200 Common Vietnamese Phrases
All 200 phrases from the Learn Vietnamese Fast deck. Grouped by the situation you need them in and not by lesson order. Free to read and free to copy. Three play native audio here; the deck plays all 200.
Learn Vietnamese Fast - Master Essential Words and Phrases for Quick Fluency
Learn Vietnamese Fast - Master Essential Words and Phrases for Quick Fluency flashcards for effective learning with spaced repetition.
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Essential Phrases
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xin chào | sin chow | Hello (formal) | |
| Chào anh | chow ahng | Hi (to older male) | |
| Chào chị | chow chee | Hi (to older female) | |
| Tạm biệt | tahm bee-et | Goodbye | |
| Cảm ơn | kahm uhn | Thank you | |
| Xin lỗi | sin loy | Sorry; Excuse me | |
| Không có gì | kohm kaw zee | You're welcome; No problem | |
| Bạn khỏe không? | bahn kweh kohm? | How are you? | |
| Tôi khỏe, cảm ơn. | toy kweh, kahm uhn | I'm fine, thank you. | |
| Bạn tên gì? | bahn ten zee? | What is your name? | |
| Tôi tên là | toy ten la | My name is... | |
| Tôi là người Mỹ. | toy la ngoo-ee mee | I am American. | |
| Tôi không hiểu. | toy kohm hee-oh | I don't understand. | |
| Nói lại được không? | noy lai doo-uk kohm? | Can you say that again? | |
| Nói chậm hơn được không? | noy chuhm huhn doo-uk kohm? | Can you speak more slowly? | |
| Cái này là gì? | kai nay la zee? | What is this? | |
| Tiếng Việt là gì? | tee-eng vee-et la zee? | What is it in Vietnamese? | |
| Tôi nói tiếng Việt một chút. | toy noy tee-eng vee-et moht choot | I speak a little Vietnamese. | |
| Bạn nói tiếng Anh được không? | bahn noy tee-eng ahng doo-uk kohm? | Can you speak English? | |
| Làm ơn | lahm uhn | Please | |
| Được | doo-uk | OK; can; allowed | |
| Không được | kohm doo-uk | Cannot; not allowed | |
| Bao nhiêu tiền? | bow nyee-oh tee-en? | How much does it cost? | |
| Đắt quá! | daht kwa! | Too expensive! | |
| Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? | nya veh sing uh doh? | Where is the toilet? | |
| Tôi muốn đi | toy moo-ohn dee | I want to go (to...) | |
| Cho tôi | chaw toy | Give me...; I'll have... | |
| Tôi bị lạc. | toy bee lahk | I am lost. | |
| Wi-Fi mật khẩu là gì? | why-fai muht koh la zee? | What is the Wi-Fi password? | |
| Chờ một chút. | chuh moht choot | Wait a moment. | |
| Không sao | kohm sow | It's OK; No worries; Never mind | |
| Hay quá! | hai kwa! | That's great! Awesome! | |
| Tôi đồng ý. | toy dohng ee | I agree. | |
| Tôi cần giúp đỡ! | toy kuhn zoop duh! | I need help! | |
| Tôi thích Việt Nam. | toy tick vee-et nahm | I like Vietnam. |
Core Survival Words
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| tôi | toy | I, me | |
| bạn | bahn | you (friendly, same age) | |
| anh | ahng | you (polite, to older male); older brother | |
| chị | chee | you (polite, to older female); older sister | |
| là | la | to be (am, is, are) | |
| có | kaw | to have; there is | |
| muốn | moo-ohn | to want | |
| cần | kuhn | to need | |
| đi | dee | to go | |
| ăn | an | to eat | |
| uống | oo-ohng | to drink | |
| biết | bee-et | to know (a fact) | |
| nói | noy | to speak, to say | |
| hiểu | hee-oh | to understand | |
| mua | moo-ah | to buy | |
| cho | chaw | to give; for | |
| tốt | toht | good | |
| xấu | soh | bad, ugly | |
