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8438 Learn Vietnamese - vietnamtravel.org

Learn VietnameseAlthough in popular tourist destinations and larger cities it is just about possible to get by without knowing a word of Vietnamese , insisting on speaking your own language all the time will isolate you from the majority of Vietnamese people and leave you less likely to make friends and relationships you will remember from your travels. By learning to speak just a few words of Vietnamese you can greatly improve your experience, reduce misunderstandings and frustrations and have a chance to talk - however briefly - with individuals who work outside of the tourist service industry, giving you a far greater appreciation of the Vietnamese culture and outlook on think any responsible traveller should at a minimum Learn how to meet and greet people and how to be polite, but taking the time to Learn a few more phrases will certainly enhance your enjoyment - even if it just means you are able to recognise a few more items on that otherwise baffling Vietnamese menu.

Pronunciation, Tones + the Vietnamese Alphabet Like the majority of South East and East Asian languages, Vietnam is a tonal language. This means that for each

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Transcription of 8438 Learn Vietnamese - vietnamtravel.org

1 Learn VietnameseAlthough in popular tourist destinations and larger cities it is just about possible to get by without knowing a word of Vietnamese , insisting on speaking your own language all the time will isolate you from the majority of Vietnamese people and leave you less likely to make friends and relationships you will remember from your travels. By learning to speak just a few words of Vietnamese you can greatly improve your experience, reduce misunderstandings and frustrations and have a chance to talk - however briefly - with individuals who work outside of the tourist service industry, giving you a far greater appreciation of the Vietnamese culture and outlook on think any responsible traveller should at a minimum Learn how to meet and greet people and how to be polite, but taking the time to Learn a few more phrases will certainly enhance your enjoyment - even if it just means you are able to recognise a few more items on that otherwise baffling Vietnamese menu.

2 Use our free online phrasebook to sharpen your skills and prepare for your trip - or download it as a PDF to put on your Kindle, mobile, iPhone, iPod touch or other ebook reader. The original copy of this guide can be found at Basic Vietnamese PhrasesSimplest PhrasesAt the very minimum it is important to at least know how to say 'Hello' and 'Thank you' - it takes moments to Learn yet can make a big impression, as you will already know more than 90% of travellers arriving in vietnam Addressing peopleFor Vietnamese people it is important to use the correct form of address than signifies your age and relationship to the person you are speaking to. In general, when talking to someone younger than you you may call them 'Em', or if you think you are HelloXin ch oGoodbyeT m bi tThank YouC m nI am sorryXin l iNo ng than them you may call yourself 'Em' and use a range of pronouns based on the other person's gender and age.

3 As a traveller however it is acceptable to 'cheat' and use a generic 'T i' for 'I' and 'Ban' for 'Friend', rather than finding the correct form of address - this is not disrespectful and will help you make yourself understood. Basic VocabularyYou may find some of the following vocabulary useful for forming simple sentences: I, meT iI amT i l YouB nShe, herC yHe, himAnh yThey, themH We, usCh ng taItN LikeTh chWantMu nEat nDrinkU ngLike to eatTh ch nI like to eatT i th ch nWhatC i g What do you like to eat?B n th ch n c i g ?I'm hungryT i i (b ng)I'm thirstyT i kh t n cI am sorryXin l iNo ng saoWhat is this?C i n y l c i g ?Where is the nearest internet shop?G n y c internet kh ng?Where is the post office?B u i n u? Pronunciation, Tones + the Vietnamese AlphabetLike the majority of South East and East Asian languages, vietnam is a tonal language.

4 This means that for each syllable there are six different tones that can change the meaning of a phrase. This can be unusual for Westerners since there are times we have a natural inclination to change the tone of our speech - the most common is raisinng the pitch of your voice when asking a question. Don't let it put you off though - once you have mastered the pronunciation, Vietnamese is a satisfyingly straightforward language, with a grammar system that is much easier than that of a language like French. Another great advantage learners of Vietnamese have over those studying other Asian languages is that the Vietnamese alphabet is essentially a modified version of the Roman alphabet, making it easy to read signs and addresses when travelling around. Tones * This tone is very strong in the North around Hanoi where there is a perceptible 'cut' in the sound.

5 In the South around Saigon people tend to speak in a more 'smooth' manner, and many would say this tone becomes almost identical to the low, rising tone above it ('Ye-es, M'lud'') Vietnamese AlphabetAlthough the Vietnamese use the same alphabet as Latin languages such as English and French, some of the Where is the ATM?ATM u?YesterdayH m quaTodayH m nayTomorrowNg y maiTo go iBusXe Bu tStationGaI am going to the bus stationT i i ga xe bu tDescriptionDiacriticSample wordMeaningHigh risingM MotherLow fallingM ThatStart in a low tone, go down, and gently back up(I tend to imagine a bored butler - 'Ye-es M'lud?' ) M TombStart high, bring voice down, cut off and go back up* M HorseBring voice down and cut off abruptly(imagine a parent firmly saying 'No.')M Rice ShootsMid range voice, go flat and level(No mark)MaGhostsounds are fairly different to their English equivalent.

