Vietnamese Language Basics

It's always fun and demanding at the same time to learn a new language. Vietnamese truly is one of the most beautiful languages in the world, and learning this language will provide an opportunity to get to know the history, daily life, culture, and traditions of this impressive country. If you're thinking about visiting Vietnam, using Vietnamese to get around, or just simply expanding the number of languages you know, mastering even the most basic elements of this language can be a great deal of fun. And while you're preparing for your trip, don't forget the importance of comprehensive Travel Insurance for Vietnam to ensure a smooth and worry-free experience. In this blog, the following headings will be discussed to provide the required information to help you start learning the Vietnamese language:

1. Introduction to the Vietnamese Language

• Overview

It is estimated that over 90 million Vietnamese (Tiểu hát) are in Vietnam and Vietnamese-speaking communities all over the world. This language is of the Austroasiatic family of languages and is dissimilar to many of its neighbours such as Chinese and Thai languages.

• Dialect Variations

Vietnamese is divided into three primary dialects:

i. Northern Dialect (Hà Nội): Accepted as the standard and common, received by all throughout the United Kingdom.

ii. Central Dialect (Huế): This is a ratio dialect that is spoken in the central regions of the European country but this dialect is said to be different from the spoken tonality and enunciation.

iii. Southern Dialect (Ho Chi Minh City): Used in the areas of the south though it is slightly pronounced different from the standard Kenyan Bantu.

In this blog post, however, we will mainly be discussing the Northern Dialect due to its prestige in formal and written media.

2. The Vietnamese Alphabet and Pronunciation

While most languages of Asia use character types similar to Chinese or Japanese, they use the Latin alphabet that has acute and diacritic marks as the Vietnamese languagAlthough this facilitates reading for English speakers, it can still be challenging to get the hang of the pronunciation and tones.

• The Alphabet

Vietnamese has 29 letters in its alphabet, 17 of the them are consonants and the other 12 is vowels. Here's a breakdown:

Consonants: B, C, D, Đ, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, X

Vowels: A, Ă, Â, E, Ê, I, O, Ô, Ơ, U, Ư, Y

• Pronunciation

The main trouble when starting the learning process is the tones and vowel sounds. Vietnamese is a tonal language, this language devices its words based on the tone that the speaker uses when pronouncing it.

Tone Marks: In Vietnamese, there are six degrees of tonal accents or tones, indicated by diacritic marks placed above or below the vowel.

i. Mid-level tone (no mark): Neutral tone.

ii. Low falling tone (̀): Starts high and falls low.

iii. High rising tone (´): Starts mid and rises high.

iv. Low rising tone (?): Dips low then rises.

v. Breaking tone (˜): Increases slowly, decreases slightly in the middle and increases again.

vi. Falling tone (.): Rising, low and a fall.

For example, the syllable "ma" can have six different meanings depending on the tone used:

vii. Ma (ghost)

viii. Má (mother)

ix. Mà (but)

x. Mả (grave)

xi. Mã (code)

xii. Mạ (rice seedling)

3. Basic Vietnamese Grammar

Compared to many other languages, Vietnamese grammar could be counted as simplistically complex. It does not have tenses, conjugations, or gendered nouns, which makes the construction of a sentence easier. But it is crucial to achieve mastery of word order and particles.

• Word Order

Vietnamese has its basic sentence structure formed with the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern just like the English language. For example:

i. English: I eat rice.

ii. Vietnamese: Tôi ăn cơm.

• Tenses

Vietnamese language does not something known as tenses as is the English language. Instead, time is indicated by context or by using time markers such as "đã" (past), "đang" (present continuous), and "sẽ" (future):

i. I ate rice: Tôi đã ăn cơm.

ii. I am eating rice: Tôi đang ăn cơm.

iii. I will eat rice: Tôi sẽ ăn cơm.

