, eds. (1996), Vietnam: A Travellers

Literary Companion. San Francisco: Whereabouts Press.

Bao Ninh (1994), The So"ow of War. London: Seeker & Warburg.

Taking ltfurther 293

 DuO'ng Thu HuO'ng (2002 ), Paradise of the Blind. New York: Perennial.

DuO'ng Thu HuO'ng (1996), Novel Without a Name. New York:

Penguin Books.

DuO'ng Thu HuO'ng (2002), Beyond musions. New York: Picador.

Huynh Sanh Th6ng, ed. and trl. (1996), An Anthology of Vietnamese

Poems. From the Eleventh through the Twentieth Centuries. New Haven,
NJ, and London: Yale University Press.

Huynh Sanh Th6ng, ed and trl. (1996), An Anthology of Vietnamese

Poems. New Haven, NJ, and London: Yale University Press.

Huynh Sanh Th6ng, ed and trl. (1987), The Tale afKilu by Nguyen Du.
New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press.

U Minh KhuE! (1997), The Stars, the Earth, the River. Willimantic,
CT: Curbstone Press.

Ma Van Khang (2ooo ), Against the Flood. Willimantic, CT: Curbstone

Press.

Ngu~n D\ly (1999), Distant Road. Willimantic, CT: Curbstone Press.

Nguyen Huy Thi~p. (1993), The General Retires and Other Stories.
Lockhart, G. trl. Singapore: Oxford University Press.

Nguyen Huy Thi~p (2003), Crossing the River. Willimantic,

CT: Curbstone Press.

VIetnam: history and culture

*Buttinger, J. (1961), The SmaO.er Dragon: A Political History of Vietnam.
New York: Praeger.

*Buttinger, J. (1967), Vietnam: A Dragon Embattled. New York: Praeger.

Jamieson, N. (1995), Understanding Vietnam. Berkeley: University of

California Press.

294
Marr, D. (1971), Vietnamese Anti-Colonialism: 1885-1925. Berkeley:
University of California Press.

Marr, D. (1981), Vietnamese Tradition on Triah 1920-1945. Berkeley:

University of California Press.

Marr, D. (1996), Vietnam 1945. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Taylor, K. (1991), The Birth of Vietnam. Berkeley: University of California

Press.

Templer, R. (1999), Shadows and Wind: A View ofModern Vietnam.

New York: Penguin Books.

*Whitfield, D.]. (1973), Historical and Cultural Dictionary of Vietnam.

Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.

Vietnam and the internet

Even if you do not intend to use the internet for improving your
Vietnamese language skills, it is a marvellous way to keep in touch
with people with the same interest. You can join many discussion
groups devoted entirely to Vietnam as well as find a rich source of data,
download Vietnamese fonts or surf picture archives. It will keep you
informed about political and economic developments in the country
and about articles and new books on Vietnam published all over the
world. You will also be able to follow what is happening in Vietnamese
communities abroad. Some discussion groups use Vietnamese, others
communicate in English.

Here are some useful internet addresses to help you get started.
Accessing any of these or using search engines will provide you with
references to many other sites.

w:w:w...nhand.m.o.r.g.m: offi.dal site of the main Vietnamese daily

newspaper, Nh4n dan; both in Vietnamese and English, in addition

Taking ltfurther 295

to the general news summary, this site includes section on 1earning
Vietnamese' complete with audio recordings, collection of short stories
and poetry both in Vietnamese and English and video clips.

w:w:w..t.YQ!tm.&Qm.Y.Jl: Vietnamese newspaper.

Y.i~ID!!ID-1!~~~<-Yllil_g~n.cy&.Q!n.:.Yn: the internet version of the

national
English language daily with sections on politics, economy, culture.

w.w.w.bh.~&<2 . .ukL'lie.tml.me~~= BBC Vietnamese language site.

w.w.w...Yi~tt!m!ltP-Yr.il!n.:.!<9ID..: official site of the Vietnam National

Administration of Tourism.

~a~a:b..a..mm Y.O.: .. site of the Vietnam Corporation for the Export

and Import of Publications: Given the difficulty in obtaining Vietnamese
language publications outside Vietnam, this is a useful site if you want to
order books and periodicals published in Vietnam.

~.1:h.i!l_g~!!~i!ID.:.!<9.ffi: 'Experience Asia through the eyes of a traveler:

£Q9.m.b.~JID!l... ~4.u. .~YLw..w..WY1.~,g.~.f.Yi~l~~§~.kYi~tn!!ffi._.b.Jml:

World wide web virtual library- Vietnam.

W:W:W.:.Yi~1!l!!!D!n.QY.i.~~_,,p_m.Yn:
the internet site ofVietnam Feature Film
Studio; includes video clips of Vietnamese films.
Key to the exercises

Unit 1
Activities

1 True or false? (a) true (b) true (c) false (d) true (e) true (f) true
2 (a) Chao anh. Chao c6. Anh c6 khoe kh6ng? cam e1n, t6i khoe. Con
c6? cam. e1n. 'mi binh thuemg. (b) Chao ba! Chao 6ng! Xin giai thi~ vai
ba. B~y la 6ng Green. Ra:t h.ful ~ dugc ~p 6ng. 3 (a) Chao anh Mark!
Anh c6 khoe kh6ng? Cam O'n, t6i khoe. COn anh? cam e1n, t6i khoe.
(b) 'rei xin giai thi~u 6ng Hai. Ra:t Mn h~ dugc g~p 6ng Hai. Thl t6i
la David. David McDonald. (c) Xin 16i, anh la nguai MY, phai kh6ng?
KMng, t6i la nguai Anh.

Exercises

1 (a) 'rei xin giai thi~ vai 6ng Howard, ~y la 6ng Hoang, b~ t6i.
(b) 'mi xin giai thi~u vai 6ng Howard, ~Y la c6 Lan- c6 Lan la nguai
Vi~t Nam. (c) 'rei xin giai thi~u vai 6ng Howard, ~y la 6ng Herbert.
6ng Herbert la nguai f)\tc. (d) 'rei xin giai thi@u vai 6ng Howard, ~y
la c6 Sato; c6 Sato la nguai Nh~t (e) 'rei xin giai thi~ vai 6ng Howard,
dey la ba Douglas; ba Douglas la nguai My. 2 (a) C6 Lan la nguai Vi~t
Nam, phai kh6ng? (b) 6ng Ha la nguai Trung Qu6c, phlti kh6ng?
(c) 6ng Green 1a nguai Anh, phaikh6ng? (d) Ba Robinson la nguai MY,
phai kh6ng (e) Thl chi la Thy@'t, phlti kh6ng? (f) Anh Pornvit la nguai
1Mi., phai kh6ng? (g) B~y la ba Mai, phai kh6ng? 3 1. Kurt la nguai
B\tc, phlti kh6ng? 2. Bey la 6ng Brown, phai kh6ng? 3. rn Sato la nguai
Nh~t, phai kh6ng? 4. 6ng Chang la nguai Trung Qu6c, phai kh6ng?
5· Anh Ralfla nguai B\tc, phai kh6ng? 6. 6ng Chang la nguai N~t, phai
kh6ng? 7. Dey la anh David, phai kh6ng? 4 (a) Chi Loan kh6ng phaila
nguai Trung Qu6c, chi Loan la nguai Vi~t Nam. (b) Bey kh6ng phaila
anh Mark, dey la Richard. (c) Gerard kh6ng phaila nguai Bite, Gerard la
nguai Phap. (d) Anh Nam kh6ng phaila nguai Anh, anh Nam la nguai
Ca-na-da. (e) Dey kh6ng phaila chi Hoa, ~y la chi Nguy~t. 5 Maurice la
nguai mtac nao? Maurice la nguai Phap. Peter la nguai mtac nao? Peter

Key to the exercises 297

la nglicn Ca-na-da. Pomvit la nglicn mtac nao? Pomvit la nglibi 1hai Lan.
Ulrich la nglibi mtbc nao? Ulrich la nglicn Blk Natashala nglibi mtac
nao? Natashala nglicn Nga. Minh la nglicn mtac nao? Minh la nglicn Vi~t
Nam. 6 (a) Chao chi. teli la Helen. Chao chi. t@n teli la Hoa. Ril:t Mn h~
dtlQc g~p chi. Chi la nglicn My, phai kMng? KMng, teli la nglibi Anh.
(b) Xin 16i, anh la nglicn ntlac nao? 'rni la nglicn DUe. Con anh? Anh la
nglicn ntlac nao? 'rni la nglicn Phap. (c) A, chao c{l Jane! Chao anh Nam!
ce~ c6 khoe kh6ng? 'rni khoe, aim dll. Con anh? 'rni cilngkhoe. (d) Xin
16i, 6ng la elng Howard phai khelng? Vimg, teli la elng Howard. 'T@n teli la
John, John Francis. Ra:t him h~ dtlQc ~p elng. 7 Dey la anh Nam. Anh
Nam la nglibi ntlac nao? Anh Nam la nglibi Vi~t Nam. D~o nay chi Hoa
c6 khoe khelng? Cam on, Wi blnh thtlbng. Chao anh. Ril:t him h~ dtlQc
~P anh. Anh la ng\icn My, phiti khelng. 'rni khelng phiti la nglibi My, teli
la nglibi Anh.

Unit 2
Activities

1 (a) false (b) true (c) false (d) false (e) true (f) false 2 (a) false (b) true
(c) true (d) true (e) false (f) true (g) false (h) false 3 (a) David s6ng a
Luim Beln-thu del ntlac Anh. (b) Anh David lam vi~c aLuful Beln.
(c) Davidlanha bao. (d) ce~ Li@nla thtlkjab~ vi~n. (e) Anh Nam
khelng phiti la nha bao, anh Nam la bac s1. (f) Ha N¢i la thu del ntlac
Vi~tNam.

Exercises

1 (a) C6 Phtl<1ng kh6ng phaila bac s1, eel Phtlong lay ta. (b) Helen khelng
phaila nha bao, Helen Ia thtl kj. (c) 6ng Dung khelng phaila nha van,
e~ng Dung la thay giao. (d) Chi Thy@'t kh6ng phaila k@' tocin, chi Tuy@'t la
l~t stl. (e) Anh Hl:mgkhelng phaila sinh vi@n, anh Hl:mgla bac s1. (f) rn
Mai kMng phaila lu~t stl, eel Mai la sinh vi@n. 2 (a) Chi Hoa s6ng aHa
N¢i, phiti kMng? Chi Hoa c6 s6ng aHa N¢i khelng? (b) Helen lam vi~c a
Paris, phiti khelng? Helen c6lam vi~ aParis kMng? (c) 6ng Khoang h9c
ti@'ng Nh~t. phiti khelng? 6ng Khoang c6 h9c ti@'ng N~t khelng? (d) Ba
Htlong lam vi~c ab~nh vi~n. phM khelng? Ba Htldllg c6lam vi~c ab~
vi~nkhelng? (e) David s6ng C:JVi~t Nam, phai khelng? David c6 s6ng a
Vi~t Nam khelng? (f) Anh Due h9c ti@'ng Phap, phai khelng? Anh Due c6
h9c ti@'n.g Phap kMng? (g) 6ng Thylor lam vi~ ading ty d u lich,
phai kMng? 6ng Taylor c6lam vi~c acelng ty du lich kMng? 3 6ng
Smith h9c ti@'n.g Phap. 6ng Taylor h9c ti@'ng Nh~t. Cel Sato h9c ti@'ng
Anh. Helen h9c ti@'ng Vi~t. Ba Morton h9c ti@'ng f)\tc. Anh David h9c
Mng Thung Qu6c. 4 Peter 1a k.@' toan. Anh ~y lam vi~c aLuful Deln.
Hoa la tht! kf. rn ~y lam vi~c anha xdt ban. Mark la sinh vi~n.
Anh ~y h9c ti@'ng Vi~t va Mng Trung Qu6c. C6 Lan c6lam vi~ ading
ty du lich kMng? Khelng, eel ~Y lam vi~c ab~ vi~ eel ~Y lay ta.
David kMng phai la hac s1, anh ~y la nha hao. Julian s6ng aBrighton
nht!ng lam vi~ aLuful Deln. Helen kMng bi@'t ti@'ng Phap nht!ng dl ~
bi@'t ti@'ng Trung Qu6c. Anh Nam la sinh vi~ anh ~y h9c ti@'ng Nh~t.
Cel Mary d@'n Vi~t Nam (<M) h9c ti@'ng Vi~t. Chi Rosamund kMng lam
vi~c ading ty du lich. 6ng Brown c6 phiti la hac s1 kMng? Chi Binh
la lu~t st!. Chi ~Y lam vi~c aHa N()i. 6ng Baker c6 phiti la tMy giao
kMng? Vfulg, elng ~Y la th~ gicio. 'rei xin gi6'i thi~u v6'i anh, ~Y la
nha van Howard.

5 (a) Hung Anh la ngt!<'1i nt!ac nao?

Maurice 'rei la ngt!<'1i Phap.
Hilng Anh c6 phai la nha bcio kMng?
Maurice Khelng, teli kMng phiti la nha hao, Wi la nha van.
Conanh?
Hilng 'rei la lu~t st!.

(b) Hoa C6 Mary h9c ti@'ng Vi~t, phiti kMng?

Marie Vfulg, teli h9c ti@'ng Vi~t. Chi Hoa c6 bi@'t ti@'ng Phap
kMng?
Hoa 'rei kMng bi@'t ti@'ng Phap nht!ng teli bi@'t ti@'ng f)\tc.

Reading

(a) an accountant (b) British (c) study Vietnamese (d) he knows French
and is currently learning English

Unit 3
Activity

1 (a) true (b) true (c) true (d) true (e) false (f) false

Key to the exercises 29 9

 Exerdses

1 A: Anh c6 n6i dugc ti@'ng Vi~t kMng?

B: vang nhung fttMi.
A: Anh tMy Mng Vi~t tM nao?
B: Phat 1lm ti@'ng Vi~t kh6lfun.
A: Anh n6i Mng Vi~t t6t Him.
B: cam. <1n anh. 'mi nghe hi& nhung n6i kMng gioi.
2 (a) Ti@'ng Phap tM nao? Ti@'ng Phap kh6ng kh6lfun. (b) Kh.ach s~ B<'1
H6 tMnao? Khach s~Ba H6 d6ngng11<'1i. (c) 6ngNam tMnao? 6ng
Nam gia nhung khoe. (d) Thanh pM Hu@' tM nao? Thanh pM Hu@' y@n
tinh. (e) B~nh vi~n Vi~t-My tM nao? B~nh vi~n Vi~t-My mai. (f) Bac si
Quang tM nao? Bac si Quang t6t. (g) S6ng H6ng tM nao? S6ng H6ng
dai. (h) C6 Lan tM nao? C6 Lan bu6n. (i) Nha khach "Hoa Binh" tM
nao? Nha khach "Hoa Binh" re. (j) C6ng ty du lich nay tM nao? C6ng
ty du lich nay t6t. 3 (a) 6ng Dilng c6 gia kh6ng? (b) N uac Anh c6 nho
kh6ng? (c) Ti@'ng N~t c6 kh6 kMng? (d) rnng ty du lich 'Vietnam
Tourism' c6 t6t kh6ng? (e) PM Nguyen Hu~ c6 y@n tinh kh6ng? (f) Bac
si Hu<1ng c6 t6t kMng? (g) H6 Hoan Ki@'rn. c6 d~p kMng? (h) C6 Li@n c6
khoe kMng? (i) Kh.ach s~ 'Thap Rita' c6 &it kh6ng? (j) 'frung tilm thanh
pM c6 s~ch kh6ng? (k) Nha .nta:t ban 'Van ngh~ c6 n6i ti@'ng kMng?
4 (a) Khach s~ Hilton kh6ng &it, khach s~ Hilton re. (b) Chi Mai
kh6ng khoe, chi Mai 6m. (c) B~ vi~ B~ch Mai kh6ng rn.&, b~nh vi~n
B~ch Mai cil. (d) Thanh pM Ha N()i kMng d~p, thanh pM Ha N()i :du.
(e) Trung t1lm thanh pM Luan D6n kh6ng Mn, trung t1lm thanh pM
Luan D6n s~ch. (f) Lu~t su Quang kh6ng t6t, lu~t su Quang :du. (g)
C6ng ty du lich kMng t6t, c6ng ty du lich :du. (h) PM Ba 'fri~u kh6ng
y@n tinh, pM Ba 'fri~u d6ng. (i) Bac si Li@n kMng gia, hac si Li@n tre.
(j) Nha van Shakespeare kMng n6i ti@'ng. 5 (a) The weather is neither
warm nor cold. (b) Mr 1'u.fu is neither young nor old. (c) My friend is
neither cheerful nor sad. (d) David neither knows French nor German.
(e) Miss Li@n likes neither going to the cinema nor going to the theatre.
(f) Mr Trl is neither rich nor poor. (g) Mr Baker likes neither beer nor
coffee. (h) The 'Thrtle tower' hotel is neither expensive nor cheap.
6 Ti@'ng Vi~t kh6lfun. Ha N()i kh6ng lao nhung d~p. B~nh vi~n B~ch Mai
cil. B~ t6i Maitre va ~p. Sai Gon la m()t thanh pM hi~n ~. Quyl!n
sach nay kh6ng hay cilng kh6ng di'1. Khach s~ Metropole &it lfun. B6 t6i
gia nhung khoe. 6ng Hilng la nha bao t6t. Nha xua:t ban S6ng H6ng g1in

300
 a
trung tfun Ha. N¢i. B~ t6i m¢t khach s~ nho Wn 0a) Mng Sen. Trung
tfun thanh ph6 kMng y@n tinh lam. 7 kh6/d~ nh0/l6n, to l~n6ng to/
nho ngheo/giau tretgia dM<h6 t6t/:du Mn/s~ch ngantdai ~p/:du 16n/
nho m6'i/c11 dai!ngful th:lp/cao 8 (a) bay, chin, mubi, b6n, hai, tam,
nam, m¢t (b) 10, 8, 4. 6, 2, 9, ;7, 3, 5, 1. 9 (a) The guest house 'Q~ H udng'
advertises small but clean rooms and despite the fact that it does not
have its own restaurant, it is popular with young people. This hotel
sounds ideal for Hannah. (b) Hotel Metropole is advertised as a large and
luxurious hotel with rooms equipped with own TV, video and phone.
This option would not suit Hannah's pocket. (c) The advertisement for
the hotel Dan chU only ephasizes the hotels location in the centre of
Hanoi, near the Lake ofReturned Sword (H6 Hoan Kitm).