6 There are a few similarities with French, however. Consonants Vowels One rule to pronouncing vowels in vietnam that is very useful to remember is that whenever you get two vowels together - for example 'ui' - the first vowel should have much more emphasis than the second - 'ui' dLike 'z' as in zero Like 'd' in English as dog,ghLike 'g' in gogiLike 'y' in yeskhLike 'Karen'nhLike 'n' in Cognacng, nghLike SingerphLike 'f' in forestrNormal R in EnglishsNormal S in EnglishtAs in TanthAs in ThumptrAs in TrainvAs in VioletaAs in father like 'a' in "father", except said very quickly As a in blackaiIAoLoudauOw uAs in goayAs in day yAs in DavideLike in AmericaeoLike meow-cat's noise Vietnamese Phrases: Eating + drinkingOne of the most enjoyable aspects to travelling in vietnam is discovering the delicious, fresh and unique cuisine on offer - but for the less adventurous a foreign menu can be very off putting.

7 Make the most of your meals by brushing up on your food Like in caf iLike in seeIaLike in idiaIeLike in yesoLike in dooroaLike in OasisoaiLike in WhyoayLike in UruguayoeWhereoiCoin Joseph iLike in toy Like in Burger i iuLike in SueuaLike Ecuador furu Like in 'Question'uiLike oo-eeuyLike 'oui' in FrenchuyaAs French 'Culture'uyenwhenyLike letter 'e'yeuLike in fewvocabulary before you go, and avoid eating fried noodles in every restaurant along the journey! At the restaurant RestaurantNh H ngMenuTh c nFoodTh c nDrink (n) u ngA pair of chopsticks i aI am a vegetarianT i n chayNot too spicyKhong rat cayNo chilli pleaseKhong co otNo fish sauceKhong co nuoc mamCan I have the bill please?T nh ti nDeliciousNgon qu I am fullT i no r iMediumV aRareT iWell-doneCh nWithoutKh ng c A little tSugar ngOne moreTh m m tOne more beerTh m m t biaMeatTh tSeafoodH i S nChickenG BeefB Pork (South / North)(Thit) Heo / L nFishC SquidM cPrawnsT mCrabCuaSoft shell crabCua l tFried / Deep FriedChi nStir friedX oGrilledN ng Drinks / Fruit Juices / Fruits VegetablesSteamedH pStewedKhoWithV iFish sauceN c m mStir fried chickenG x oGrilled chickenG n ngMorning gloryRau mu ngWaterN cIce Red wineR u White wineR u tr ngCan I have the menu please?

8 C th c n kh ng?Can I have chicken sate pleaseT i mu n g sa t Can I have a glass of red wine please?T i mu n m t ly r u Lemon JuiceN c ChanhOrange JuiceN c CamCoconut JuiceN c D aApple JuiceN cT oMango JuiceN c Xo iPashion Fruit JuiceN c Chanh D y(green) TeaTr Iced TeaTr D Black (Lipton) TeaTr LiptonBlack Coffee (hot)C Ph en (N ng)Ice Black CoffeeC Ph White CoffeeC Ph S a (N ng)Iced White CoffeeC Ph S a Condensed MilkS aFresh MilkS a T iDo you have fresh milk?B nc s a t i kh ng?Fruit ShakeSinh T Vietnamese DesertCh Aubergine / EggplantC t m Vietnamese Phrases: Getting Around Taxis + Motorbike Taxis Directions TomatoC ChuaMushroomsN mOnionsH nhSpring OnionsH nh L VegetablesRauMorning Glory (water spinach)Rau Mu ngCorianderNg Sweet BasilRau th mMintB c H GarlicT iChilli tSpicyCayDo you use the meter?B n c ch y theo ng h kh ng?

9 I like to go the cinema, pleaseT i mu n i r p chi u phimMotorbike DriverXe mBicycle Rickshaw (Cyclo)X ch L Bus StationTr m Xe Bu tTrain StationGa Xe L aAirportS n BayHow much is it to go from here to Russian Market? i ch Nga bao nhi u ti n?That's expensive, I pay 30,000 VND ?M c qu , t i tr ba m i ng n?I'm in a hurryT i ang v iPlease slow down! i ch m l i!I don't want to dieT i kh ng mu n ch t!Go straight i th ngTurn leftQu o tr iTurn rightQu o ph iStop here pleaseD ng l i yNext to, byB n c nh Vehicles Tickets Hiring vehiclesLeft hand sideB n Tr iRight hand siideB n ph iCarXe H i/ Xe t TaxiTaxiMotorbikeXe M yMotorbike TaxiXe mBicycleXe pBusXe Bu tTrainTau / Xe L a (old)BoatThuy nAeroplaneM y BayTicketV One WayM t Chi uReturn TicketKh H iI would like a ticket to Nha Trang T i mu n mua v i Nha TrangHow much does a ticket to Hanoi cost?

10 V i H N i bao nhi u ti n?How far is it (Km) to Phan Thiet i Phan Thi t bao nhi u c y s ?How long is the journey to Hoi An? i H i An bao l u?That's a long time!L u Qu !That's quick!Nhanh qu !That's expensive!Mac Qu !That's cheap!Re Qu !Is it faster to go by train? i t u c nhanh h n kh ng?Is it cheaper to go by bus? i xe bu t c r h n kh ng?Is the bus direct?Xe bu t c i th ng kh ng?SeatGh Reclining Seat / Soft SeatGh N m / Gh M mBedGi ngFor HireCho Thu I want to hire a motorbikeT i mu n thu xe m y Issues Vietnamese Phrases: Making FriendsWhen you meet someone it is natural to ask their name and where they are from, as these are great ice breakers. Please note though there are some differences between Vietnamese and Western cultures that may come as a surprise! Basic GreetingsI want to hire a bicycleT i mu n thu xe pI want to hire a car with a driverT i mu n thu xe h i v i t i x.


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