Learning Vietnamese - Lesson 1

Getting started

Today, I had my first Vietnamese lesson at Folkuniversitet, and I’m excited to finally learn the language in a structured way. I’ve tried studying on my own before, but let’s just say the results were… less than impressive.

Our class is small, just four students, which is a real luxury. With such a small group and an enthusiastic teacher, I think this will be a great learning experience.

To make the process more fun and to reinforce what I learn, I’ll be writing a short post after each lesson. This will help me review new words and phrases while hopefully sharing some useful insights with others.

In our first lesson, we focused on the basics: an introduction to the language and how to introduce ourselves. A solid foundation to build on!

Personal pronouns

In Vietnamese, it's very important to correctly address the person you're talking to. There are many different personal pronouns, called đại từ xưng hô in Vietnamese. For example, if you meet a man slightly older than you, you would say:
"Anh ơi, cho em hỏi..." (Hey anh, can I ask you something?). I listed all the pronouns we learned in the table at the end.

Simple conversations

We also practiced some simple conversations, for example two people meeting each other for the first time: Andreas: Chào em.
Milly: Chào anh. Xin lỗi, anh tên là gì?
Andreas: Tôi tên là Andreas, rất vui đươc gặp em.
Milly: Tôi tên là Milly, rất vui đươc gặp anh.

Or if you already acquinted with each other: Andreas: Chào cô Milly. Cô cò khoẻ không?
Milly: Chào anh Andreas. Tôi khoẻ. Cò anh?
Andreas: Chào anh. Hên gặp lại.
Milly: Chào cô. Hẹn gặp lại.

If you are in a class, you would address your teacher as instead:
Andreas: Chào cô.
Milly: Chào các bạn. Các bạn khoẻ không?
Andreas: Dạ, khoẻ. Cám ơn cô. Còn cô?
Milly: Cám ơn bạn. Tôi cũng khoẽ.

Common Pronouns & Address Terms

VietnameseEnglish TranslationNotes
AnhOlder brother / You (man)Used for a slightly older man
ChịOlder sister / You (woman)Used for a slightly older woman
EmYounger sibling / YouUsed for someone younger
Aunt / You (older woman)Used for women around your parents' age
ChúUncle / You (older man)Used for men around your parents' age
Grandmother / You (elderly woman)Used for very old women
ÔngGrandfather / You (elderly man)Used for very old men
TôiI (formal)Polite and neutral
BạnYou (neutral/friend)Used with strangers or friends

Common Words & Their Meanings

VietnameseEnglish TranslationNotes
TênNameUsed when asking for names
To be / Is / Am / AreUsed in basic sentences like "My name is..."
WhatUsed in questions
KhôngNo / Not / Question wordTurns a sentence into a yes/no question
KhỏeHealthy / WellUsed in greetings
Cảm ơnThank youCommon way to express gratitude
CònAnd / As forUsed when continuing a conversation
ThìThen / SoUsed for emphasis in questions

Full Phrases & Sentences

VietnameseEnglish TranslationNotes
Anh/Chị tên là gì?What is your name?Formal way to ask someone's name
Còn em thì sao?How about you?Used when returning a question
Anh/Chị có khỏe không?How are you?Polite way to ask about well-being
Khỏe! Cảm ơn em!I'm well! Thank you!Common response to "How are you?"