Unit 4
Activities

1 (a) five months (b) from Brighton (c) in a small village in the Ha
Btk province in North Vietnam (d) her grandfather is dead but her
grandmother is still alive (e) the youngest child (f) one younger brother
and one younger sister 2 (a) false (b) false (c) true (d) false (e) false
(f) false (g) true (h) true (i) true

Exercises

a
1 (a) 6ng D6ng Hai Phbng. (b) Anh David h9c ti~ng Vi~t. (c) Bac s1
Himglam vi~c aDa Nmg. (d) Kim d9c bao 'Ha N¢i Mdi'. (e) BaLan
a
sinh lang. (f) Anh Peter h9c ti~ng Vi~t muai thang. (g) Chi Li@n u6ng
a
ca ph@. (h) Khach s~ sa H6 trung tfun Thanh ph6 H6 Chi Minh. (i)
Nha bao Quang tim lu~t su Dilng. (j) Nha xu:lt ban giin H6 Hoan Ki~m.
a
(k) Anh Richard Hu~ ba thang. (1) Chi Mai di h9c. (m) B~nh vi~n giin
khach s~. 2 (a) Anh bao nhi@u tu6i? 'mi hai mudi sau tu6i. (b) Anh a
a a
d~u? 'mi khach s~ sa H6. (c) Khach s~ d~u? Khach s~ trung a
tfun (thanh ph6) Ha N¢i. (d) Dey la ai? Dey la hac s1 Hung. (e) Anh Peter
dal~p gia dinh chua? Chua, anh :lyv~ d¢c th~ (Chua l~p gia dinh).
a a
(f) B6 m~ t6i mil!n Bcic Vi~t Nam nhung chi t6i mil!n Nam Vi~t Nam.
3 (a) Anh da ~P c6 Lan chua? Chua, t6i chua ~P c6 Lan. (b) Anh da
tham mMn Trung Vi~t Nam chua? R6i, t6i da tham mil!n Trung Vi~t
Nam r6i nhung t6i chua tham mil!n Nam Vi~t Nam. (c) Chi daxem btlc
anh cua gia dinh t6i chua? Mi. (d) Chi daxa gia dinh bao gib chua?

Key to the exercises 301

 (e) Anh dal~p gia dinh chtla? Chtla. 4 (a) 6ng Hung da di tham ch~u Au
chlia? (b) C6 Mai da ~p nhlt van Thi chlia? (c) Em Li@n da vi~t thtl cho
b6 m~ chtla? (d) Chi Helen da h9c ti@'n.g Vi~t chlia? (e) Cac b~ da chm
b6ng ban chtla? (f) Anh David da u6ng dt ph@ Vi~t Nam chtla?
5 (a) B6 m~ t6i chtla g~p tMy giao Tu1hl. (b) Anh t6i chlia chila xe d~p.
(c) C6 Li@nchlial~ch6ng. (d) Cht1ngt6i chtlaxem phim Vi~t Nam.
(e) David chliah9c bru nay. (f) M~ t6i chtla tham mMn Nam Vi~t Nam.
(g) B6 t6i chtla n6i chuy~n v& lu~t s\i Quang. 6 (a) Where is your native
place? (b) My native place is Hru PhOng. (c) Where is Hru PhOng? (d) Hru
a a
PhOng is in North Vietnam. 7 (a) Anh ~u? 'rei L~ B6n, thu d6
n\iac Anh. (Thanh ph6) Lu~ B6n th~ nao? (Thanh ph6) Lu~ B6n r:lt
a
lao nhling ~p. (b) Anh sinh d~u? 0 Ha N¢i. Anh bao nhi@u tudi? 'rei
36 tudi. (c) Anh Martin lam (ngM) gi? Anh :ly la sinh vi@n, anh Martin
h9c ti@'n.g Vi~t. Anh Martin h9c ti~ng Vi~t bao l~u? Sau thang. (d) Chi c6
m:iy anh chi em? 'rei c6 m¢t em trai va m¢t anh trai. Anh cila chi c6 gia
dl.nh kMng? Kh6ng, anh ~ la nglibi ly di vg. 8 (a) 56 - nam mlim sau,
87- bay mlim bay, 21- hai mlim m6t, 106- m¢ttram linh sau, 65- sau
mlim lam, 1996 - m¢t nghln chin tram chin mlim sau, 40 - b6n mlim,
88 - tam mlidi tam, 94 - chin mlim w, 104 - m¢t tram linh b6n,
55 - nam. mlidi lam, 6o8 - sau tram linh tam, 31 - ba mlim m6t,
17 - m tlai bay, 2735 - hai nghin bay tram ba mlidi lam, 410 - b6n tram
mli<'1i., 91- chin mlim m6t, 10- mliai. (b) hai mlidi lam- 25, chin mlim
hai- 92, nam tram - 500, tam tram linh ba - 803, mliai tam - 18,
b6n mlim m6t - 41, nam tram linh nam - 505, tam mlidi lam - 85,
sau mlidi- 6o, mliai ba - 13, m¢t tram - 1oo, bay mlidi bay- n, ba
mlim w- 34. nam. mlim lam- 55, mtlai chin- 19, b6n tram le chin-
409, b6n nghin- 4,000, sau mlidi m6t- 61, mtlai m¢t- 11, bay nghln
ba tram sau mlim lam- 7.365, nam tram linh sau- 506. 10 C6 Hoa s6ng
a a a
H~ nhling qu@ c6 :iy Hru PhOng. Hru PhOng mMn BAc Vi~t Nam.
a
Hu~ mi~n Trung Vi~t Nam. C6 Hoa tre va d~p. rn :iy c6 m¢t em trai
t@n la Vil va m¢t em gru Wn la Mai. Villa nha bao va Mai la sinh vi@n.
Vil c6 gia dl.nh r6i; vg cua Villa y ta. H9 c6 m¢t con trai. Con trai ba tudi.

Reading

(a) yes (b) no (c) yes (d) Mr Binh'shusband (e) two (f) the husband
of Mai (g) trading drm (h) her father still works, her mother is retired
(i) yes (j) to South Vietnam

302
Unit 5
Activity

(a) true (b) true (c) false (d) false (e) false (f) false

Exercises

1 (Personal responses.) 2 Today I want to go out. In the morning I like

to drink coffee. The day after tomorrow Quang has to go to the airport.
In the evening Mrs Phli<1llg likes to watch TV or listen to the radio.
Tomorrow I must repair a bicycle. Today is Sunday, I dont have to get up
early. Yesterday evening Miss Binh went to the library. 3 (a) Th\t bay dl
Hoa thtlbng lam gi? Th\t bay dl Hoa kMng di lam vi~c. (b) Budi sang em
gai anh thtlbng lam gi? Budi sang em gai Uli thtlbng ~p th~ d\lc. (c) Th\t
hai anh thtlbnglam gi? Th\t hai t5i thtlbng hQc ti@'ng Anh. (d) Chi~u th\t
sau anh Nam thtlbng lam gi? Chi~u th\t sau anh Nam thtlbng chcli b6ng
da. (e) cM nh~t dl Mai thtlbng lam gi? cM nh~t dl Mai thtlbng di tham
m('>t nglibi b~ cimg lam vi~c. (f) Khuya anh thtlbng lam gi? Khuya t5i
thtlbng dQc sach. (g) Sang th\t hai bcic si Hung thtlbng lam gi? Sang th\t
hai bac si Hung thtlbng phai d~y s&n. (h) Chi~u th\t W lu~t s\i 1'u.fu
thtlbng lam gi? Chi~u th\t W lu~t s\i Tufu thtlbng di hQp. (i) 'mi th\t bay
chi va anh b~ cua chi thtlbng lam gi? 'mi th\t bay t5i va anh b~ t5i
thtlbng di hi~u an.
4 The Mekong river is longer than the Red River. My mother is older
than my father. The D6ng Xuful market is smaller than the Mn Thanh
market. Hu@' is smaller than Hanoi. Miss Lan is the youngest in the
class. The QuE! H li<1llg restaurant is as good Oit. as tasty) as the B5ng
Sen restaurant. Chinese bicycles are better than Vietnamese bicycles.
Ho Clti Minh City is the largest city in South Vietnam. Going to the cinema
is more interesting than playing football. Vietnamese is as difdcult as
Japanese. Who is the youngest person in your family? Plane is faster than
train. Today Miss Nguy~t is more cheerful than yesterday. The Metropole
Hotel is the most luxurious in Hanoi. Britain is smaller than France.
5 (a) 'mi nay anh se lam gi? 'rei di xem phim. Con budi t6i ngay mai?
'rei phai di sful bay d6n b~ t5i. (b) Chi~u nay anh c6 r~i kMng? Kh5ng,
t5i phiti di thtl vi~. Con t6i nay? 'mi nay t5i r~i. (c) 'rei mu6n ~p 5ng
Smith. Sang mai 5ng ~y c6 r~i kMng? Sang mai 5ng Smith b~ nhling
budi chi~u 5ng ~y r~i. (d) Thanh ph6ldn nh~t (J Vi~t Nam Wn la gi? Siti

Keytotheexerclses 303
Gon, hay dU!lg h<111 Thanh ph6 H6 Chi Minh. Con Hu~ Hu@' nh6 he1n
SaiGOn va ctlng nh6 h<111 Ha. N()i. 6 (a) no (b) Wednesday at 14.00
(c) yes (d) meet a journalist (Mr Due) to discuss an article on
Vietnamese economy (e) Sunday in the afternoon 7 (a) Thanh ph6 Ha.
N()i cd h<111 Thanh ph6 H6 Chi Minh. (b) HQC ti@'ng Phcip kh6 h<111 hQc
Mng Vi~t. (c) M~ t6i gia h<111 b6 t6i. (d) Bai dQc Mm nay d~ h<111 bai dQc
Mm qua. (e) Trung tfun Ha N()i yE!n tinh h<111 trung tfun Hu@'. (f) Di nha
hat hay h<111 di r~p chi@'u b6ng.

Reading

(a) businessman (b) in the afternoon (c) he used to but nowadays prefers
to stay at home (d) rests

Unit 6
Activity

(a) true (b) false (c) false (d) true (e) false (f) true

Exercises

1 (Personal responses.) 2 (a) 'mi qua t6i vl! nha h1c mubi gib.
(b) Sang nay t6i d~yluc bay gib. (c) mun trua vao luc mubihai gib rum.
(d) 'mi thubngMt db lam vi~c vao luc bay gib ba muO'i phUt.
(e) Cita hang bach hoa mO' cita luc bay gib. (f) CO' quan hang kh6ng
Vi~t Nam lam vi~c tilluc tam gib Mn nam gib chil!u. (g) D~ sa quan
Anh d6ng cita chin gib? 3 There are many options here - Bao gib at the
beginning of the sentence requires a future time phrase and at the end
a time phrase to indicate the past tense. 4 (a) Tuiin trudc 6ng Vu<1ng da
gi 'di thi~u ba Lan vdi 6ng Baker. (b) Thang sau anh Nam se di tham quE!.
(c) Ngaykianha bao Quang se n6i vdil~t su Hung. (d) H6m quaanh
Mark da chila xe d~p mdi. (e) Chil!u qua c6 Binh da mua ve may bay.
(f) Tuiin sau thu kj se phai gQi di~n tho~ Luful D6n. (g) 'mi qua Richard
va Nam da di u6ng ca ph@. (h) Ngay mai Hoa va Maryse di tham quan
Ha N()i. (i) Thang trudc chi Hoa da n6i vdi tMy giao Diing. 5 (a) Thu sau
tuiin sau anh se di ~u? 'rei se di xem phim. (b) Tuiin trudc chi c6 di bi~n
kh6ng? Kh6ng, t6i dab~ lAm. (c) Bao gib anh se bay Mn Hu@'? Vao thu
nam tuiin sau. (d) Anh da g~p giao su Quang chua? Mi, t6i da g~p 6ng
a:y nam ngoru aPa-ri. (e) Bao gib chung ta se chO'i ten-nit? Chil!u mai.
(f) 'mi nay anh c6 ~i kMng? Ra:t ti~c, t6i di xem hat. 6 ngay m6ng hai
th.ang hi mlm m¢t nghln chin tram chin muc1i sau, ngay m6ng b6n thang
chin mlm m¢t nghln chin tram b6n muc1i chin, ngay ba muc1i m6t thang
ch~p n.am m¢t nghln chin tram chin muc1i lam, ngay muai lam thang
~P nam m¢t nghln chin tram bay mucH tu, ngay mubi sau thang nam
nam m¢t nghln chin tram tam muc1i chin, ngay mubi chin thang bay
nam m¢t nghln chin tram ba muc1i hai, ngay hai muc1i bay thang mubi
m¢t n.am m¢t nghln chin tram chin mudi, ngay m6ng bay thang muai
nam m¢t nghln chin tram nam muc1i hi, ngay mubi m¢t thang mubi m¢t
nam m¢t nghln chin tram bay mudi bay
Unit 7
Activity

(a) false (b) true (c) false (d) true (e) false

Exercises

1 Nguai ph6ng viE!n ~y vi~t hai BAI bao. M~ t6i mua muai QUA cam va
mubi QUA chanh. Em hQc sinh kia c6 nam QUY:i! v?J va hai muc1i
Tb ~Y· 'rei vita dQc xong m¢t QUY:i!N ti~u thuy~t hay. QUi! chu6i nay
ngon nhung QUA cam nay kMng ngon. ThE!n gia sach cila c6 giao c6
bao nhiE!u QUY:i!N sach? H6m nay t6i da dQc ba BAI!Tb bao. Ba mu6n
mua m~y D6I dua. CAI!NG6I nha nay mai. 'mi mua QUY:i!N tit di~
t6t. Ba cho t6i ban b6n QUA cam. 'mi c6 hai CAl ve di xem phim. CAll
CHI:i!C xe ~p cua t6i mai. 'rei mu6n mua m¢t D6I gi~. Gia dlnh t6i
c6 hai CON ch6. 2 (a) PhOng hQc c6 bay cru gM. (b) Nha t6i c6 b6n can
phOng. (c) Hi~u an c6 tam cru ban. (d) Vi~t Nam c6 nhi~u con s6ng. (e)
C6 NgQc da vi~t nam btlc thu cho t6i. 3 (a) Xin 16i, d6i dila nay gia bao
nhiE!u? 5 nghin d6ng mubi d6i. (b) Xin 16i, cru bat nay gia bao nhiE!u?
500 tram d6ng m¢t cru. (c) Xin 16i, quy~n tit di~n Vi~t-Anh nay gia bao
nhi@u? 12,ooo m¢t qu~n. (d) Xin 16i, qua chu6i nay gia bao nhi@u? z,ooo
d6ng m¢t ni'ii. (e) Xin 16i, bao thu6c la Mng Sen gia bao nhiE!u? 5,ooo
m¢t bao. (f) Xin 16i chi bia 'Halida' gia bao nhi@u? 2,ooo m¢t chai. (g)
Xin 16i, ve nha hat gia bao nhi@u? Boo d6ng m¢t cru. 4 'rei (da) khat lam;
t6i da u6ng hai c6c nuac. 6ng ba Smith chua c6 con. Anh ~y kMng d6i
1~, anh ~chi an m¢t bat sup. Ba t6i da mua vru cru d1a, vru cru bat va
nam d6i dua. Cit a hang bach hoa kMng ban d6ng M. 'mi din mua m¢t
bao thu6c la. 5 (a) B6 t6i d~n buu di~n d~ giti thu. (b) 6ng Chung d~