| nhiều | nyee-oh | many, much, a lot | |
| ít | eet | few, little, not much | |
| to | taw | big, large | |
| nhỏ | nyaw | small, little | |
| đắt | dahk | expensive | |
| rẻ | zeh | cheap, inexpensive | |
| không | kohm | no; not (negation word, placed before verb) | |
| vâng | vuhng | yes (polite, to older person) | |
| và | va | and | |
| nhưng | nyoong | but, however | |
| rất | zuht | very | |
| cũng | koong | also, too |
Food and Dining
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| phở | fuh | pho (rice noodle soup) | |
| bún chả | boon cha | grilled pork with rice noodles (famous Hanoi dish) | |
| bánh mì | bahng mee | Vietnamese baguette sandwich | |
| cơm | kuhm | rice (cooked); a meal | |
| bún | boon | rice vermicelli noodles | |
| thịt bò | tit baw | beef | |
| thịt gà | tit ga | chicken | |
| thịt lợn | tit luhn | pork | |
| cá | ka | fish | |
| tôm | tohm | shrimp | |
| rau | zow | vegetables | |
| trứng | choong | egg | |
| cà phê sữa đá | ka feh soo-ah da | Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk | |
| trà đá | cha da | iced tea | |
| bia hơi | bee-ah huh-ee | fresh draft beer (Hanoi specialty) | |
| nước lọc | noo-uhk lawk | purified water | |
| ngon quá! | ngawn kwa! | So delicious! | |
| cay | kai | spicy | |
| Tôi ăn chay. | toy an chai | I am vegetarian. | |
| đói | doy | hungry | |
| no | naw | full (not hungry anymore) | |
| khát | kaht | thirsty | |
| Cho tôi xem thực đơn. | chaw toy sem took duhn | Let me see the menu. | |
| nước mắm | noo-uhk mahm | fish sauce | |
| nem | nem | fried spring rolls |
Social and Relationship
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| em | em | younger person (pronoun for someone younger than you) | |
| cô | koh | aunt; ma'am (woman your parent's age) | |
| ông | ohng | grandfather; sir (elderly man) | |
| bà | ba | grandmother; ma'am (elderly woman) | |
| bạn bè | bahn beh | friends | |
| vợ | vuh | wife | |
| chồng | chohng | husband | |
| con trai | kawn chai | son; boy | |
| con gái | kawn gai | daughter; girl | |
| bố | boh | father (Northern/Hanoi) | |
| mẹ | meh | mother (Northern/Hanoi) | |
| Bạn bao nhiêu tuổi? | bahn bow nyee-oh too-oy? | How old are you? | |
| Bạn làm nghề gì? | bahn lahm ngeh zee? | What do you do for work? | |
| Bạn thích Việt Nam không? | bahn tick vee-et nahm kohm? | Do you like Vietnam? | |
| vui | voo-ee | happy, fun | |
| buồn | boo-on | sad | |
| Hẹn gặp lại! | hen gahp lai! | See you again! | |
| Chúc mừng! | chook moong! | Congratulations! | |
| Một, hai, ba, dô! | moht, hai, ba, zoh! | One, two, three, cheers! (drinking toast) | |
| đẹp trai | dep chai | handsome (for men) | |
| xinh gái | sing gai | pretty (for women) | |
| giỏi quá! | zoy kwa! | So talented! So skilled! | |
| Mời anh vào. | muh-ee ahng vow | Please come in. (polite invitation) | |
| Tôi xin phép về trước. | toy sin fep veh choo-uhk | May I leave early. (very polite) | |
| nhé | nyeh | OK? right? yeah? (softener added to end of sentences) |
Sentence Patterns
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tôi không biết. | toy kohm bee-et | I don't know. (Negation: không + verb) | |
| Bạn có khỏe không? | bahn kaw kweh kohm? | Are you well? (Yes/no question: có...không?) | |
| Ngồi đây được không? | ngoy day doo-uk kohm? | Can I sit here? (Permission: verb + được không?) | |