• Pluralisation

To make a noun plural, you simply add the word "các" (for general plural) or "những" (for specific plural) in front of the noun:

i. Child: Đứa trẻ

ii. Children: Những đứa trẻ

4. Ten Vietnamese Phrases Every Beginner Should Know

As in any country, learning some basic phrases will be useful when it comes to Towards carrying out our everyday activities such as shopping, and eating out, or in cases when, we interact with local Vietnamese people. Here are some essential phrases to get you started:

• Greetings and Basic Conversations

i. Hello: Xin chào (sin chow)

ii. Goodbye: Tạm biệt (tam byet)

iii. How are you?: Bạn có khỏe không? (ban koh kweh kohng)

iv. I’m fine, thank you: Tôi khỏe, cảm ơn. (toy kweh, kahm urn)

v. What’s your name?: Bạn tên là gì? (ban ten lah zee)

vi. My name is [name]: Tôi tên là [name]. (toy ten lah [name])

vii. Nice to meet you: Rất vui được gặp bạn. (zuht voo duk gap ban)

• Politeness and Courtesy

i. Please: Xin vui lòng (sin vui long)

ii. Thank you: Cảm ơn (kahm urn)

iii. You’re welcome: Không có gì (kohng koh zee)

iv. Excuse me: Xin lỗi (sin loy)

v. Yes: Vâng (vung) or Dạ (yah)

vi. No: Không (kohng)

• Directions and Transportation

i. Where is…?: Ở đâu? (uh dow)

ii. How much does this cost?: Cái này bao nhiêu tiền? (gai nay bow nyoo tyan)

iii. I want to go to [place]: Tôi muốn đi [place]. (toy moon dee [place])

iv. Taxi: Taxi (exactly the same as English)

v. Bus: Xe buýt (seh boot)

• Dining and Shopping

i. Menu, please: Cho tôi xem thực đơn. (chaw toy sem took dun)

ii. Water: Nước (nuhk)

iii. I’m vegetarian: Tôi ăn chay. (toy ahn chai)

iv. Delicious: Ngon (ngawn)

v. Bill, please: Tính tiền! (ting tyan)

5. Cultural Nuances in the Vietnamese Language

The culture of Vietnam is closely entwined with the language, therefore being aware of some of these situations can make it easier for you to have productive interactions.

• Respect for Elders

The Vietnamese language is very polite especially when addressing the elderly, which is very important in the Vietnamese culture. According to Vietnamese people, they have different ways of referring to people based on his/her age and social status. For example:

i. More specifically, Anh (older brother) is applied to refer to a slightly elder male and for female the similar term is Em (younger sister).

ii. Chị (older sister) is for a slightly older female.

iii. Em (younger sibling) is used for the person who is younger.

• Using Titles

Vietnamese people do not use ‘you’ or ‘I’; instead, people display courtesy by calling elders ‘ông’ (sir) ‘bà’ (madam) or ‘cô’ (aunt).

• Politeness in Conversation

Vietnamese have a culture of indirectness especially when turning down offers or when speaking about some issues or things. Other friendly refusals or ways to avoid a topic include words such as ‘maybe’, or ‘I will consider it’.

• Tone Sensitivity

The structure of Vietnamese language is different from English because the sound pitch changes the meaning of the words. Pay attention to how you pronounce words to prevent misunderstandings or accidental implications.

6. Tips for Learning Vietnamese

They are very similar for learning a new language can be very daunting especially if you are not sure where to begin. Here are some tips for mastering Vietnamese:

• Letters and Tones of Voice

Among the difficulties that people face when learning Vietnamese tones are the key concern, thus practicing them is vital. Practice with others, watch people speaking natively, use language apps to get better at it.

• Get Interned with the Language

Watching some Vietnamese movies, listening to some Vietnamese songs, and even reading a little Vietnamese texts you can increase your familiarity with the rhythm of the language.

• Employ Apps for Language Learning

Vietnamese language lessons are available on apps like Memrise, Babbel, and Duolingo, which make learning engaging and dynamic. By using these applications on a regular basis, you may increase your vocabulary and self-assurance.

• Get Experience with Natural Speakers

To assist you with your speaking practice, try to get an instructor or partner for language exchange in Vietnam. You may use HelloTalk or Italki to communicate online with native speakers.

• Be Patient and Start Simple

It takes time and effort to learn Vietnamese, just like any other language. Start with little words and sentences and work your way up in vocabulary and grammatical knowledge.

FAQs

1. Is Vietnamese a difficult language to learn?

Because of its tone, it might be difficult at times, yet compared to many other languages, it is simpler to learn thanks to its simple syntax.

2. How many tones are there in Vietnamese?

There are six tones in Vietnamese, and how a word is spoken can alter its meaning.

3. What’s the best way to start learning Vietnamese?

Before moving on to typical sentences, start by mastering the alphabet, fundamental pronunciation, and tone.