Key to the exercises 305

 sful bay <M ~p b~. (c) Ba Loan d@'n ch<;1 d~ mua chu6i va cam. (d) Em
gai Uli Mn thtl vi~n d~ d9c bao Mm nay. (e) Anh David mua tit di~ mai
d~ dich bai nay sang ti@'ng Anh. 6 (c) ''rei m~c thit cai ao sO' mi nay dtl<;lc
kMng?' is the correct answer. (a) means "I want to buy this shirt. Do you
have a brown one?' and (b) means 'How much is this shirt?' 7 Chao 6ng,
6ng cln gi ~· 'rei mu6n mua ao sO' mi mai. 6ng m~c s6 bao nhi~u? 41.
6ng thfch mau gi? Mau xanh nliac bi~n hay mau nAu. Gai nay dlt ~p va
kMng dAt. Cho t6i mua cai ao nay. Gia bao nhi~u? 12 nghln d6ng. Xin
giti ti~n. cam O'n. cam O'n. Xin chao. 8 ch<;l: thit ga (chicken meat), qua
xoai (mango), hi~u sach: ban d6 Vi~t Nam (a map ofVietnam), cita hang
lliu ni~m: bite anh (photographs), cita hang bach h6a: xa phong (soap),
giil:y~ sinh (toilet paper), thu6c danh rang (toothpaste), lli<;Jc (a comb),
ao len (jumper)

Reading

(a) anything (b) you can buy everything at one place (c) yes

Unit 8
Activity

(a) true (b) true (c) false (d) false

Activities

1 (a) Foreign languages publishing house (b) hotel (c) e.g. she had to
work a lot, start early and finish late, she had to do overtime and work
shifts etc. (d) it was rather small (e) yes (f) yes, from time to time (g) yes
(h) not yet but she has to learn it 2 (a) false (b) true (c) true (d) true
(e) false (f) true (g) true

Exercises

1 (a) Anh Tua:n chil:axong xe ~p. (b) M~ t6i na:u xong bil:a trlia. (c) B6
m~ t6i an sang xong. (d) Hoa vi@'txong thtl cho gia dlnh. (e) Anh David
dich xong bai bao nay sang ti@'ng Vi~t. (f) Thtl kY Li~n g9i di~n xong
di Luful D6n. (g) B6 t6i u6ng xong ca pM. (h) Em Nguy~t danh rang
xong. 2 Chi da vi@'t xong thtl cho gia dlnh chtla? Chi da na:u xong bil:a
t6i chtla? rn da gi~t xong chtla? Anh da dich xongbai t~p nay sang Mng