| Bạn là người Mỹ, phải không? | bahn la ngoo-ee mee, fai kohm? | You're American, right? (Tag question: ...phải không?) | |
| Ăn chưa? | an choo-ah? | Have you eaten yet? (Asking if done yet: verb + chưa?) | |
| Ai đó? | ai daw? | Who's there? (Question word: ai = who) | |
| Làm gì? | lahm zee? | Doing what? (Question word: gì = what) | |
| Đi đâu? | dee doh? | Going where? (Question word: đâu = where) | |
| Tại sao? | tai sow? | Why? | |
| Tôi đã ăn rồi. | toy da an zoy | I already ate. (Past tense: đã + verb) | |
| Tôi đang học. | toy dahng hawk | I am studying. (Present tense: đang + verb) | |
| Tôi sẽ gọi cho bạn. | toy she goy chaw bahn | I will call you. (Future tense: sẽ + verb) | |
| Phở ngon hơn bún. | fuh ngawn huhn boon | Pho is tastier than vermicelli. (Comparative: adjective + hơn) | |
| Món này ngon nhất! | mawn nay ngawn nyuht! | This dish is the most delicious! (Superlative: adjective + nhất) | |
| Ngon lắm! | ngawn lahm! | Very delicious! (Intensifier: adjective + lắm = very) | |
| Tôi bị mất điện thoại. | toy bee muht dee-en twy | I got my phone stolen. (Passive negative: bị + verb for bad things) | |
| Tôi được mời. | toy doo-uk muh-ee | I was invited. (Passive positive: được + verb for good things) | |
| Nếu trời mưa thì tôi ở nhà. | neh-oo chuh-ee moo-ah tee toy uh nya | If it rains then I'll stay home. (Conditional: nếu...thì...) | |
| Càng học càng giỏi. | kahng hawk kahng zoy | The more you study, the better you get. (Progressive: càng...càng...) | |
| một cái bàn | moht kai bahn | a table (Classifier: cái for objects/things) | |
| hai con mèo | hai kawn meh-ow | two cats (Classifier: con for animals and people) | |
| Tôi chưa ăn. | toy choo-ah an | I haven't eaten yet. (Not yet: chưa + verb) | |
| Hiểu rồi! | hee-oh zoy! | Got it! I understand now! (Completion: verb + rồi = already done) | |
| Ăn thử đi! | an too dee! | Try eating it! (Try: thử + verb) | |
| Đi ăn đi! | dee an dee! | Let's go eat! (Suggestion: verb + đi = let's do it) |
Numbers, Time and Money
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| một | moht | one (1) | |
| hai | hai | two (2) | |
| ba | ba | three (3) | |
| bốn | bohn | four (4) | |
| năm | nahm | five (5); also means 'year' | |
| mười | moo-ee | ten (10) | |
| một trăm | moht chahm | one hundred (100) | |
| một nghìn | moht ngeen | one thousand (1,000) | |
| một triệu | moht chee-oh | one million (1,000,000) | |
| đồng | dohng | Vietnamese dong (currency) | |
| Bớt được không? | boht doo-uk kohm? | Can you lower the price? | |
| Tính tiền | tin tee-en | Check please; the bill | |
| tiền mặt | tee-en maht | cash | |
| sáng | sahng | morning | |
| chiều | chee-oh | afternoon | |
| tối | toy | evening, night | |
| hôm nay | hohm nai | today | |
| ngày mai | ngai mai | tomorrow | |
| hôm qua | hohm kwa | yesterday | |
| bây giờ | bay zuh | now |
Tones and Pronunciation
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ma | mah (flat, steady voice) | ghost - Level tone (ngang). Keep your voice steady, no rise or fall. | |
| má | mah (sharp upward rise) | cheek - Rising tone (sác). Voice rises sharply from mid to high pitch. | |
| mà | mah (dropping low gently) | but, yet - Falling tone (huyền). Voice drops from mid to low pitch. | |
| mả | mah (dips down then comes back up) | tomb, grave - Dipping tone (hỏi). Voice falls then rises, like asking a question. | |
