The whole book on one page: sentence patterns you can play with, then the sound and word rules at a glance. Each part links to the chapter that explains it.
Sentences
Each sentence is split into parts. Click a boxed word to swap it, or pick from the rows underneath. The English updates and you hear the new sentence.
Introducing someone
6.3 Introducing yourself7.5 Ages
Talking to someone
The word for "you" changes with who you're talking to. Try each one.
6.1 Saying hello6.2 Who's who6.4 Asking names
Likes, wants and shopping
Vietnamese word order is the same as English: who + does + what. Verbs never change form.
8.1 Word order7.6 How much is it?7.7 At the market
No, and yes/no questions
không before a word makes it negative. không at the end makes a question. Adjectives never take là.
8.2 Là8.3 Saying no8.4 Questions
Ordering
Cho ("give") + me + the thing. Me is your word for yourself.
Sounds
Every syllable has four parts
start + vowel + end + tone. Only the vowel and the tone are always there.
| Word | Start | Vowel | End | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| t | iê | ng | sắc | |
| ă | n | ngang | ||
| ng | ươ | i | huyền |
1.3 Anatomy of a syllable5.5 How to read any word
The five Southern tones
| Mark | Name | Your voice | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | ngang | stays flat | ghost |
| á | sắc | rises ↗ | mom |
| à | huyền | falls gently ↘ | but |
| ả, ã | hỏi, ngã | dips, then rises ↘↗ (the same in the South) | grave |
| ạ | nặng | low, with a small dip | rice seedling |
- Words ending in -p, -t, -c, -ch only take sắc or nặng: (to sing), (seed).
- Where the mark goes: a vowel with its own mark wins (tiếng, người). Otherwise, with two vowels and nothing after, the first (hai, mía); with a consonant after, the last (toán).
3.2 The five tones3.4 Where the mark goes
Vowels that are easy to mix up
| Group | The difference | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| a · ă · â | long "ah" · short "ah" · short "uh" | |
| e · ê | open (bed) · closed (say) | |
| o · ô · ơ | "aw" · "oh", lips forward · relaxed "uh" | |
| u · ư | "oo" · "oo" with a smile | |
| ai · ay | long a · short a | |
| ao · au | slow glide · quick glide |
2.2 Easy to mix up2.3 Two vowels
Spelling rules
| Sound | Before i, e, ê | Everywhere else |
|---|---|---|
| k | k () | c (), or qu before a "w" () |
| g | gh () | g () |
| ng | ngh () | ng () |
| Glide | Nothing after it | A consonant after it | Nothing before it |
|---|---|---|---|
| "ee-uh" | ia () | iê () | yê () |
| "oo-uh" | ua () | uô () | |
| "ư-uh" | ưa () | ươ () |
4.4 Spelling rules2.4 One sound, two spellings
Consonant pairs
| Pair | The difference | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| t · th | no puff of air · a puff (hold your hand up) | |
| c · kh | hard k, no puff · soft, like loch | |
| đ · d | firm d · y in the South | |
| ch · tr | soft · tongue curled back | |
| n · nh · ng | n · ñ in señor · ng in singing |
Endings pair up by mouth position: p ↔ m (lips), t ↔ n (tongue tip), c ↔ ng (back of tongue), ch ↔ nh (middle of tongue). One of each pair stops the sound, the other hums.
The Southern accent
| Spelled | Sounds like (South) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| d, gi, v | y | , , |
| qu | w | |
| -n | -ng | |
| -t | -c | (same as mắc) |
| -nh | -n | |
| -ch | -t | |
| hỏi, ngã | one tone | , |
| ươi, uôi, iêu | ưi, ui, iu (casual) | , , |
4.3 Southern consonants5.3 Southern endings2.5 Three vowels
Words
"You" and "I"
| Talking to… | Call them | Call yourself |
|---|---|---|
| a man a bit older | anh | em |
| a woman a bit older | chị | em |
| someone younger | em | anh / chị |
| your parents' generation | chú (m) / cô (f) | con |
| your grandparents' generation | ông (m) / bà (f) | con |
| someone your age | bạn | tôi / tui / mình |
Not sure? Use anh or chị, and call yourself em. For he or she, add ấy: anh ấy, which in the South often becomes .
Building numbers
- 11–19: mười + digit, and 5 becomes lăm: (15)
- 20–99: digit + mươi + digit, where 1 becomes mốt, 4 becomes tư and 5 becomes lăm: (45), (21)
- Hundreds: digit + trăm, with lẻ for a missing tens digit: (105)
- Thousands: ngàn (Southern); millions: triệu: (25,000)
- Southern shortcuts: chục for tens (, 50), hăm for 20-something (, 25)