306
Vi~t chua? Anh da chil:a xong xe d~p cila anh chua? 3 (a) Chi Nguy~t da
Muxongbil:a tntachua? (b) Cel Hoadalam vi~cxongchua? (c) Em teli
da rita m~t xong chua? (d) 6ng ngo~ cila chi da chil:a xong qu~t may
chua? (e) Cac anh dalam vu<'nlhoaxong chua? (f) Thu kj Hoa da g9i
di~n tho~ xong chua? 4 Chu nh~t tuiin sau b~ gru nguai Vi~t cila teli
Hoa se d~ Luful Deln. Thu kj cila c{lng ty du lich 'Q~ hudng' lam vi~
riit cham chi. Con ch6 nay cila ai? 'mi nghl con ch6 nay cila anh David.
Quyl!n til!u thuy~t mai nh~t cua Dudng Thu Hudng hay lfun. C6 Nguy~t
la th u kj cua celng ty du lich nay. Deli gi1iy biin nay cua ai? Cua teli.
5 (a) Quyl!n tit dil!n Vi~t-Anh cila ai? Quyl!n tit dil!n Vi~t-Anh cila th~
giao. (b) Xe ~p mai nay cila ai? Xe ~p mai nay cila b~ teli. (c) Cru {I tel
nay cila ai? Cruel tel nay cila celng ty du lich. (d) Deli giay d~ nay cila ai?
Deli giay d~p nay cila chi Nguy~t. (e) Cru ve may bay di Hu~ cila ai? Cai
ve may bay di Hu~ cila thu kj Lan. (f) Con meo nay cua ai? Con meo nay
cua em Tuy~t. 6 (a) Bac s1 Quang d~ ~p lu~t suThao m~ liin r6i? Bac s1
Quang da g~p lu~t suThao nhi~ liin. (b) Em Ng9c da chdi ten-nit m~y
liin r6i? Em Ng9c da chdi ten-nit ba liin m9i tuiin. (c) rn giao da Mi c~u
~~~~~rn~da~~~~~h~~nda~
bru baa naym~yliin r6i? M~ teli da d9cbru bao naybaliin r6i. (e) Cel Mai
da tham ch~u Au m~y liin r6i? rn Maida tham ch~u Au m('>t liin.
7 (a) 6ng Baker c6 tham vinh H~ Long dau! (b) 'mi c6 tham thanh ph6
H~dau! (c) Anh traicilaHoac6phailabac s1dau! (d) Ce\Thy~tc6lam
vi~ ab~nh vi~n d~u!
Reading

(a) no (b) yes (c) yes (d) at 3 o'clock (e) he likes tennis (f) he likes
gardening (g) yes (h) never

Unit 9
Activity

(a) true (b) true (c) true (d) true (e) false

Activities

(a) true (b) false (c) true (d) true (e) true (f) true

(a) History museum (b) they thought they did (c) yes (d) yellow (e) a statue

Keytotheexerclses 307
 Exercises

1 (a) Chila M¢t C¢t each Lang H6 Chu tich kMng xa. (b) f)~ sa quan
Anh each trung tfun thanh ph6 mlibi phUt. (c) Kh.ach s~ Dful chu each
Nha hat Ian m~ met. (d) Sful bay N¢i Bru each trung t1lm Ha N¢i 50 km.
(e) lhlivi~n Qu6c giaeach Tru<'1ngd~h9c t6nghc;tp 2km. (f) rnng
viE!n each chg B6ng Xuful xa lAm. (g) van phOng hang kh6ng Vi~t Nam
each khach s~ Metropole 500 m. (h) Chua Hlidllg each Ha N6i 70 km.
(i) BC1 bil!n each Sru Gon hem too km. (j) Ngful hang each an kha xa.
(k) Vi~n bao tang my th~t each Van Mi@'u chi ~y met th6i. 2 (a) Chua
M¢t C¢t each d~ sa quan Phap bao xa? (b) C6ng viE!n each chg bao xa?
(c) Hi~u sach cachcitahangbachh6a baoxa? (d) Ngfulhangeach nha
hat bao xa? (e) Bliu di~n each b~nh vi~n bao xa? 3 (a) Di tit nha anh Mn
ce1 quan anh ma:t bao l~u? (b) Di tit dmg Hru PhOng d@'n vinh H~ Long
ma:t bao l~u? (c) Di tit chg Mn Thanh d~ khach s~ Rex ma:t bao l~u?
(d) Di tit sful bay Thn Sdll Nha:t d@'n ph6 Nguy~n H~ ma:t bao l~u? (e)
Di tit bC1 s6ng H6ng Mn vi~n bao tang ngh~ thu~t ma:t bao l~u? (f) Di tit
h6 Thy d@'n d~n Ng9c Sdll ma:t bao l~u? 4 (a) Dful s6 Vi~t Nam khoang
68 tri~u. (b) M¢t ki 16 cam gia khoang d¢ 2 v~ d6ng. (c) Sful bay each
khach s~ Metropole khoang 30 km. (d) Anh Peter da h9c ti@'ng Vi~t
khoang d¢ 6 thang. (e) Bac si Tha:n lam vi~c ab~nh vi~n d¢ 5 nam. (f) Bi
tit trung t1lm thanh ph6 d@'n nha ga ma:t khoang d¢ 5 phUt. 5 Wake up!
Let's return home! Don't work too hard! Let's go for a walk! Please drink
some beer. Don't smoke here! Let's go to the cinema! Nam, don't stay up
late! 6 Anh an k~o di! 6ng u6ng bia di! Em ditng xem phim! Anh hay
d9c bao Mm nay di! C6 hay h9c ti@'ng Nga. C6 di tham b~ di! Chi u6ng
ca phi! di! Anh eM di du lich Vi~t Nam! C5 ditng mua tit dii!n mai. 6ng
hay di b¢ di! Chi ditng ~y sam! Em ditng di chcli xa. Anh hay dich bru
nay. C6 hay rita ~t di! Chi nghi di! Em ditng dilng may tlnh cila t6i! Ba
chalam vi~ theo ca. 7 Anh ditng hUt ad~y! Chung ta di xem phim t6i
nay di. Bitng mua em xe ~p nay, n6 <!At qua. Anh ditng rna cita s6, troi
dt 1~. Anh ditng di nhanh nhli th@', t6i m~t lAm! Anh vi@'t thtl cho gia
dinh di. ca:m hUt thu6c la! Xin m<'1i chi vao va ng6i chcli. Chi ditng lo,
anh Peter se d@'n d~y dting gi<'1. C5 ditng bu6n, anh a:y se g9i di~n tho~
cho c6. Anh hay g~p t6i chi~u mai tr\iac btlu di~n. Em hay tra 1<'1i c~u hOi
cua t6i! Anh ditng mua em ao sO' mi mau dO, mua em ao mau n~u di. Em
hay rita tay tr\iac khi an cam. Anh hay d6ng cita di! 8 (a) Excuse me, can
you tell me (lit. allow me to ask) where the army museum is? I don't

308
know either. I am a foreigner. I have only just arrived in Hanoi. (b) Please
can you tell me where the Ly Thu<'nlg Ki~t street is? Go straight along
this road until the crossroads, then tum right. Thank you very much.
9 (a) Xin l~i anh, d@'n nha ga phiti di dubng nao ~? Nha ga akh ~Y kha
xa. Chi n~n H1y xich 15; di xich 15 chi rn.a:t nAm phUt th5i. Cam dn anh.
a
(b) Chi Hoa c6 bi@'t ngful hang giin nMt ~u kMng? C6, n6 kha giin.
Anh cu di th~g d@'n cu6i du<'nlg nay va re phiti. Di Mp Mn den xanh
a
den dO, qua dubng va anh se th~y b~n phiti m('>t ng5i nha to mau tn1ng.
D6la ngful hang. cam dn chi. KMng c6 gi. 10 Xin l~i, d@'n X phiti di
du<'nlg nao ~?(a) ngfulhang g1in nMt (b) nha ga (c) D~ su quan Phap
(d) Tru<'nlg d~ h9c t6ng hQp Ha N¢i (e) buu di~n (f) b~nh vi~n (g) hi~u
thu6c (h) cita hang bach hoa (i) vi~n bao tang ngh~ thu~t, vi~n bao tang
myth~t11

c(m chlJ.p anh

NO PHOTOGRAPHS!

c(m hut thu6c

NO SMOKING!

C(md6xe
NO PARKING!

Reading

(a) plane (b) yes (c) visit Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, Van Mieu, Ho Tay...
(d) yes (e) s5ng Hudng, s5ng Ti~n (f) yes

Unit 10
Activity

(a) false (b) false (c) true (d) false (e) false (f) true

Exercises

1 He is sitting in the room. Hoa is standing by the window. There are

several sheets of paper in the drawer. I must hang up this new dress
in the wardrobe. The teacher placed a dictionary on the table. In the

Key to the exercises 309

 bedroom there are two beds. On the shelf there are many dictionaries
and many books in Vietnamese. 2 Xin anh ng6i T~N gM. May truyl!n
hinh d~t T~N ban. TRONG phOng tam c6 m¢t cai may gi~t. Hai ban
d6 treo T~N tuemg. TRONG phOng la m¢t b¢ ban gM. 3 Ng6i nha
cua cht1ng t6i d6i di~n vdi nha ga. H6m qua t6i da g~p 6ng a:y tnidc btlu
di~n. Trong phOng ngil cua t6i c6 m¢t cai gitlbng, hai cai gM va m¢t cai
til ao. T~n dtlbng ph6 Hu~ c6 nhi~u xe d~p va xe 6 t6. (0) giila thanh
ph6 Ha N¢i c6 c6ng viE!n ldn vdi nhMu ciiy. Sau gib h9c Mng Vi~t cMng
a
t6i thtlbng u6ng ca phi! m¢t hi~u an. Trang phOng cia t6i kMng c6
ti-vi, chi c6 m¢t cai ra-di-6 nh6 d~t tr@n ban bE!n ~ cai gitlbng cua t6i.
'mi Mm qua t6i di xem phim.; t6i da ng6i giila em gai t6i va b~ gai t6i
Hoa. Sau bila trtla t6i thtlbng di d~o hay d9c sach m¢t chut. Trude bila
sang t6i thtlbng t~p th~ d1,1c. Sau nha t6i kMng c6 vtlbn. 'rei se g~p anh
vao luc 5 gia tnidc nha hat. ThE!n ban c6 hai cai c6c. Sau nha hat c6 m¢t
quang truang nh6. C6 hai hac tranh treo tr@n ttlbng bE!n c~ cita sd.
Hi~u an 'QuE! ht1<111g' bE!n c~ b~nh vi~n. Trude nha cua chi c6 ciiy nao
kMng? 4 (a) 'rei kMng thich cai d6ng M Mng b~c, t6i thich cai d6ng M
Mng vang he1n. (b) 'mi kMng thich cai l9 hoa b~g su, t6i thich cai l9
hoa b~g thuy tinh hdn. (c) 'rei kMng thich d6i dila b~g nh\ia, t6i thich
d6i dila b~g g6 h<111. (d) 'rei kMng thich chi~c nh!n b~g b~c, t6i thich
chi&: nhful b~g vang hdn. (e) 'rei kMng thich ao Sd mi ~g Mng, t6i
thich ao Sd mi b~g ll,la h<111. (f) 'rei kMng thich hac tranh b~g ll,la,
t6i thich hac tranh b~g sdn mru h<111. (g) 'mi kMng thich cai a:m tra
b~g thuy tinh, t6i thich cai a:m tra b~g su he1n. (h) 'mi kMng thich cai
gMb~g nh\ia t6i thich cai gMb~g g6 hdn. (i) 'rei kMng thich ng6i
nha b~g xi mang, t6i thich ng6i nha b~ ~ch h<111. 5 Here are some
possibilities: phOng ngil (bedroom) gitlbng (bed) phOng an: tU bat dia
(a dresser- crockery cupboard) phOng Mp: tU 1~ (fridge) phOng
khach: M ban gM (tables and chairs), may ghi lim (tape recorder) phOng
tam: (bathroom) may gi~t (washing machine), ban vi~t (writing table),
gia sach (bookshelf), gt1<1ng (mirror) d6ng M (clock) 6 Xin anh giii
cho t6i m¢t hac btlu anh tit Vi~t Nam. Anh c6 th~ giup t6i kMng? Anh
lam <111 n6i to lE!n? Anh lam dn di vdi t6i Mn thtl vi~n, t6i s<;1 t6i se bt l~c
dtlbng. Xin mai vao va ng6i xu6ng. 6ng lam dn eM m¢t ti. 7 6ng ba
a
Parker s6ng Luiin B6n. N g6i nha cia h9 g:in nha ga Victoria. Dtldi
gac c6 m¢t phOng khach sang, phOng b~p va m¢t phOng lam vi~ nh6.
TrE!n gac c6 ba phOng ngil. PhOng ngil ldn nha:t cila 6ng ba Parker.
PhOng ngil thu hai cua anh Peter, con trai nh6 nha:t cia hQ, can anh

310
 a
trai cua anh Peter, Matthew trong phOng ngil nh6 nhil:t. Sau nhlt c6
m¢t cai. wan r¢ng. 6ng Parker gh.et lam wan nhling vg cua 6ng dt
thich lam wan.

Reading

(a) two (b) both (c) near the West Lake (Ho Thy) (d) yes (e) no

Unit 11
Activities

(a) headache, cough, runny nose (b) last night he had a temperature but
not today (c) no (d) three times a day (e) no (f) no

(a) true (b) false (c) false (d) false (e) true (f) false (g) false

Exercises

1 (a) 6ng Thfu lam sao? 6ng Thfu bi ch6ng m~t. (b) Em gai. anh lam
sao? Em gai t6i bi s6t cao. (c) B6 anh Bich lam sao? B6 anh Bich hi 6m
~g. (d) C6 giao Li@n lam sao? C6 giao Li@n bi dau rang. (e) 6ng Baker
lam sao? 6ng Baker bi ho. (f) Con gai anh lam sao? Con gai t6i hi cam.
2 (a) H6m nay anh Hilng kMng di lam dtlgc vi bi vi@m h9ng. (b) H6m
nay b6 t6i kMng di lam dtlgc vi bi b~nh tim. (c) H6m nay em gai t6i
kMng di lam dligc vi bi dau rang. (d) H6m nay m~ t6i kMng di lam dligc
vi bi s6t. (e) H6m nay nha bao Hilng kMng di lam dtlgc vi bi gay chful.
(f) H6m nay thtl kY Lan kMng di lam dtlgc vi bi nh<t tau. 3 'mi kh6ng
di h9c vi t6i bi 6m. Vi d6ng h6 t6i ch~ n@n t6i d@'n mu¢n. Vi t6i nh~
thtl cila gia dinh n@n t6i vui th~. 'mi c1in mua hoa qua Wcli n@n t6i mu6n
di chg. 6ng a:y bu6n vi vg cua 6ng a:y 6m. 'midi b~nh vi~n vi t6i mu6n
tham b~ t6i. 'mi b~ qua n@n t6i kh6ng di xem phim. 'mi kh6ng mua
hoa cho m~ vi t6i qu@n. 4 (a) Vi ti~ng Vi~t kh6 n@n t6i phai. h9c nhi~u.
(b) Vi thanh ph6 H~ d~ n@n nhi~u nglibi n\iac ngoai di tham. (c) Vi
Mm nay c6 Hoa b~ n@n t6i kh6ng tM ~p c6. (d) Vi hi~u an nay dt t6t
ac
n@n hi~u an nay th liang d6ng nglibi. (e) Vi t6i bi nh ~u n@n Wi phai.
di tham hac si. (f) Vi t6i chtla mua xe d~p n@n t6i phai. di b¢. (g) Vi t6i
nh~ dtlgc thtl cila gia dinh n@n t6i vui. (h) Vi anh a:y m~t n@n t6i qua anh
a:y di ngil sam. 5 (a) 'mi dtlgc b~ t6i mbi di xem hat. (b) C6 Lan- thtl

Key to the exercises 311

 kY cua C6ng ty du ijch Ha. N()i- dugc khach du ijch khen. (c) H6m
qua t6i d@'n. mu()n. 'rei bi c6 giao ph@ binh. (d) Ti~u thuy@'t m6'i nh:lt cua
Due1ng Thu Hue1ng dugc cac nha ph@ binh thfch. (e) 'rei phai di Mn
b~nh vi~n vi t6i bi con ch6 cila t6i cln. 6 She received a beautiful flower.
My shoes are dirty. The first year students went to Da 4t. On the way to
the bank Mr Baker got caught in the rain. Yesterday I got a letter from
my parents. He has to stay (lit. 1ie') in the hospital because he is seriously
ill. 7 Anh dilng l~n 16'p. Anh hay n~ t~ giuang, u6ng tra n6ng va u6ng
thu6c nay. Ngay mai anh se aim th:ly t6t he1n. Budi chi~ thu bay t6i da
chO'i b6ng da v6'i cac b~ cita t6i Khi t6i vl! nha, t6i bi dau chful va budi
sang ngay sau t6i da phai di kham b~nh. Chi dilng lo, kh6ng c6 gi nghi~m
tr<;>ng d~u- chi bi cU.m. 'rei bi dau db, anh c6 thu6c dau <:Uu nao kh6ng?
Th:in tr116'c t6i da chO'i b6ng da va t6i bi gay~ 8 (Personal responses.)
91hai ti@'t anu6'c Anh thuang .xa:u. Vi th@' nhil!u ng11<'1i di b<'1 bi~. 'mi dt
ti@'c la da kh6ng Mn tham chj. t6i bi m~t him. 'mi phai di chg vi t6i nay t6i
se c6 khach. 'mi kh6ng di xem phim vi t6i da xem b() phim :iy r6i. Anh
da g~p vg cila 6ng :iy chua? Chua, t6i chua g~p vg cila 6ng :iyvi t6i bi 6m.
Hay vi@'t thu cho anh :iy vi t6i q~n s6 di~n tho~ cila anh :iy r6i. Vi b~
vi~ each ~y kh6ng xa n~n chung t6i kh6ng c:1n di Mng xe 6 t6. Nhil!u
ng11<'1i nu6'c ngoru mu6n tham Ha N()i vi Ha N()i la m()t thanh ph6 ~P
him. Ng11<'1i Vi~t Nam thuang dixe ~P vi n6 thu~ ti~nlc1m.10 (c) Thua
bac sl, t6i bi dau b\lng 11 (a) Anh bi lam sao? 'mi bi nhuc <:Uu va con bi dau
b\lng mla Anh c6 bi s6t kh6ng? Kh6ng, t6i kh6ng bi s6t. Anh hay vl! nha
va nghi. va u6ng thu6c nay m~i ngay ba l:tn. (b) C6 di ~u d:ly? 'rei di Mn
b~nh vi~n tham b~ gai cila t6i. B~ gai cila c6 bi lam sao? B~ gai cila
t6i bi gay cMn; c6 :iy phai ~vi~ m()t tu:1n. (c) C6 Helen, c6 c6 thu6c
dau <:Uu kh6ng? Xin 16i, t6i kh6ng c6. Nhung t6i c6 th~ di hi~u thu6c mua
thu6c dau <:Uu. cam e1n c6. (d) Ba lam sao? 'rei kh6ng bi@'t chAc chAn. 'rei
aim th:ly m~t va ch6ng ~t. Ba n~n di kham b~nh. 'mi bi@'t r6i 'mi da gQi
di~n d@'n. b~nh vi~n r6i va budi chil!u t6i se Mn d6.

Unit 12
Activities

(a) yes (b) a glass oflemonade (c) a little (d) no (e) a Vietnamese
restaurant; David's (f) Vietnamese cuisine (g) maybe a little

(a) false (b) true (c) true (d) true

312
Exercises

1 (a) M6nnemran nayngon tuy~t. (b) PMbO naym~qua. (c) ca.

ph@ nay ng<:>t him. (d) Bia nay ngon nhling kMng 1~. (e) M6n ga xao
dua cay lAm nhling ngon tuy~t. (f) Rau nay kMng Wdi. 2 (Personal
responses.) 3 (a) N~u chung t5i kMng di nhanh hdn thi cMng t5i nhCI'
tau. (b)N~u anhkMngbOMtthu6cthi anh bi6mn~g. (c) N~u anh
c6 ti~ thi anh se di du lich. (d) N~ chi kMng vi~t thtl cho gia dinh thl
a
b6 m~ chi se bu6n. (e) N~u trai mlia thl chtlng t5i nha. (f) N~u t5i r6i
thl t5i se di ~0. 4 (a) M~ t6i MU dtlQ'C nhi~u m6n an d~c san Vi~t Nam
ngon tu~t. 'mi thich an nem ran, em trai t6i thfch t6m xao hdn can b6
t6i thich an thit ga chua ng<:>t. N~u chi mu6n lam (na:u) nem ran thl chi
cfut thit, mi~n, rau, mu6i, h~t ti@u va vai thu gia vi khac. Anh David an
chay, anh a:y kh6ng an thit. 'rei thich ca ph@ da vai m¢t it dtlang. N\iac
btlai nay 1~ qua. VQ' t5i kh5ng thich MU cdm; chtlng t5i thtlang an (j
hi~u an. Chtlng ta mua nhilng qua cam nay di, nhilng qua nay Wdi va c6
nhi~u nliac. Em lam e1n giup t5i d9n ban? 'mi kh5ng bi~t an Mng dila.
Anh u6ng bia hay n\iac khoang? (b) 'rei kh5ng thl! mua dtlQ'c xe 5 t5 mai
vi t5i kh5ng du ti~n. D@m qua ~p chi~u b6ng ra:t d5ng (nglibi). Bu6i
sang t5i di b¢ d~n Cd quan vi t5i gh.et xe 5 t5 Myt d5ng nglibi. Gia sach
nay qua nhi~u sach. Hi~u an 'Hoa Sen thtlang d6ng nglibi nhling
d@m qua dt vcing. Cai c6c nay da:y n\iac cam. Nha hat da ra:t d6ng.
5 N~u anh kh6ng thich ca thi hay an thit bOvey. N~u chi kh6ng mu6n
g~p 6ng a:y thi hay vi~t thtl cho 6ng a:y ~y. N~u Mm nay b~ thl c6 hay
di tham anh a:y ngay mai v~y. N~u anh kh6ng du ti~n dl! mua xe ~p mai
thl hay mua xe ~p ct1 v~y. N~u chi kh5ng thich cai ao sd mi mau do thl
hay mua em ao mau nAu v~y. N~u anh kh5ng mu6n xem ti vi thl xin mai
anh d~n tham t5i vey. 6 (a) Hello. Please come in. What do you want to
drink? Tea or coffee? Coffee. Do you take sugar? No, thank you. (b) This
meal is really delicious! Do you know how to cook? I do but only a little.
Could you help me make some spring rolls? You go to buy groceries and
I prepare for making the spring rolls.

Reading

(a) nearly one hundred (b) s6ng Hlidng (the Perfume River)
(c) Buddhism (d) because of its connection with Buddhism

Key to the exercises 313

 Unit 13
Activity

(a) South Vietnam (b) yes (c) to check the weather forecast (d) cloudy,
rain, average temperature 180 degrees

Exercises

1 Do you like spring? I like it a lot because the weather is warm. What do
you do when it rains? When it rains I like to stay at home reading a book
or watching TV. Have you heard the weather forecast for tomorrow?