| mã | mah (rises with a crack in the middle) | horse - Broken tone (ngã). Voice rises, catches with a glottal break, then rises again. | |
| mạ | mah (drops hard and stops abruptly) | rice seedling - Heavy tone (nặng). Voice drops sharply and cuts off. | |
| mười | moo-ee (spread lips, not rounded) | ten - Key vowel: ư is an unrounded 'oo' (lips spread, not rounded). | |
| mùi | moo-ee (rounded lips) | smell, nose - Key vowel: u is a rounded 'oo' (lips rounded like English 'oo'). | |
| cơm | kuhm (open jaw 'aw') | rice (cooked) - Key vowel: ơ is an open 'aw' sound (jaw drops). | |
| côm | kohm (tight 'oh') | not a common word - Key vowel: ô is a closed 'oh' sound (lips tight circle). | |
| ăn | an (short, clipped 'a') | eat - Key vowel: ă is a short clipped 'a' sound. | |
| ân | uhn (short 'uh') | grace, kindness - Key vowel: â is a short 'uh' sound (like 'u' in English 'but'). | |
| đi | dee (English 'd' sound) | go - Key consonant: đ sounds like English 'd'. In Hanoi, plain 'd' sounds like 'z'. | |
| bán | bahn (rising tone = sell) | sell - Minimal pair with bẩn (dirty). Same word, different tone changes meaning entirely. | |
| bẩn | bahn (dipping tone = dirty) | dirty - Minimal pair with bán (sell). Same word, different tone changes meaning entirely. |
Directions and Transport
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| xe ôm | seh ohm | motorbike taxi | |
| Gọi Grab | goy grap | Call a Grab (ride-hailing app) | |
| taxi | tahk-see | taxi | |
| đi thẳng | dee tahng | go straight | |
| rẽ trái | zeh chai | turn left | |
| rẽ phải | zeh fai | turn right | |
| gần | guhn | near, close | |
| xa | sa | far | |
| Dừng lại ở đây. | zoong lai uh day | Stop here. (to a driver) | |
| sân bay | suhn bai | airport | |
| khách sạn | kahk sahn | hotel | |
| Bao lâu? | bow loh? | How long? (time duration) | |
| Bao xa? | bow sa? | How far? | |
| đến | den | to arrive; to (destination) | |
| ở đây | uh day | here |
Emergency and Health
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cứu tôi với! | koo-oo toy vuh-ee! | Help me! (emergency) | |
| Gọi cấp cứu! | goy kuhp koo-oo! | Call an ambulance! | |
| Gọi cảnh sát! | goy kahng saht! | Call the police! | |
| bệnh viện | beng vee-en | hospital | |
| nhà thuốc | nya too-ohk | pharmacy | |
| Tôi bị đau. | toy bee dow | I am in pain. | |
| đau đầu | dow doh | headache | |
| Tôi bị dị ứng. | toy bee zee oong | I have an allergy. | |
| bác sĩ | bahk see | doctor | |
| Tôi bị mất hộ chiếu. | toy bee muht hoh chee-oh | I lost my passport. |
Frequently asked questions
How many Vietnamese phrases do you need for everyday life?
About 200. The list on this page covers what repeats every day: greetings and food, directions and money. Anything past that belongs to your job or your family.
Why does the same Vietnamese word mean six different things?
Vietnamese has six tones. The tone carries meaning the way a consonant does in English. Ma and its five siblings are six separate words. The Tones and Pronunciation group on this page lays out the contrasts. Hearing them said is the only way to learn them.
Can I copy this list into Anki?
Yes. The text on this page is free to take. The deck keeps three things: native-speaker audio, an example sentence on each card and a review schedule.
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