Sage-Tips

Do Vietnamese talk in third person?

As Vietnamese people often talk in the third person, a person’s “ranking” often becomes their identity in the context of family affairs, for example, a mother will refer to herself as me or ma (mum) when talking to her kids. Out of the family, Vietnamese also prefer to use kinship terms.

How do you address yourself in Vietnamese?

Technically, you can address yourself as” tôi” and and your junior as “em”. But this pair of pronouns is way too formal and unusual, also rarely used. “Tao” for yourself and “mày” for your junior: Please don’t go for this one, because it is very rude. This one is just applied for the ones that is very close to you.

How do you greet a Vietnamese woman?

Meeting and Greeting Shake with both hands, and bow your head slightly to show respect. Bow to the elderly who do not extend their hand. Vietnamese women are more inclined to bow their head slightly than to shake hands. When greeting someone, say “xin chao” (seen chow) + given name + title.

What do you call a Vietnamese person?

For business purposes, it is traditionally acceptable to call a Vietnamese person by the surname, together with a title, such as Director Pham or Chairman Nguyen.

How do you say I and you in Vietnamese?

Vietnamese words for I and You in various situations As can be seen from the above table, if ‘You’ are older (than ‘I’) and are female, the correct word is chị. And interestingly, the word for ‘I’ is also chị if ‘I’ were female and older than ‘You’.

How do you say thank you in Vietnamese?

The most common ways to say thank you in Vietnamese are ‘cám ơn’ and ‘cảm ơn’. They are actually the same phrases but are pronounced in different tones. You can say ‘cám ơn’ or ‘cảm ơn’ in both formal and informal situations. In a formal situation, you can express your gratitude by following phrases:

Do Vietnamese girls have nicknames for their boyfriend/lover?

Vietnamese girls also tend to use a “cute” nickname for their boyfriend/lover. Want to learn more useful phrases? Why not get started with this mini-course 15 Must-know Vietnamese phrases for Beginners with pronunciation audio.