Tomorrow in the afternoon it will rain. In the spring there is often drizzle.
What is the climate of Da ~t like? It is cool but often foggy. Have you
read the weather forecast for tomorrow? 2 When I am free I like playing
tennis. When my mother still worked, she had to get up very early. When
I was still young I liked playing with a doll. When Mr Quang was still
studying at the university he had to rent a small room. When she does
not want to cook, Miss Dao often goes to the B6ng Sen restaurant. When
it rains I don't like going out for a walk. 3 (a) Khi thtl kj H6ng phailam
vi~c sau giC1lam vi~c thi c6 ~ riit m~t. (b) Khi chi Helen v~ ntldc thi chi
il:y se mang theo nhi~u stkh bq ti~ng Vi~t. (c) Khi anh David ra chg
thi anh ~ bi l~c dt1C1ng. (d) Khi trC1i mtla thi chung t6i phiti m~c ao mtla.
(e) Khi em gai t6i di btlu di~n thi em ~ mua hai con tern cho t6i. (f) Khi
giam d6c Cfing ty du lich sang ntldc Anh thi 6ng il:y ~p 6ng Baker.
(g) Khi em t6i bi gay chful thi em phiti ncbn. b~ vi~n ba tufut. 4 Chi
dl:ing deo em vong nay Mn truC1ng. Hay ~c quiln ao 1l:m trtldc khi di ra
ngoru. vao mila d6ng anh phai di gang tay vi trC1i 1~ qua. Ngt1C1i deo
kfnh dang b~n c~ d:ia ra vao la em trai cua t6i. Anh ~c thl:i ao sd mi
nay di. aic c6 gru Vi~t Nam kMng thfch ~c ao dai, hQ thich m~c ao
eMu Au hdn. ~ sao anh kMng deo d6ng h6 cila anh? D6ng h6 bi hOng.
C6 m~c ao bdi vao va chung ta ra bil!n bdi di. 5 The questions have no
specific correct answers. 6 (a) Khach s~ nay kMng nhitng t6t rna con
thl$1 ti~n nita. (b) Ky stl Hao kMng nhitng th6ng minh rna con lam
vi~c nhi~u. (c) Anh trai t6i kh6ng nh itng thich fun nh~c rna con thich thl!
thao nita. (d) Tl:i dil!n ti~ng Vi~t nay kMng nhitng mdi rna con t6t.
(e) Mila he aVi~t Nam kh6ng nhitng n6ng rna con nang nita. (f) Thanh
ph6 Hu~kMng nhitng c6 rna con y~n tinh nita. (g) Phim nay kMng

314
nhitng dai qua rna con chan. (h) C6ng ty du lich kMng nhitng 1&1 rna
con t6t. (i) Qila du du nay kMng nhitng hi<1i rna con ng9t h1m. (j) M6n
mi xao nay kMng nhitng kMng ngon rna con m~ nita. (k) Ti@'ng Vi~t
kMng nhitng hay rna con kh6. 0) Cel Loan khelng nhitng bi@'t ti@'ng Anh
rna con bi@'t Mng Phcip nita. (m) Hi~u an 'Selng H6ng' kh6ng nhitng
ngon rna con re ti~. (n) Th<'1i. ti@'t khe\ng nhitng mt!a rna con c6 St!<1ng
mil. 7 This exercise has many possible answers. 8 (a) Anh c6 di ch<1i
kh6ng? KMng, troi khong nhitng 1~ rna c<'>n Mt Mu mt!a nita. (b) Th<'1i
Mt (J nt!ac Anh tM nao? Tr<'1i da kha ibn nht!ng c6 gi6. Tr<'1i c6 mt!a
nhil!u khelng? KMng, tr<'1i khelng mt!a nhil!u. (c) Anh ditng qu@n mang
theo ao mt!a. ~ sao? 'fr<'1i dang n6ng va nang rna. Nht!ng theo d\i bao
th<'1i ti@'t budi chil!u troi se mt!a. 9, 10 Personal responses.

Unit 14
Activity

(a) true (b) true (c) true (d) false (e) false

Activities

(a) no (b) Lan (c) bank, she does not know (d) yes
(a) false (b) false (c) true

Exercises

1 You should try this jumper on. You should not stay up late. I am free
today, we can go to the cinema. I cannot drive a car yet. Tomorrow
morning I have to get up early. She needs to wash this dirty suit. My
mother has to work shifts. The rainy season is coming, you should buy a
raincoat. You should stay at home and rest. 2 Chung teli phai (n@n) cam
<1n chi ~· Ngay mai teli cfu1 di cita hang bach h6a. T~ sao anh mu6n h9c
ti@'ng Vi~t? Cac anh khelng n@n thac khuya. 'rei m~t qua, teli phai ngil. 'rei
khat lam, teli mu6n u6ng nt!ac. C6 n@n di xem mua r6i nt!ac Vi~t Nam.
'rei khelng mu6n di tham vi~n bao tang ngh~ thu~t. M~ teli phiti lam vi~c
theo ca. 6ng Chung mu6n ~p giao st! Tri. 3 Introduce each sentence
by 'Ngay mai teli n@n .. : or by 'Ngay mai teli phiti .. : 4 Anh ho nhil!u,
anh n@n b6 Mt thu6c. 'rei c1hl n6i chuy~n vai anh Nam. Chung ta n@n
an nhil!u rau h<1n. N@'u anh mu6n khoe anh n@n ch<1i th~ thao. B6 m~
teli mu6n mua xe el tel mai. Anh ~y bi s6t. Chi n@n g9i xe c~p cau. Nhil!u

Key to the exercises 315

khach du Itch mu6n tham vtnh H~ Long. Chi khelng n@n an nhil!u dubng
nhu th@. 'rei em c6 du khelng? Khelng, chi khelng em c6 du. 'rei c:1n m()t
quy~ tit di~n Vi~t Anh m6'i, quy~n nay cu qua. Anh phiti di xem phim
'f)elng Du<1ng'. N6 hay lam. Tnt6'c khi di Vi~t Nam anh n@n mua thu6c
phOng b~nh s6t ret. 6ng khelng n@n hUt thu6c adiiy! Ngay mai eel ~y
khelng phai l@n 16'p. Hang ngay m~ teli phai ~u c<1rn.. Anh phai hOi anh
~y vl! chuy@'n di tham Vi~t Nam cua anh ~y. Em c6 th~ dich dugc bru bao
nay sang ti@'ng Vi~t khelng? Helm nay trbi 1~. Chi n@n ~c ao len.
5 (a) M~ teli t\( may ao sCI mi nay. (b) 'mi qua teli di tham Van Mi@'u m()t
minh. (c) Thm qua teli Mnl6'p h9c ti@'ng Anh m()t minh. (d) 'mi qua teli
di xem hat m()t minh. (e) Em gai teli t\i vi@'t bru t~p anha. (f) 'rei di u6ng
ca ph@ m()t minh. (g) 'rei di tit siin bay vl! diiy m()t minh. (h) 'rei aphOng
m()t minh. (i) M~ t\i d9n ban an. 6 Ai quet phOng nay? 'rei t\( quet phOng
nay. 'rei thich lam vi~c m()t minh h<1n. Em gai teli bi 6m n@n teli phai di
tham b6 m~ m()t minh. 'rei ghet di xem phim m()t minh. Bru d9c nay
kh6 qua, teli khelng th~ t\( dich dug c. Khi teli vao phOng, eel ~y dang ng6i
m()t minh. 'rei dang b~ anh phai t\( n~u wm. 'mi qua Lan anha m()t
minh. 7 A-lei! C6 phiti diiy la khach s~ Bb H6 khelng ~? D~ phai, khach
s~ Bb H6 diiy. Anh mu6n n6i v6'i ai? Lam <111 cho teli n6i chuy~n v6'i c{l
Lan. Xin 16i, eel Lan khelng c6 adiiy. Anh c6 nhlbl gi khelng? D~ khelng,
teli khelng mu6n nhlbl gi.

Reading

(a) China, Laos, Cambodia (b) Chila M()t C()t, van Mi@'u, dl!n Ng9c S<1n
(c) Buddhism, vegetarian cuisine (d) selng Cilu Long (the Meking river)

Unit 15
Activities

(a) true (b) false (c) true (d) true (e) true (f) false
Anh c6 mu6n gi!i thu bao dam khelng? Khelng, thu thubng theli. diiya
c6 ban buu anh khelng? C6 cha, mbi anh ch9n. Thu di Luiin f)eln m~t
bao liiu? Ba tum.

Activity

(a) true (b) true (c) true (d) false (e) true (f) false
Exercises

1 Follow the example in the exercise. 2 Follow the example in the

exercise. 3 Plane tickets are getting more expensive day by day.
The more we read, the more we know about Vietnamese literature.
Ifhe can come, the happier we will be. The spring is coming, the weather
is getting warmer day by day. In the winter the flowers are getting more
expensive day by day. Riding a bike in the centre of Hanoi is getting
harder and harder day by day. 4 Ngoru thich d<;>c sach ra, bac s1 Chung
cilng thfch xem phim kinh eli. N goru mua ao sO' mi mai ra, m~ teli can
mua ao len mai nita. Ngoru di du Itch Being Nam Ara, b~ teli cilng
tham Trung Qu6c. Ngoai nhitng di tfch Itch sit, Ha. N¢i cilng c6 nhi~u
phong ainh dt d~p. Ngoai vi~c c6 nhi~u bai bi~ Vi~t Nam cilng c6
nhi~u day nui cao. Ngoai vi~c thfch an cO'm Vi~t Nam ra, b6 teli cilng
thich an cO'm eMu Au nita. 5 B6 m~ teli ngay cang gia. Gang chO'i th~
thao, anh cang khoe. Gang nhi~u khach du lich d~n tham Vi~t Nam cang
t6t. Khi teli s6ng (J Vi~t Nam ti~ng Vi~t cia teli cang ngay cang ti~n b¢
hO'n. Gang nhi~u ngtlai d~n d\1 budi ti~c sinh nh~t cua teli thl. cang vui.
PhOng khcich s~ cang 1&1 cang <!At. PhOng cang 1&1 cang ti~n nghi.
Gang t~p nhi~u, each phcit fun Mng Vi~t cua anh cang t6t. 6 Personal
responses. 7 (b) 8 'rei phai di buu di~n d~ - g<;>i di~n cho b6 m~ teli - giii
bite di~n khfu- mua tern, phong bl. va ~y vi~t thu - giii thu bao dam di
nuac Anh- hOi thu di ch~u Au mil:t bao l~u? - mua vai buu anh ch1,1p Ha
N¢i- giii buu ph;im cho b~ teli

9 Mary Thu di Anh mil:t bao l~u?

Nhilnvi~n Thu di Anh ma:t khoang ba tufu.
Mary (J d~ c6 ban buu anh khelng?
Nhilnvi~n C6 eM, buu anh ~y. Mai chi ch<;>n.
Mary Tilt di bao nhi~u ti~n?
Nhilnvi~n Tilt di 35 nghl.n d6ng.

10 (a) 'rei mu6n mua hai con tern. Xin l~i, (J ~y khelng ban tern. 'rei c6
th~ mua tern (J d~u? Anh phai di buu di~. (b) 6ng Smith, elng c6 hai
bite thu. Bac thu nay bao dam, elng em I<y t~ (J d~. Con d~y la m¢t buu
anh cho elng nita.

Keytotheexerclses 317
Unit 16
Activities

(a) he broke his leg (b) photography and tourism (c) it is too dangerous
(d) no (e) Central Vietnam

(a) true (b) true (c) true (d) false (e) true (f) true

Activities

(a) go to see an exhibition (b) going to a concert with his wife (c) not
really (d) rock (e) staying at home watching TV or going out with friends
(f) because his wife went to see a horror film with him.
(a) true (b) true (c) true

Exercises

1 I often listen to the news and practise Vietnamese at the same time.
Than drives while listening to music. Mai often cooks and sings at the
same time. Ngoc often reads newspapers while eating her breakfast. My
parents talk to each other and watch TV at the same time. 2 (a) Start
your answer with 'rei thich ... 3 (a) Em Hoa va b6 m~ thubng di chO'i vai
nhau. (b) 6ng Himgva bac si Quang thubng chO'i cb vai nhau. (c) Anh
David va anh Mark h9c ti@'n.g Vi~t vai nhau. (d) 'frong lap h9c t6i va chi
Li@n ng6i b@n ~ nhau. 4 ~c du t6i gh.et th~ thao nhung thinh thoang
t6i phlti xem b6ng da vai ch6ng t6i. Du trbi 1~ nhung b6 t6i vAn can
lam wan. ~c du ng6i nha ~ d~p lfun nhung t6i vAn kMng mu6n thu@
vi n6 each xa cO' quan cua t6i. Du t6i chua bao gib thAm Vi~t Nam
a
nhung t6i c6 nhi~u b~ d6. Thy b6 t6i 70 tudi nhung 6ng ~y vAn khoe.
a
Du t6i thich lam vi~ khcich s~ (nhung) t6i kh6ng thich lam vi~c
theo ca. M~c du m~t 1fun nhung em trai t6i vAn d~n d\1 budi ti~.
a
5 (a) Khi t6i bu6n t6i thfch- nghe fun nh~c c6 di~n- nha va di ngil
sam - di ~P cac b~ t6i - xem phim kinh cij tr@n ti vi - d9c sach (b)
Anh c6 thich X kh6ng? - nh~c rock- chO'i th~ thao -lam wbn- d9c
ti~u thuy~t Itch sit - di du Itch - chO'i cC1 - MU CO'm - xem b6ng da tr@n ti
a
vi - di chO'i trong c6ng vi@n - c~u ca (c) 'rei ghet X vi -lai xe trung tfun
thanh ph6/trung tfun thanh ph6 thuemg d6ng qua- chO'i b6ng da/n6
nguy hi~m qua- MU cO'm/n6 m~t nhi~u thbi gian- fun nh~c c6
di~n/dt chan- Mn mu()n/ Mn mu()n kMng lich sl,t- boil t6i boi kMng
gi6i him 6 'rei d@'n mu()n. May rna t6i tim tMy di~n tho~ c6ng c()ng va
g9i di~n cho anh :iy. Xe d~p cua t6i bi h6ng. May ma b6 t6i da giup t6i
chil:a xe d~p. ChUng t6i qu@n mang ao mua. May ma trbi da kMng mua.
'rei bi l~c. May ma t6i da g~p m()t c6 bi@'t n6i ti@'ng Anh va c6 ~Y da giup
t6i.

Reading

(a) yes (at 14.00 on VTV1). (b) yes (at 21.00 on VTV1). (c) at 7.25 on
VTV1. (d) traditional Vietnamese art. (e) yes (for example, at 12.30 on
VTV2 or a cartoon at u.oo on VTV2).

Unit 17
Activities

(a) yes (b) two more months (c) he is writing a travel guide and learning
Vietnamese (d) he is learning Vietnamese (e) at the end of next month
(f) fill in an application form and bring a letter from his school

(a) true (b) true (c) false (d) false (e) true (f) true

Exercises

1 (a) Last year I visited South Vietnam in order to see the Mekong delta.
(b) The performance is about to start. Let's go in! (c) Last year Minh
(Overseas Vietnam) went over to Vietnam to travel and to visit relatives.
(d) Nam! Come downstairs, you have a visitor! (e) Please come in (into
my room). Please sit down. (f) Every morning very early my mum goes
to the market. (g) It is very sunny, let's go out into the garden. 2 (a) Nam
qua t6i di Hu@' Mng tau h6a. (b) Em gru t6i da v~ qu@ huong b~g xe 6
a
t6. (c) Nhil:ng ng11<'1i tre Vi~t Nam thich di b~g xe may. (d) Giao su
Chung vao mi~n Nam b~g may bay. (e) M~ t6i thuang ra chg ~g xich
a
16. (f) Nhi~u ng11<'1i Lu~ B6n di lam vi~ b~g xe di~n n~. (g) 'rei se
sang Vi~t Nam b~g may bay. 3 Hang ngay t6i di lam vi~c b~g tau h6a.
Nam ngoru t6i da di tit Vi~t Nam Mn Cam-pu-chi-a b~g may bay. 'rei
kMng thich di b~g xe di~ ngiim vi n6lu6n lu6n d6ng qua. Ng11bi Vi~t
Nam thuang di lamb~ xe d~p ho~c xich 16. 'rei thuang bi 6m khi di

Key to the exercises 319

 Mng tau thuy. Vi~t Nam chtla c6 xe di~n ngfun. Mila he nam ngmti teli
da di tham quan vtnh H~ Long Mng thuyl!n. Bi tit nha Wi Mn cO' quan
m:lt mliai phU.t Mng xe el W bU.yt hay ba mliO'i phU.t di b¢. B6 teli th liang
ra sful bay bcmg xe tic xi. 4 (a) C6 giao di d~u vl!? Cel giao di h9p vl!.
(b) M~ anh di d~u vl!? M~ teli di ch<;1 mua rau qua tl:!O'i vl!. (c) Anh trai
cua anh di ~u vl!? Anh trai teli di du 1ich Being NamA vl!. (d) Chi Mai di
d~u vl!? Chi Mai di chO'i vl!. (e) cac sinh viE!n di d~u vl!? cac sinh viE!n di
tham quan H¢i An vl!. (f) Chi Ng9c di ~u vl!? Chi Ng9c di khcim b~nh
vl!. (g) Giam d6c celng ty du 1ich di d~u vl!? Giam d6c celng ty du 1ich di
sful bay d6n khach vl!. (h) Anh Th.ai di ~u vl!? Anh Th.ai di btlu di~n giii
bite di~n vl!. (i) Ba Qu@' di ~u vl!? Ba Qu@' di nghi aM bi~n vl!. 0) 6ng
Thm di d~u vl!? 6ng Thm di b~nh vi~n tham b~ vl!. (k) Em gru cua anh
di d~u vl!? Em gru teli di h9c vl!. Anh ~ di ~u vl!? (1) Anh M~ di
ngful hang vl!. 5 (a) 'rei mu6n thu@ - m¢t phOng ngil c6 phOng tim ri@ng-
m¢t phOng deli c6 may dil!u hOa nhi~t d¢ - m¢t phOng c6 may di~n tho~
va til 1~- m¢t phOng deli c6 ti-vi trong ba dE!m (truyl!n hl.nh v~ tinh thi
cang t6t) - m¢t phOng atfulg dtldi (m¢t) (b) 'rei c6 th~ tra bcmg the tin
dvng hay sec dtlQc kh6ng? Khach s~ c6 dich vv cho thuE! xe 6 tel khelng?
'rei c6 th~ mua ve xem hat a ~y kh6ng? 'rei c6 th~ gi~t cru ao
sO' mikhelng? Chi c6 th~ g9i teli ~y1uc 7.30 sang khelng? (c) Trong phOng
khelng c6 n\iac n6ng. May dil!u hOa nhi~t d¢ bi h6ng. Thong til 1~
khelng c6 nliac khoang gi ca. 6 (a) Truac khi sang Vi~t Nam teli phru-
mua ve may bay- ~t truac phOng ngil trong khach s~ - nh~ visa -
d6i til!n- mua ban d6 va m¢t quy~ sach hliang cmn du lich t6t- tim dia
chi va s6 di~n tho~ cua ~ s-a quan Anh ~ Vi~t Nam - di thtl vi~n d9c
sach vl! nliac (Vi~t Nam) - mua thu6c ph6ng b~nh s6t ret- d9c d\f bao
thai ti@'t - g9i di~n cho xe tic xi ~ di sful bay (b) Khi an\iac ngoai, anh
dl:ing quE!n- tham cac vi~n bao tang va phOng tri~n Hun - giii bliu anh
cho cac b~ va gia dinh- chvp anh- mua vai d61liu ni~m- an thl:i
cac m6n an d~c san- ~p n6i Mng Vi~t - mua sach vl! Vi~t Nam (c) Cl
d:!a hang mien thu@' khach du 1ich thtlang mua: - nliac hoa - ruQu -
thu6c 1a- se\-c{l-1a va k~o - ban d6 va sach hliang dAn du lich - may
anh- phim anh- bang nh~c- d6 trang s-ac 7 (a) is the X-ray dlm safe?
(b) Excuse me, where can I check in? (c) Did you pack your 1uggage
yourself?

320
Unit 18
Activity

Activity

(a) true (b) false (c) false (d) true (e) true (f) true

Exercises

1 On Saturday evening every theatre is sold out. Everybody likes her. In

this classroom there is nobody at all who speaks French. All students like
learning Vietnamese. Every summer I go to H~ Long bay on holiday.
2 Tre con nao cilng thfch an kern. a Ha N('>i ~u cilng c6 xe ~p. Chg nao
cilng ban rau qua Wcli. Xin 16i ve lo~ nao cilng da ban Mt. 'mi kMng
bao giC1 an sang. Trong ldp h<;>c nay sinh vi~n nao cilng mu6n tham Vi~t
Nam. Kh6ng ai thfch b~nh vi~n. a Vi~t Nam ngt!C1i tre nao cilng mu6n
h<;>c Mng Anh. Thong phOng lam vi~c ~u cilng c6 sach. 3 M('>t trong
nhilng Me tranh ndi ti~ng nha:t cua Nguy~n Phan Chanh g<;>i la 'C6 th~u:
Truy~n nay do U Minh Khu~ vi~t dugc cijch ra ti~ng Anh. Buu anh do
b6 m~ t6i da giii cho t6i d~p him. 'mi chua bao giC1 d<;>c 'Tru~n Ki~u' ndi
ti~ng cila Nguy~n Du (do Nguy~n Du vi~t) nhung Wi da nghe ra:t nhi~u
v~ n6. Cru ao rna m~ t6i da mua cho t6i, thi qua to. 4 (a) Bite tranh nay
do Nguy~n Phan Chanh ve, ndi ti~ng. (b) Bai v~ 6 nhi~m m6i truC1ng do
nha bao Minh vi~t, dt t6t. (c) Quyl!n Til dil!n Bach khoa Vi~t Nam do
Nha xua:t ban Ha N('>i xua:t ban, kha dAt. (d) Bite anh nay do b6 t6i chvp
d~p lAm. (e) Budi li~nhoan do b~ t6i td ch\tc, vuilAm. 5 (a) Em trai t6i
se tri'1 thanh nha bao. (b) Tlnh hl.nh kinh t~ i'1 Vi~t Nam se tri'1 n~n t6t
hdn. (c) 6ng D\tc se tri'1 thanh th1iy giao. (d) N~u t6iluy~n ~p nhMu
thi Mng Vi~t cua t6i se tri'1 n~n gioi hdn. 6 'mi da thfch chuy~n di Nha
Trang; n~u t6i du ti~n t6i mu6n tham 1~ m1i d6. Anh a:y hOi di hOi 1~ vl!
c6 a:y. 'mi da di tham anh b~ t6i nhung vi anh a:y kh6ng i'1 nha t6i phai
di tham 1~. B¢ phim tai li~u v~ Itch sl:i Vi~t Nam dugc chi~u di chi~u 1~
tr~n ti vi. Ngay mai xin mC1i anh 1~ nha t6i, ngay mai la sinh nh~t cua t6i.
Nam ngoru anh a:y b6 hUt thu6c nhung nam nay anh a:y 1~ hUt thu6c.
Bru t~p nay kh6ng dt1ng, anh phai lam 1~.

Keytotheexerclses 321
 Revision unit
1 Conversation

Llin How long have you been in Hanoi?

David Nearly two months.
Llin What do you think about Hanoi? Do you like it?
David I was very busy therefore I did not have an opportunity
to go sightseeing. Furthermore, I am also afraid that
I would get lost.
Llin Don't worry! Hanoi is not big at all!
Nam Ah, I know what! Are you free on Sunday?
David Yes, I am free.
Nam We can meet in the afternoon and go for a walk. You
can practise speaking in Vietnamese and observe the
scenery of Hanoi at the same time.

2 Vietnamese equivalents

1 Xin 16i, Mn ngful hang g~ nhllt phai di dt1<'1ng nao ~?

2 Ha N¢i c6 nhi~u ci1a hang lttu ni~m.
3 'rei cht1a bao giC1 di Mng may bay Vi~t Nam.
4 Anh da tham vlnh H~ Long cht1a? Cht1a nht1ng thang sau t6i d:inh
di (d@'n d6).
5 Anh bi lam sao? 'rei bi dau ~u va ch6ng m~t. Anh n@n di kham
b~nh.
6 M6n xao nay cay qua. Cho t6i xin m¢t c6c nttac khoang dttqc
kh6ng~?
7 Vi~t Nam kh6ng c6 nhi~u ci1a hang bach hoa. Ngttbi ta thttang mua
ban C1 chq vi mua ban C1 chq th t$1 ti~n hem.
8 Mila thu la mila d~p nMt cho khach du ltch d@'n tham Vi~t Nam.
9 N@'u du ti~ t6i se mua chi@'c d6ng h6 bq b~c.
10 Tuy bita an ngon tuy~t, chU.ng t6i vfut kh6ng thfch hi~u an nay vi n6
d6ng ngttai.
11 Em gai t6i di chq v~; em lly mua mt1C1i qua tritng, m¢t chai ntlac
m~ va mt1C1i d6i diia.
12 N@'u c6 kh6ng thfch cai ao mau n~u nay thi My m~c thi1 cai ao mau
Mng~y.
13 B6 cua chi bao nhi~u tu6i?

322
14 Tufut tnt6'c t6i da di tham chua Hli<1ng. Chila Hli<1ng each Ha. N()i
kh6ang 70 km. 'rei da di Mn d6 Mng xe 6 t6. Bulli t6i, m~c du t6i
lit m~t va d6i nhling t6i vfut mu6n n6i v6'i cac b~ t6i vl! cu()c tham
quannay.
15 Theo t6i hi~u an nay la hi~u an t6t nh~t (j Chg L6'n.
16 Anh da vi@'t th li Mng Mng Vi~t bao gib chlia?
17 Anh ca di d9c dtlang nay mtlai pMt nila anh se th~y chua M()t C()t.
18 Jane da kh6ng g9i di~n cho t6i. C6 ~y da gl:ii th li.
19 M~c du b6 m~ t6i s6ng lit xa, c6 Loan vAn g9i di~n cho h9 hang ngay.
20 0 trung tfun Ha N()i c6 cru den xanh den d6 (den hi~u giao th6ng)
naokMng?
21 'rei vita m6'i vi@'t xong thtl cho anh t6i.
22 N@'u mila he nay anh (se) di Vi~t Nam, anh ditng qu@n mang theo
tit di~.
23 'rei vita thfch hat vita thfch nhay.
24 Qua nay Mng Mng Vi~t g9i la gi?
25 Nhil!u nglibi Vi~t Nam mu6n lam vi~ cho m()t c6ng ty nli6'c
ngoru.
26 N@'u chi mu6n hil!u nglibi Vi~t Nam chi phru h9c th@m. vl! van hoa
cuahQ.
27 Nhil!u nglibi nli6'c ngo~ sg khi phru qua dtlang aVi~t Nam.
28 Anh u6ng gi? 'rei kh6ng khat lam, c6 le chi m()t c6c nli6'c cam nh6.
29 Ngliai Vi~t Nam thfch an c<1m v6'i m()t it fuit, ca, rau hay trang.
30 Xin 16i, t6i kMng nh6' t@n cila 6ng dang ng6i b@n ~ 6ng Quang.
31 Wi nay anh c6 r6i kh6ng? Anh c6 mu6n di ch<1i v6'i t6i kh6ng?
32 Ha N()i c6 nhil!u M; H6 Hoan Ki@'m. la m()t trong nhilng M ~P nh~t.
33 'rei mu6n an chay. Anh c6 thl! giup t6i ch9n m6n kh6ng?
34 Hang ngay tau Ma d@'n dtlng gib nhling Mm nay d@'n mu()n.
35 Tu 1~ cua t6i bi hOng. 'rei c6 thl! mua tU 1~ m6'i adiiu?
36 Khi t6i n~ vi~ m6i liin t6i mu6n dang Mn t6i da phfii g9i y ta.
37 'rei kh6ng vl! nha Mng xe di~n ng1irn. rna t6i di Mng tt\c xi.
38 Anh kMng n@n Mt thu6c aday!
39 'rei phru tim s6 di~n tho~ dl! g9i xe c~p cau.
40 Vi~t Nam la m()t n li6'c nhi~t d6'i v6'i nhil!u n<1i nghi mat d~.
41 Lam <1n cho t6i n6i chuy~n v6'i 6ng Baker. R~t ti@'c, 6ng ~ kh6ng a
diiy. Anh c6 nht\n gi kh6ng?
42 Kh6ng ai thfch bi 6m.
43 Sau bila trlia t6i thtlang di choi hay d9c m()t chut.
44 Sau bila an tnta t6i thtlang di ch<1ihay d9c sach m.()t chut.

Key to the exercises 323

 3 Translate

1 There are quite a lot of traffic accidents in Hanoi because many

people enter roads banning bicycles, one-way streets etc.
2 Miss Loan's room is next to the dining room, opposite the living room.
3 Many foreigners like eating Vietnamese specialities very much.
4 Because Vietnam is a tropical country it has many types of fruit.
5 My stomach aches, perhaps I am seriously ill.
6 Before, Nam used to like driving fast. But nowadays he does not
dare drive fast.
7 I had to stay in the hospital.
8 Yesterday I was invited to the cinema by my friends.
9 According to the weather forecast, it is going to rain today.
10 I received good news.
11 Excuse me, I am very sorry, this Sunday I cannot go to H~ Phdng.
12 Nam went out to buy a book. He entered a bookshop, bought two
novels and carried them home.
13 Many people in Hanoi use a bicycle a lot, not because they like it but
because Hanoi still does not have a cheap and convenient traffic system.
14 I asked the cook to make spring rolls.
15 The doctor advises us not to eat unripe fruit.
16 I am researching Asia.
17 I went to a souvenir shop.
18 Nowadays English is very important for the Vietnamese.
19 Only Nam and I can speak French.
20 Dung went and came back by plane.
21 Although I spoke more loudly she still did not hear
22 At the moment he has a cough and also a headache
23 Did you manage to buy anything?
24 These two oranges are the same.
25 Is there any problem in the professor's lecture that you don't
understand?
26 Vietnamese coffee is not only delicious but also cheap.
27 We have just met for the first time.
28 In only a month we will have a summer holiday.
29 I don't want to talk, I just want to be silent.
30 My mother came home from work.
31 If you are free, please come to my house (for a visit).
32 I suggest you speak directly with her about this matter.

324
3 3 This Sunday my parents are celebrating their soth wedding
anniversary.
34 If you want to go to Hung's house then keep on going straight until
the riverbank, then turn right.
3 5 Before going to sleep I always wash my face.
36 Practising sport is the best thing for keeping healthy.
37 Last night my friend was ill; I was afraid that I would have to take
him to the hospital. But luckily today he is fine.
38 I came out of the library.

4 Letter in Vietnamese

Anh Nam thful m~n.

'mi a Vi~t Nam hai thang r6i. Vi d~ la chuy~ di tham Vi~t Nam Mu
tiE!n cila t6i nE!n t6i mu6n di tham t~t di cac di tlch ljch sil va vi~n bao
tang. Ti~ng Vi~t cua t6i kMng gioi lAm nht1ng t6i c6 thl! n6i chuy~n vai
cac b~ Vi~t Nam cila t6i. N~u h9 n6i ch~ thl. t6i hii!u dtlQC. a Vi~t
Nam ai ct1ng mu6n h9c Mng Anh va t6i dang giup cac b~ t6i phat fun
Mng Anh. 'mi thfch di ~o ph6, ch\lp anh, xem ngtlai ta di xe ~p, tre
con chc1i b6ng da, ngl1C1i ta n6i chuy~n va u6ng ca ph@ trong cac hi~u an
nho. Nhtlng t6i thfch di chQ nh~t. Mua ban (J chQ dt thu~ ti~n. a ch<;1
anh c6 thl! mua t~t ca m9i th\t - til d6 di~n, ~y dep, d6 chO'i Mn hoa,
rau qua ttlc1i, fuit, ca, tritng, gia vi v.v. ChQlan nh~t cua Ha N¢i gc;>i la chQ
D6ng Xuful. N6 (J trung tfun thanh ph6 each bC1 s6ng H6ng kMng xa.
Ch<;1lu6n lu6n d6ng ngt1<'1i. Tufu truac t6i dt1<;1c m¢t gia dl.nh Vi~t Nam
mai an CO'm. Bila t6i ngon tuy~t. Chtlng t6i da an nem ran, thit 1<;10 chua
ng9t v& nihn va pM bO. M6n trang mi~g la d\ta Wc1i v& kern. 'mi phai
h9c each lam nem ran vl. t6i r~t thich an nem ran.

Bueli t6i t6i tht1<'1ng th\tc khuya d9c sach hay bao Vi~t Nam hayvi~t thtl
cho gia dl.nh. Thai ti~t (J ~y d~ chiu - kh6ng n6ng lAm cilng kMng 1~
lAm. M~c du tr<'1i kh6ng mtla nhi~ nh tlng chit nh~t tufu truac khi t6i
dang tit ~P chi~u b6ng v~ t6i da bi mtla. 'mi da phru mua ao mtla mai.
Vi~t Nam la m¢t ntlac dt thu yt. 'mi hy v9ng t6i se c6 dip vao mil!n Nam
va tham ~y tlnh (J mil!n Trung Vi~t Nam. 'mi ct1ng mu6n di bC1 bil!n.
'mi mong nh~ thtl cua anh.

Julian

Keytotheexerclses 325
5 Missing diacritics

1 Gia dinh Wi an sangvao luc tam gib.

2 a
Budi t6i t~i thtlbng nhlt d9c sach hay xem v~ tuy@'n truy~n hinh.
3 May bay kMng ca:t canh dtlgc vi thai ti@'t du.
4 T¢ sao Mm qua cac anh kMng di xem phim?
5 a
B~ t~i Hoa la thtl kj. c~ a:y lam vi~c Ha N('>i. Anh 1'u.fu kMng
a
s6ng Ha N('>i. Anh a:y s6ng giin Ha N('>i. Anh Thfu la sinh vi~n.
Anh a:y h9c ti@'ng Anh.
6 C~ Hoa va anh Thfu g~p anh David tntac khach s~. C~ Hoa va
anh Thfu chao David.

6 Read and translate

1 to do -very;
2 to be thirsty - other, different;
3 big- sheet (of paper);
4 price, to cost - old;
5 where - head;
6 place- dog;
7 three - grandmother;
8 to buy - season - rain;
9 to fly - seven;
10 machine - how many;
11 day- at once;
12 father- cow;
13 river - to live - finish;
14 table - friend - to sell;
15 busy- dirty;
16 not yet - to repair.

(Please note that where the Vietnamese words have several meanings,
the most obvious one has been used.)
Vietnamese-English voca bu Ia ry

a a abc (ch) d de~ g (gh) (gi) h i k (kh) I m n (ng) (ngh) o 0 a p

(ph) q r s t (th) (tr) u u' v x y

a ahl, final particle indicating bCJIC silver

question bach h6a department store
A Asia bai lesson, text
CJI final particle indicating bai bao newspaper article
politeness or respect bai dQc text
ai who bai hat song
an toan safe, secure baithd poem
Anh (mt8c Anh) England, Britain bai tri arrange, decorate
anh (trai) older brother ban section
anh re brother-in-law ban dem night time
anhay he ban ngay day time
ao dress, blouse, jacket ban table
ao bdi swimsuit ban can scales
ao CQC tay short sleeve dress ban chan foot
ao dai long tunic (traditional bantay hand
Vietnamese dress) ban edition, copy (classifier)
ao len jumper, sweater ban djch translation
ao mll'a raincoat banda map
an cdm eat ban sell
an chay to be a vegetarian ban dao peninsula
an Tet to celebrate the Jet bCJin (bCJin toi) friend (my friend)
(New Year festival) banh cake, pie, pastry
am ljch lunar calendar banh cuon steamed spring roll
am warm banh ga-to cake
am teapot, kettle banh mi bread
Au, chau Au Europe banh tom shrimp cake
ay that, those bao bQc to wrap up
bao gib7 when?
ba three bao lau7 how long?
ba grandmother bao nhieu7 how much? how many?
ba ngoCJii maternal grandmother bao tang museum
ba n9i paterna/grandmother bao tang ngh+ thu~t Museum of
bac uncle Art
bac si doctor bao, tb bao newspaper

VIetnamese-English vocabulary 327

bao to inform, report boi (nude hoa) to wear (perfume)
bao giCJ to announce the time bong cotton
bat bowl bong, bong hoa flower
bay (may bay) fly (plane) bcJ butter, avocado
bay arrange, place biJ (biJ bien) bank, beach
b~c north bcJi (lqi) swim(ming)
bam chop, mince buoi partofday
bang tape buon sad
b~ng to be equal, by means of, buon ngu sleepy
made of bun noodles
b~p cai cabbage bUt pen
b~t dau to start, to begin bUt chi pencil
ban dirty buc flat, rectangular things
b•n busy (classifier)
baygiiJ now buc anh photograph
be besmall buc di~n telegram
ben (on the) side (of) buc pham parcel
(ben) c~nh beside, next to, by bu'u anh postcard
ben phai on the right side bu'u di~n post office
ben trai on the left side bu'CJi grapefruit
b~nh illness
b~nh cum flu cacao cocoa
b~nh dai du'bng diabetes ca nh~c concert
b~nh sc>t ret malaria ca chua tomato
b~nh ung thu' cancer ca phe coffee
b~nh vi~n hospital ca all, whole, altogether
bep kitchen ca ••• lan both ... and
bi tosuffer ca fish
bia beer ca hap nam hu'd'ng steamed fish
bien sea with mushrooms
bieu dien performance ca nhan individual
biet know cac plural marker
bi~tthl}' villa each day ago, distance from here
binh thu'bng normal, usual each m~ng revolution
bit tat sock, stocking cai thing, general classifier
bo,con bo cow cam orange
bo abandon, leave, give up cam cold
bong ban table tennis cam d'n thank you
bong aa football cam d'n thank you
bong ro basketball cang port
bo father cang ••• cang the more ... the more
bo m~ parents canh view, landscape, scenery
bq a set (of something) c~nh by, next to, beside
cao tall, high chiay she
cay spicy chi dau sister-in-law
cin bit chi dan information
cit tocut chi ••• thoi only
c~p nhi+t dq to take temperature chia tay to part
cam tohold chiec manufactured items
cam forbid, ban, negative (vehicles), individual items from
imperative particle (don't) a pair (classifier)
can need chien fry, deep fry
can thiet essential, necessary chien si soldier
cau sentence chien tranh war
cau hoi question chieu phi m to show, screen a film
cau tra IC'Ji answer chieu, buoi chieu afternoon
cau ca fishing chim bird
cau long badminton chin nine
cay tree chin ripe
can than carefully chinh sach policy
cap cuu first aid, emergency (chinh sach) mb dta open-door
treatment policy
xe cap CUu ambulance chinh tri politics
cat canh take off chet todie
cau thang stairs, staircase chet roil damn it!
cha father cho for, to
cha gio spring rolls cho (phep) allow, to give permission
cha que cinnamon flavoured ch6, con ch6 dog
pork meat pie chqn choose, select
chai bottle cho place
chan boring cho de xe parking place
chanh lemon chom chom rambutan
chao hello, to greet chong against, to oppose,
chau grandchild to fight against
ch~y (ra) to run (out to ... ) chong husband
cham chi industrious, hardworking chdi toplay
chic certainly di chdi to go out (for pleasure)
chic chin definitely, for sure, chb negative imperative particle
certainly chC'J wait
chan leg chc;1 market
chau continent chu nghia doctrine, ideology
chauA. Asia chu nh•t Sunday
chau Phi Africa chu tich president, chairman
chau Au Europe chua sour
ch•m slow chua (Chua MQt CQt) pagoda
chi (gai) older sister (One Pillar Pagoda)
 chuc (mung) to wish, congratulate co neck
ch1,1c group often, ten co gAng to make an effort, try
chung toi, chung ta we coc glass
ch1,1p (anh) take a photograph c{lng hoa republic
chuoi, qua banana cct quan office, agency
chuqt, con chuqt mouse, rat cctm cooked rice
chuyen (cho b) to move cctm chay vegetarian meal
chuyen lbi pass on a message cctm chien fried rice
chuyen bayflight ca size
chuyen di trip, journey eli old (opposite to new)
chu word, character cu tuber, root
chu of course not cua belonging to, of (b~n cua
chua notyet anh Nam) (Nam's brother)
chua bao gib never cua ail whose?
chua repair cling also
chuctng trinh programme cuqc process, activity, entity
chung kien to witness involving interaction with games,
chung about, approximately contests, meetings, parties,
con classifier for animals struggles ... (classifier)
con ca the oldest child in the family cuoi (dubng) end (of the road)
con dau daughter-in-law cuon volume (classifier)
con ngubi people, humankind cu keep on doing sth., persist,
con re son-in-law continue
contrai son dta ra vao door
con Ut the youngest child in the dta so window
family ella hang a shop
co chu yes, of course ella hang bach hoa department
co gi kho aaul it is not difficult store
at all! ella hang luu ni~m souvenir shop
co le perhaps, maybe ella hang mien thue duty
co m~t be present free shop
co the can, be able to cudi to marry
con stil~ continue to, how about cubi to smile, laugh
co Miss, aunt cl1u hoa fire brigade
co ay she
co giao (female) teacher da skin, leather
cong an police da cam (to be) orange
cong cqng public d~ polite response particle
cong tac to work d~ day stomach
cong ty (cong ty du ljch) danh lam thing canh sights
company, firm (travel agency) danh put aside, reseNe
cong vi~c work dai long
cong vien park d~o nay these days

330
day thick d~c bi~t special
diiy nui mountain range d~c san special (dish), speciality
d~y to teach dang kY to register
dan s6 population dang kj gqi trong/ngoai nubc
dan t{lc nation telephone operator for national!
dan t{lc it nguC'Ji ethnic minority international calls
dau an cooking oil d'ng bitter
dau dam vinegar d't expensive
d~y getup d~t to place, put
de goat d~t (trubc) to book, reserve
de simple, easy d~m dark
de chju pleasant, bearable dat nltbc country
dj U'ng allergy d~u xanh peas
di tich ljch s~ historical d~u, do beans
monuments dau? where?
djch to translate da u (bj da u da u) head (to have a
di~n tich area headache)
djp (vao djp) occasion (on the daugoi knee
occasion of) dautien first
do caused by, due to day here, this
dqc along day be full (of), filled with
du ljch travel-journey, tourism day there
dung touse den (to be) black
dl! participate, take part den xanh den do traffic lights
dl! bao thC'Ji tiet the weather deo (kinh, dong ho, vong) to
forecast wear (glasses, wristwatch, necklace)
du'a chuqt cucumber d~p (d~p I'm) nice, pretty,
dU'a, qua dua coconut beautiful (very nice)
dUel, qua dua pineapple de in order to
ductng ljch solar calendar de nghi xem let me (think and) see
dubi under de nghj propose, suggest
da stone, rock, ice detai topic
dii past tense marker den (den Ngqc Sctn) temple,
d~i suquan Embassy palace (Palace of the Jade
dang be engaged in doing sth., Mountain)
(grammatical particle for present den to, until
tense) den to come, arrive
dao peach dem night
dao turn over di imperative particle
d~o Ph~t Buddhism di togo
dau tohurt,pain di (giay) to wear (shoes)
dau b~:~ng to have stomache-ache di b{l to go on foot
dau dau to have a headache di bq dqi go on a military service

VIetnamese-English vocabulary 331

 ai d~o go for a walk aua chopsticks
di xem phim to go to the cinema aung correct, right
aja chi address aua take, bring
aja aiem location, place aut~c to receive
ai~ly geography aang to stand
aiem bcio review of newspapers aung negative imperative particle
aien (vao) (adn xin gia h~n thi aung (lo) don't (worry)
th~,tc) fill in (an application for a aun soi boil
visa extension)
aieu thing, matter em younger sibling
aieu hoa nhi~t aQ air conditioning em gai younger sister
dinh communal house in a village em trai younger brother
ajnh to decide, intend to do
ao (to be) red ga railway station
aon welcome, meet ga rooster
aong (dl'a) close (door) gac floor
aong va li to pack a suitcase g~ch bricks
aqc read gan liver
ao things g~o husked rice
ao simh su crockery gang tay gloves
ao xe stop, pull up g~p tomeet
aQ about, approximately g~ p I~ i to meet again
aQc than single gan near
aoi apair ghet hate
aoi to change, exchange ghe chair
aoi m8i renovation gia h~n (thj thl,lc) extend (visa)
aoi di~n opposite gia vj spices
aoi v8i as regards, with gl7 what?
a9i (non) to wear (a hat) gl cling aut~c anything would be
aong east fine
aong full, crowded, busy gia clinh family
aong winter gla old (opposite to young)
Dong Dudng Indochina gia beansprout
aong Vietnamese currency gia (gia bao nhieu7) price, value
aong b~ng delta, lowlands, (How much does it cost?)
aong chi comrade gia chinh thuc exchange rate
aong ho watch gia hoi aoai exchange rate
aongy agree gia sach bookshelf
adn thuoc prescription giai thubng prize
adn xin application giao thong traffic, communication
aC'Ji sang life giap border
au enough, to have/be enough giau rich
auau papaya giay shoes

332
giay second hang (hang thu ba) rank, line, row
gi~t wash, launder (third rank)
gi•n be angry hang (h~ng) (hang ngay) every
giay paper (everyday)
giay viet thu' writing paper hang khong aviation, airlines
giay v+ sinh toilet paper hanh onion
gioi be clever, good, skilful hat tosing
gi6 (gi6 nh~) wind (light wind) hanh ly (xach tay) luggage (hand
gio l1,1a lean meat pie luggage)
gibi thi+u to introduce han h~nh be pleased, honoured
gib hour hap dan interesting, attractive
giblcim vi+c working hours he (mua he) summer
giong (nhu') similar h~n promise
gqi call- to order h~p narrow
gqt peel het to end, to finish
go wood het h~n expire
gom contain, include hi+n a~i contemporary, modern
gom pottery hieu understand
giu'bng bed hi+u shop, store
giu'bng mem soft sleeper bed (on hi+u an restaurant
train) hi+u sach bookshop
giu'bng cung hard sleeper bed (on hi+u thuoc pharmacy
train) hinh nhu' it looks like
giu (giu s~ch se) keep (keep clean) ho cough
giua between, among, in the hQ they, family name
middle hoa (bong hoa) flower
gU'i to send, to post hoa cue chrysanthemum
gltng ginger hoa hong rose
hoa qua fruit
ha mi+ng (ra) open mouth hqa si painter
h~ (mua h~) summer ho~t dqng activity
h~ bbt IU'a reduce heat ho~c or
hai two hqc to study, to learn
hai mong slice hoi (cau hoi) to ask (question)
h~n term hoi aubng ask directions
h~ tieupepper hong broken, spoiled
hay interesting hqng throat
hay or hqp meeting
hay imperative particle ho lake
him l~i to fill in (a tooth), put a h9 chieu passport
filling in Hqi Nha van Vi+tNam Vietnamese
hang (cU'a hang) goods, Writers' Association
merchandise (shop) hom day
 hom kia the day before yesterday khong chi ... rna con not only ...
hom nay today but also
hom qua yesterday khong khi atmosphere, air
hong (to be) pink khu VI/C region, area
hqp box khuya late night
hctn be more (than) (comparative ki lo met kilometre
particle) kia (that one) over there
hctn nua furthermore (demonstrative)
huyet ap blood pressure kim lo~i metal
huyet ap cao high blood pressure kinh te economy
huyet ap thap low blood pressure kiem tra to check, control
hUt tosmoke kieu dang appearance, look,
hu'8ng dan (du ljch) tourist guide shape, form
kinh glasses
it a little, a few kjp in time, have time
kY ni~m momento,souvenir_
kern ice cream anniversary
kern join, add kY (ten) to sign (name)
kern less
keo otherwise Ia tobe
k~o sweets I~ strange, unusual
ketoan accountant l~c peanut
ketthuc to finish, end l~c du'C1ng (bj l~c du'C1ng) get lost
kha rather_ fairly lai xe to drive a vehicle
khac bi~t difference l~i to come to
khach guest, visitor lam vi~c to work
khach s~n hotel lam vi~c theo ca work shifts
khat to be thirsty lam vu'C1n do gardening
khan qu2mg scarf lam ctn please, do smb. a favour
khan tnii bim tablecloth lang village
khip the gi8i all over the world lanh m~nh healthy, wholesome
khan urgent l~nh cold
khen to praise lang (Lang Ho Chu tjch) tomb,
khi (khi miol) when? mausoleum (Ho Chi Minh's
khl monkey mausoleum)
khi h~u climate lim very, greatly
kh6 difficult lan occasion, time
kh6 chju uneasy landau tien first time
khoai sweet potato lau (bao lau7) long (how long?)
khoai tay potato lay (xich lo) to take (a cyclo)
khoang approximately, about l~p gia dinh to form a family, to
khoe healthy, strong (well- all right) get married
khong no, not len wool

334
len go up, get on m~c d to bargain, haggle
len 18p go to school m~cvao toputon
ljch sU' (vi~n bao dmg ljch sOO mang bamboo shoot
history (History museum) mM eye
lien hoan gathering, party m~t face
lien h~ contact, link m~t trai negative side
lo l'ng to worry mMca ankle
lo~i type, kind mat to lose, spend
loi di aisle mat bao lau7 how long does it
lbi word take?
lbi khuyen advice may cloud
18n large, big may? howmany?howmuch?
lc;tn pig may gib7 at what time?
lua rice plant m~ mother
lua nep glutinous, sticky rice meo cat
lua te ordinary, non-sticky rice met metre
l~:~a silk mi noodles
lu•t sU' lawyer mien area, region
luc moment mieng piece, bit
luon luon always mieng mouth
lung back mon (an) dish, course
luc;tc comb mon tiep next course, dish
IU'bi lazy mqi every, all
IU'O'i tongue mong wait, anticipate
IU'd'n eel moi lips
IU'c;tn loiter about, stroll moi each and every
IU'd'ng salary moi trU'bng environment, air
IU'd'ng thl,l'c food_ food product mon classifier (field speciality)
IU'u m~nh hooligan mon hqc subject ofstudy
ly do reason, motive, cause mong precedes numbers from
1-10 (when denoting first ten days
rna but in a month)
m~ rice seedling m9t chut a little bit, for a little
mau colour while
mat me cool, fresh mQt minh alone, by oneself
may machine rna fat, grease
may bay plane mb (cU'a) open (door)
may di~n tho~i telephone m8i new
may di~n tho~i di d9ng/ may di~n m8i past tense particle
tho~i cam tay mobile phone mbi to invite
may ghi am tape recorder mu hat
may tlnh computer mui nose
m~c (ao) to wear (clothes) mua tobuy
mua mb hang buy something nganh (nganh du ljchJ branch,
to 'open the shop' (be the first field, discipline (tourism)
customer of the day) ngay immediately
mua season ngay day
mua dong winter ngay kia the day after tomorrow
mua kho dry season ngay mai tomorrow
mua mli'a rainy season ngay nghl holiday, day off
mua thu autumn ng'm admire, look at
mua xuan spring ngan keo drawer
mua dance ng'n to be short
mua roi m.tbc waterpuppetshow ng't m~ch to be interrupted
mui thdm aroma, fragrance, smell ngan hang bank
muoi salt Ngan hang Nha nubcVi+t Nam
muon want Vietnamese State Bank
mu9n late nghe to hear, listen
mli'a phun drizzle nghe n6i they say
mu'c;fn borrow ngheo be poor
mltt jam nghe (nghe nghi+P> occupation,
profession
mii (chuoi) bunch (of bananas) nghl to have a rest
nam south nghia (nghia Ia) meaning
nao which (it means)
nay this nghiem trqng serious
nay this nghien cuu research
nam five nghin thousand
nam year ngo~i o suburb, outskirts
nam nay this year ngoai (nu'bc ngoai) outside,
nam ngoai, tru'bc last year (foreign country, abroad)
nam sau next year ngoai (ra) apart from
n~m tolie ngo~i outside, exterior
n'ng sunny ngon tasty
nam mushroom ngon tuy+t delicious
nau (to be) brown ng6n tayfinger
nau cook ngqt sweet
nem ran (nem SaiGon) spring rolls ngo coriander
nen should, ought to ngQ d9c thucan food poisoning
nen therefore ngoi classifier for buildings
neu (neu ... thl) if (if ... then) ngoi tosit
nga ba crossroads ngon ngu language
nga tu' crossroads ngu tosleep
ng~i to worry ngl}'a horse
ngan thousand (Southern ngung (l~i) to stop
Vietnamese expression) ngu'c;fc hu'bng opposite direction
ngu~i person, people (general nhe all right?
classifierfor people) nhi isn't it?
ngu~i Anh English nhi~t ddi tropical
ngu~i Ca-na-aa Canadian nhi~t dQ temperature
ngu~i aanh ca fisherman nhi~t dQ trung binh average
ngu~i aua thu postman temperature
ngu~i £>uc German nhieu be a large amount, much,
ngu~i laixetic-xi taxi driver many, a lot
ngu~i My American nhieu nude juicy
ngu~i Nh•t (Nh•t Ban) Japanese nhin lookat
ngu~iPhap French nho grapes
ngu~iThai lan Thai nho small
ngu~i Trung Quoc Chinese nho pullout
ngu~i Vi~t Nam Vietnamese nhd remember, recollect
ngu~i yeu lover nhO' (tau) miss (train)
nha house nhu cau need
nha scholar (classifier) nhu as, like
nha bao journalist nhuthe nao7 what is (sth.) like?
nha ga railway station nhung but
nha hat theatre nhung plural marker
nha khach guest house nhuc aau to have a headache
nha kinh doanh businessman nhl!a plastic
nha phe binh critic nhung plural marker
nha thd' poet no she/he, it
nha van writer noi (noi dut;)'c) speak, talk (to be
nha xuat ban ngo~i ngu foreign able to speak)
languages publishing house noi chung generally speaking
nh~c music noi chuy~n to converse
nh~c co dien classical music non conical hat
nh~c rock rock nong behot
nhanh be fast, quick noi tieng (ve) be famous (for)
nhanh len hurry up n9i dung contents
nhanh shoot, branch noi buon sorrow
nh~t light nd'i (villi nd'i) place (some places)
nhay jump, dance nui, day nui (len nui) mountain,
nhin leave a meassage mountain range (go to the
nhan djp on the occasion of mountains)
nhan vien employee nui non bien ca mountains and
nh•n to receive the sea
nh.n ra recognize nua more
nh•p khau import nU'a half
nhat first (superlative particle) nude water
Nh•t (Ban) Japan nude country
mtbc cam orange juice phong bep kitchen
mtbc chanh lemonade phong khach guest room, living
mtbc hoa perfume room
mtbc khoang mineral water phong lam vi+c study
mtbc mim fish sauce phong ngu bedroom
phong tim bathroom
0 nhiem moi tntbng air pollution phong v+ sinh toilet
ong grandfather pho street, road
ong ay he phoi lungs
ong ngo~i grandfather (mother's phb noodle soup
side) phi} nu woman
ong nqi paternal grandfather phu hc;1p to be suited to,
b in, at, to live correspond
(1 aau? where? phl}c VI} attendant, waiter
di vocative particle phUt minute
6't chillies phll'dng ti+n giao thong means of
transport
pha le crystal
phai must qua (to go) over, across, to cross
Phap France qua fruit, round objects (classifier)
phao firecracker qua excessively, too
phat ban rash qua can excess weight
phat trien progress quan trqng important
phat am pronounce quang trubng a square
phay comma qu~t fan
phan part qu~t may electric fan
phan tram percent qu~t tre bamboo fan
Ph•t giao Buddhism quay hang counter
phe blnh to criticize que diem match
phim film que homeland, birthplace, native
phim anh camera film country, countryside
phim ho~t hlnh cartoon quen (ngu quen) to forget (to
phim kinh dj horror film oversleep)
phim pho bien kien quen mat forget
thuc educational film mt.
film quit tangerine
disseminating knowledge) quoc gia national
phim tai li+u documentary film quoc tjch (goc va hi+n nay)
phim truy+n feature film nationality (original and present)
phieu len may bay boarding card quoc te international
phong bl envelopes quyen volume
phong tl}c customs, traditions
phong (phong doiJ room (double ra go out (of)
room) ra nll'bc ngoai go abroad
phong an dining room rau vegetables
rau qua vegetables and fruit so size, number
rau song raw vegetables song river
rat very Song Hong Red River
r'n snake Song CU'u Long Mekong River
rang tooth song live
rang sau rotten tooth, cavity sot temperature
r~ng that sc;1 to be afraid
re cheap sc;1i string, thread
re to turn sdn mai lacquer
ret cold sdm early, soon
rieng own suot ca aem throughout the whole
ro1 already night
roi spare time, free suy nghi think
roi puppet sU' d~:~ng make use of
rong dragon su (tring) porcelain
rqng wide sua milk
rua turtle sU'a chua (c1i~n tho~i) telephone
ntoi halfpast (in time) (telephone repair service)
ntc;1u alcohol sue khoe health
sll'dng mu fog, mist
sao why?
sau behind, after ta, chung ta we (inclusive-
sau six includes listener)
sach book tai ear
sach hudng dan du ljch tourist tac pham work (of an author)
guide (a book) tach cup
s~ch clean tai ability, talent
san v.t product t~i sao? why?
sang bright, morning tam eight
san l~i condense t~ p chi magazine, journal
s'p future tense marker tau hoa train
(near future) tau thlly ship
san bay airport tay arm
san khau stage, drama dcxi taxi
sau rieng durian dm bath, bathe
se future tense marker t~ng to give, award
sec cheque tam rectangularflatpieceof
sieuthi supermarket material, with cloth, boards, etc.
sinh ho~t living conditions (classifier)
sinh nh.t birthday tang floor
sinh song live tap n•p busy and bustling
sinh vien student t•p to practise
so-co-la chocolate t•p the d~:~c do physical exercise
so mUi to have a runny nose tat ca all, whole altogether

VIetnamese-English vocabulary 339

 tay west the tin d~:~ng credit card
tem stamp theo according to, follow
ten nit tennis thep steel
tep small bit section the thao sport
ten (ten toi) name (my name) the thus, so, in this manner
tet (Tet nguyen dan) festival, The a7 Is that so? Really?
celebration (the lunar New Year the nao7 (nhu'the nao7) how?
festival) (What is it like?)
tham dy participate in the kY century
tham quan to go on a trip, them to add, more
excursion theu (theu tay) embroider(ed),
thang months (hand embroidered)
thang ba March thi examination, to take an
thang bay July examination
thang ch~p December thi vao tru'C'Jng d~i hQC sit
thang chin September university entrance exams
thang gieng January thi then, in that case
thang hai February thj thyc visa
thang mu'C'Ji October thia spoon
thang mu'C'Ji mqt November thien nhien nature
thang nay this month thieu (to have)lack
thang nam May thlnh thoang from time to time
thang sau next month thich to like
thang sau June thieu be less, lacking
thang tam August thjt meat
thang tru'dc last month thjt bo beef
thang tu' April th jt lu'C'Jn ga fillet of chicken
thanh nien young people, youth thjt lt;)'n pork
thanh become, turn into thjt ga chicken meat
thimh pho town, city thoai mai carefree, easygoing
thao lu•n to discuss theSe haNested butunhusked rice
th~o skilful, experienced thai that is all
thap (thap Cham) tower, (the .•• thai only
Cham towers) thong minh be intelligent_ bright
thay the instead, replace thong tin thu'dng m~i business
th~ng pejorative, negative news
classifierfor people thong tan xii Vi+t Nam
th~ng (di th~ng) straight Vietnamese News Agency
(go straight ahead) thC'Ji gian time, period
th.m chi even thC'Ji sy current news
thap low thC'Ji tiet weather
thay giao (male) teacher thu (mua thu) autumn
thay see, perceive thu do capital city

340
th u t~:~c formality, procedure tiep xuc contact, get in touch
thu tu'8ng prime minister tieu bieu typical
thu vj interesting tieu thuyet a novel
thu•n ti~n convenient tim heart
thue rent, hire tim (detim) to lookfor (easy to
thue (quan) tax, duty (customs find)
official) tin news, information
thuoc drug, medicine tinh hinh situation
thuoc danh rang toothpaste dnh province
thuoc Ia cigarette to big, large
thlly tinh glass toan the all, whole
thuyen boat toe hair
thu' letter toi garlic
thu' bio dam registered letter to chuc organize, organization
thu' nhanh express letter toi I
thu' kj secretary toi (buoi toi) evening
thu'thu'bng ordinarymail tom shrimp
thu'vi~n library ton t~i to exist
thu rank, ordinal number tong general
designator tot good
thu ba Tuesday tot nghi~p d~i hQc to graduate
thu bay Saturday from university
thu hai Monday tb sheets ofpaper (classifier)
thu niim Thursday tra tea
thusau Friday tra lbi answer
thutu' Wednesday trai (con trai) boy (son)
th lt (m~c thlt) try (try on) trai fruit, round objects (Southern
thu'a vocative particle expression) (classifier)
thlla (to have) too much, too many trai left
thyciin food trang page
thyc ddn menu trang tri to decorate, to garnish
thyc hi~n carry out, implement tranh dan gian folk painting
thyc pham food tranh l~:~a painting on silk
thu'dng m~i trade, commerce tranh sdn mai lacquer picture
thu'bng often tring (to be) white
tiec (tiec qual) regret, pity (what trau (con trau) ox
a pity!) trau betel
ti~c feast, reception tre bamboo
tieng (tieng Vi~t) language tre young
(Vietnamese language) tre con child
tiep (di tiep) to continue (continue tre hdn younger
walking) treo hang
tiep khach receive visitors tren on (preposition)
 trien lam exhibition tu'cti fresh
trong in, inside tu'ctng soy sauce
tr9n tomix tu'bng wall
trong to grow, to plan tu'c;1ng statue
trb nen to become
trb thimh to become uong drink
trb ve to return uy ban committee
trbi weather (lit. sky)
trbi ctil Good Heavens! Good va and
gracious! va li suitcase
tr1,1 sb headquarters, main office vai shoulder
trung tam centre vai afew,some
truy+n ng~n short story vai fabric
truyen hinh v+ tinh satellite TV vai /ichi
tn.ta noon, midday v~n 1o,ooo
trung egg vang (to be) yellow, gold
tn.tbc in front ot before vao go in, enter
tn.tbc mit in front of (your) eyes van hoa culture
tntbng school van minh civilization
tntbng d~i hqc tong hc;1p Van Mieu Temple of Literature
university van phong office
tu cupboard van phong hang khong Vi+t Nam
tu ao wardrobe Vietnamese Airlines office
tu l~nh refrigerator van phong lam vi+c office
tuy (tuy an h) to depend (it's up to v~ng (to be) empty(ofpeople),
you) to be deserted
tuan week van de problem
tuan nay this week vang yes
tuan sau next week v.y (like) so, instead
tuan tntbc last week ve ticket
tui pocket ve (khu hoi) ticket (return ticket)
tui m•t gallbladder ve m9t luc;1t one way ticket
tuoi years of age ve return, come back
tuyet snow ve hu'u retire
tuy+t qual excellent, perfect! v+ sinh hygiene
tu' (ngay thu tu') four (Wednesday) vj polite classifierfor people
tu from vi because
tu dien dictionary vi ... nen because ... therefore
tu dien bach khoa encyclopaedia vi sao? why?
tutu slowly,leisurely viem hqng sore throat
tu vyng words and phrases viem phoi pneumonia
til ... lay selt by oneselt viem ru9tthl.ta appendicitis
personally vi+n bao tang museum

342
vi~n baodmg mythu•t fine arts xanh (nu8c) bien (to be) blue
museum xanh hi cay (to be) green
viet to write xam (to be) grey
Vi~t Vietnamese xao stirfry
vjnh (vjnh H~ long) bay(H{l Long xau bad, ugly
bay) xe a~p bicycle
vjt duck xe di~n ngam the underground
vo skin, rind xe may motorcycle
voi elephant xe oto car
vong necklace xep to arrange, set up
vo ae untitled xi mang cement
vo tuyen truyen hinh television xin please
vc:} wife xin loi excuse me
vc:} chong husband and wife, xich lo cyclo, pedicab, rickshaw
Mr&Mrs xoai mango
v8i with xong to finish, end
vua (vlta m8i) past tense marker xung quanh around
(recent past) xuan spring
vui cheerful, happy xuat ban to publish
vung area xuat khau export
vubn garden xuong go down, downwards, get
vubn cay qua orchard off
vui cheerful, happy xuc ra scoop up
v.v. etc. xup soup
xuc to wear (perfume)
xa faraway xU'ctng bone
xi lemon grass
xa lach salad yta nurse
xa phong soap y kien idea, opinion
xanh (to be) blue and green yen tinh peaceful, tranquil
 English-Vietnamese vocabulary

abandon bo bamboo tre

about ve bamboo shoot miing
accountant ke toan banana chuoi
according to theo bank (bank account) ngan hang
acquainted quen (tai khoan ngan hang)
across sang bathroom phong tim
actress dien vien nu be Ia
address dja chi beach biii bien
afraid SCI bed giu'bng
afternoon buoi chieu bedroom phong ngu
age tuoi beef thjt bo
agree dongy beer bia
air conditioning dieu hoa nhi+t dq before tru'8c, tru'8c khi
airport san bay begin bit dau
alcohol ntc;tu behind sau
allow me xin phep cho toi belong to cua
alone mqt mlnh bicycle xe d~p
already roi big 18n,to
also cling bindweed rau muong
although tuy birthday ngay sinh, sinh nh~t
always luon luon black (mau) den
America (mt8c) My blue (mau) xanh da trbi, (mau)
and vii nu8c bien
answer tra lbi boat thuyen
apart from ngoai (ra) book sach
approximately khoang chung, dq book a ticket d~t mua ve tru'8c
area khu vl!c boring chan
arm tay bowl bat
around xung quanh bread banh ml
as nhu' box hqp
Asia ChauA bridge du
ask hoi bring du'a, mang
at it, t~i British Anh
at present hi+n nay, luc nay broken hong
attend tham dl! brown nau
audience khan gia brush teeth danh rang
aunt co, thim, mc;t Buddhism d~o Ph~t
autumn mua thu bus xe buyt

344
business kinh doanh cook nauan
busy b~n,b~nrqn cool mat
buy mua cough ho
bymeansof ~ng country nubc, dat nubc
countryside nang than
cabbage b~p cai cousins anh chj em hQ
call gQi cow (con) bo
can cothe crab cua
cancer b+nh ung thu credit card thetln dl}ng
capital city thu do criticize phe blnh
car o to, xe hdi crossroads nga tu
carry mang, xach crowded dong ngubi
cartoon ho~t ho~ culture van hoa
cavity sau rang cure chua b+nh
ceramic gom custom phong tl}c
chair ghe customs office hai quan
chance djp
change thay doi dangerous nguy hiem
cheap re dare dam
check in lam thu tl}c daughter con gai
cheerful vui ve day ngay
cheque sec dear than men
chicken gil decide quyet djnh
children tre con declare khai
chilli d't delicious ngon tuy+t
China Trung Quoc depart khbi hanh, rbi
chopsticks dua develop phat trien
church nha thb dial quay
cigarette thuocla different khac
cinema r~p chieu bong difficult kho
civil engineer kj slt dish monan
class lbp district khu, qu~n
climate khl h~u dizzy chong m~t
cloud may do lam
coconut (qua) dua doctor bac si
coffee ca phe don't dung
cold l~nh drink uong
colour mau drive laixe
complete hoan thanh drizzle mua phun
complicated, complex phuc ~P dry (dry season) kho (mua kho)
conference hqi nghj duck vjt
construct xay dl!ng
content nqi dung each moi
convenient thu~n ti+n ear tai

English-VIetnamese vocabulary 345

early sam follow theo
east phia dong food thucan
Easter Ph~:~c sinh food poisoning ngQ dQC thuc an
easy de football (football match) bong da
eat an (an cdm) (tr~n bong da)
economics kinh te forecast dy bao
education giao d~:~c forget quen
eel luctn foreigner nguC'Ji nude ngoai
embassy d~i su quan fork dia, nia
embroidered theu fortunately may rna
empty trong France Phap
envelope phong bi fresh tucti
environment moi truC'Jng fridge tu l~nh
ethnic minority dan t9c thieu so friend b~n
Europe Chau Au from tu
evening buoi toi fruit hoa qua
everybody ai cling, mQi nguC'Ji fry ran
everything mQi vi~c. gi cling full day
examinations thi furthermore hctn nua
examine (medically) kham (b~nh)
except tru garden vuC'Jn
expensive dit geography dja ly
expire het h~n getup d~y
explain giai thich, giang give birth to sinh
export xuat khau glass thuytinh
glasses kinh
fabric vai gloves gang tay
family gia dinh go di
famous noi tieng go for a walk di d~o
far xa gold vimg
Far East Vi en £>o ng good tOt
fast nhanh goodbye chao t~m bi~t
father bo, cha, ba goods hang hoa
feel cam, thay graduate tot nghi~p
festival le h9i grandfather ong
fever sot grandmother ba
film phim green xanh Ia cay
finish ketthuc group do2m
fish ca grow trong
fish sauce nude mim guest khach
flat can n9
flower hoa hand tay
flu cum happiness h~nh phuc
hate ghet international quocte
have co Italy nU'8c 'V'
have lunch an tnta
haveto phai jewellery do trang sue
he anhay journalist nha bao
head dau juice nU'8c qua
headache dau dau just vua
health sue khoe
healthy khoe kilometre cay sO, ki lo met
heart tim kitchen bep
hello chao knife dao
help giupda know biet
here day
high cao lacquer sd'n mai
hire thue lake ho
history ljch sU' landscape phong canh
homeland que huctng language tieng, ngon ngu
hope hy vc;mg large 18n
hospital ~nh vi+n late mu9n
hot n6ng laugh cU'bi
hotel khach s~n lawyer lu•t sU'
hour gib learn hqc
house nha left (phia) trcii
housewife ngubi n9i trt;)' leg chan
how? (nhU') the nao? lemonade nu8c chanh
how far? Bao xa? lend chovay
how long? Bao lau? letter thU'
how many? How much? May? Bao library thU' vi+n
nhieu? life (CUQC) song
however tuy nhien lift thang may
husband chong like thich
hygiene v+ sinh listen nghe
literature van hqc
ice cream kem live song, it
idea y kien luggage hanh IY
if neu lunar New Year Tet nguyen dan
illness ~nh
important quan trqng make lam
improve di tien mango (qua) xoai
in it, t~i, vao, trong mangosteen (qua) mang qrt
in general n6i chung many nhieu
intend djnh market cht;)'
interesting thu vj, hay marry cu8i, lay vt;)'/chong
maybe cole on tren
meat thjt one m9t
meet g~p onion h2mh
meeting (cu9c) hqp only chi. •• thoi
melon qua du'a open mb
menu thyc ddn opinion y kien
milk sua opportunity djp
mine cuatoi opposite doi di+n
minister bQ tntbng orange (qua) cam
minute phUt orange (colour) mau da cam
month thang order(meal) gqi (mon iin)
more hdn organization to chuc
motorcycle xe may oughtto nen
mother me, m~ overseas Vietnamese Vi+t Kieu
mountain nui
museum vi+n bao timg page trang
mushroom nam pagoda chua
music am nh~c pain dau
must phai painter ho~ si
pair doi
name ten papaya (qua) du du
nation dan t9c parents bo m~
nationality quoc tjch park cong vien
nature thien nhien parking place cho de xe
near gan party (political) dang
need can party (gathering) buoi lien hoan
nephew chau trai passport hQ chieu
new mdi peach (qua) dao
news tin pear (qua) le
newspaper bao pepper h~t tieu
nice d~p, xinh perform dien
niece chau gai perfume nude hoa
no khong perhaps co le
noisy on ao person ngu'bi
normal blnh thubng photograph buccinh
north phia bic pig (con) lc;1n/heo
not khong pineapple (qua) dl1a
now bay gib, hi+n nay place cho, ndi
nurse yta plane may bay
plant trong, cay
office cd quan, van phong plastic nhya
often hay play chdi
old gia, eli pleasant de chju
please xin retire ve huu
pneumonia viem phoi return to trb ve, trb lcjii
poem b~.lithd rice g~o (m~, lua, th6c)
poor ngheo rich giau
population dan so rickshaw xich lo
pork thit lc;tn/heo right phia phai, dung (correct)
post gU'i river sang
post office buu di~n road duC'Jng
postcard bU'u thiep, buu anh run ch~y
prepare chuan bi
print in sad buon
problem van de safe antoan
profession nghe sales assistant nguC'Ji ban hang
professor giao su salt muoi, m~n
programme chudng trlnh scenery phong canh
propose de nghj sea bien
province tlnh secretary thu kY
public cong CQng see nhln, xem, thay
publish (publishing house) xuat send gU'i
ban (nha xuat ban) ship tau thuy
put d~t,de shirt ao sd mi
shoe giay dep
quickly nhanh, nhanh chong shopping mua ban
quiet yen tinh should nen
sightseeing tham quan
railway station nha ga sign kY
rain (rainy season) mu'a (mua mu'a) silk h;~a
rambutan (qua) chom chom silver b~c
rather kha sing hat
read dqc single d9cthan
receive nh•n sit ngoi
receptionist tiep vien size ca, sO
red (mau)do sleep ngu
Red River Song Hong small nho
registered post thu bao dam smoke hut (thuoc Ia)
relationship quan h~ snow tuyet
relatives hq hang society xii hQi
rent thue soldier chien si
repair (sU'a) chua sometimes doi khi
reply tra IC'Ji song bai hat
reporter ph6ng vien soup xup
rest nghl sour chua
restaurant hi~u an, nha hang south phia nam
 speciality a~c san thirsty khat
spicy cay this nay
spoon thia throat hQng
sport the thao ticket ve
spring mua xuan time th~i gian
spring roll nem nin, cha gio tired m~t
stall quan today hom nay
stamp tem together cung (nhau)
start bit aau toilet phong v~ sinh
steamed glutinous rice xoi tomato ca chua
steel thep tomorrow ngay mai
still con, van con tourist ngu~i du ljch
stomach bl}ng trade thud'ng m~i, buon ban
stone aa tradition truyen thong
strong m~nh train tau hoa, xe IU'a
student sinh vien translate djch
study hQc travel c1i l~i, di du ljch
suburbs ngo~i o tree cay
sugar au~ng turn re
suitcase va li turtle rua
summer mua he
sunny nAng umbrella o
sweet ngQt uncle bac, chu
sweets k~o under dubi
underground tau di~n ngam
table bim understand hieu
take lay university trlt~ng a~i hQctong hc;1p
take part tham dl}', tham gia until aen
talk noi (chuy~n) use dung
tasty ngon
tea tra, cha valuable quy
teacher giao vien, thay giao vase IQhoa
(male), co giao (female) vegetables rau
telephone may di~n tho~i very rat, lim, qua
tell ke, bao vestige di tlch
temperature nhi~t aq Vietnam Vi~t Nam
temple den village lang
thank you cam d'n, cam d'n visa thj thl}'c
theatre nha hat visitor khach
then thi
therefore nen, vi v~y wait ch~, dc;1i
they hQ waiter ngu~i phl}c VI}
think nghi wake up thuc d~y

350
walk ai b9 who? ai7
wall tu'~ng why? t~i sao? vi sao?
want muon wife vfl
warm am win thing
wash rlta, gi~ wind gi6
watch (see) xem window ella s0
watch (wristwatch) aong ho wine ru'flu vang
water nu'bc winter mua aong
waterrice lua nu'bc wish chuc (mung)
we chung toi, chung ta with vbi
wear m~c. ai, aeo woman ph~:~ nu
weather th~i, tiet wood go
week tuan work lam vi'c
welcome aon worry lo ling
well khoe write viet
west phia tay wrong sai
what? gl7
what time? May gi~7 year nam
when? Bao gi~7 Khi nao7luc nao7 years of age tuoi
where? aau7 yellow vang
which? nao7 yes vang
white (mau) tring young tre

English-VIetnamese vocabulary 351