What does "do" mean in Vietnamese?
For the autodidact student: the English word "do" is a verb with two lives. As a main verb it names an action ("I do my homework", "What are you doing?", "She does well"). As an auxiliary it names nothing and only helps other verbs ("Do you like coffee?", "I do not know", "I did see him"). The vocabulary list that this course follows gives "do" as a verb, Action, general action, auxiliary/main verb. Vietnamese has a word for the first life and none for the second.
- The main verb: làm (grave accent, falling tone). It means "do", and also "make", "work", "act as", "be (in a job)" and "cause". It is the headword of this lesson. - The auxiliary: nothing. Questions are made with không at the end (Lesson 9), negation with không before the verb, and the past with đã (Lesson 13). No word stands for the "do" of "Do you like coffee?" (Section D, rule 10).
Five things differ from English:
1. One verb for "do", "make" and "work". English says "do homework", "make soup" and "go to work". Vietnamese says làm bài tập (15.4), làm cơm (15.3), làm canh (15.22) and đi làm (15.7): the verb is always làm. The noun after it, or the word before it, tells which English verb to choose. 2. The auxiliary "do" does not exist. Bạn thích cà phê không? (9.5) is "Do you like coffee?": the verb thích stands alone, and không closes the question. The learner who puts làm into such a sentence has made a mistake (Common Mistakes). 3. Làm is the verb of a job. "What do you do?" is Bạn làm nghề gì? (15.5), "My father is a teacher" is Cha tôi làm thầy giáo (15.6), and "to work" is làm việc (Lesson 12) or đi làm "go to work". 4. Làm causes things. Bão làm đổ nhiều cây (15.9) is "The storm knocked down many trees": làm + a verb or adjective says that the subject brought that result about. The longer form làm cho (15.11) does the same. 5. Words of result follow làm. Làm xong "finish doing" (15.10, 15.27), làm lại "do again" (15.25), làm giúp "do (it) to help" (15.19, 15.30) and làm quen "get acquainted" (Lesson 9) are the commonest. English has no matching set.
The word in the dictionaries. English Wiktionary lists làm as a verb with these senses: to do (làm bài tập, "to do homework"); to make (làm nhà, "to build a house"); to act (làm như không quen biết, "to act as if they do not know each other"); to work (đi làm, "to go to work"); to be, become or serve as; and, colloquially, to have or consume (Làm miếng bánh cho đỡ đói!, 15.13). Vietnamese Wiktionary divides the transitive verb into eleven senses, among them making something that did not exist before (Chim làm tổ, 15.2; Làm cơm, 15.3), working at a trade, holding an event (Làm đám cưới, "to hold a wedding"), filling a position (Làm mẹ, "to be a mother"), serving as something (Trồng cây làm cảnh, 15.12), causing (Bão làm đổ cây) and pretending (Làm ngơ, "to turn a blind eye"). It treats "to work for a living" (Đến giờ đi làm, "It is time to go to work") as the intransitive verb. The Vietnamese dictionary on vdict.com gives the same range, with Anh làm gì đấy? "What are you doing?" and Ở đây không có gì làm cả (15.8) among its examples. English Wiktionary adds that làm is a doublet of là "to be", which the course met in Lesson 2, and that the final -m has no known function.
Already met. The word has been in the course for some time: làm xong (7.9), làm quen (9.19), để làm việc (12.13), để làm gì (12.25), đứng đó làm gì (13.5), bài kiểm tra mà tuần trước mình làm (13.12), làm việc này vì gia đình (14.10), Để tôi làm cho! (14.15) and Ai cho bạn làm vậy? (Lesson 14, rule 5). This lesson sets all of them in order.
Why làm, and not another word. Of all the Vietnamese verbs that can render an English "do", làm is the ordinary one for a general action, and the vocabulary list asks for the general action ("general action"). There are narrower words: nấu "to cook" (Lesson 14) for cooking by heat, and a formal verb such as thực hiện "to carry out", which belongs to official writing. The learner needs làm first.
Orthography. Làm is l + a + m, with the grave accent, the falling tone. The same letters with other marks are other words: lam (indigo blue), lắm (very much, 8.21) and lầm (mistaken, as in hiểu lầm "to misunderstand"). Tone is part of the spelling.
Frequently asked.
What does "làm" mean in Vietnamese? "To do", and with a noun after it also "to make" and "to work": Tôi làm bài tập. (15.4)
How do I say "What do you do?", the question about a job? Bạn làm nghề gì? (15.5)
How do I say "Do you like coffee?" There is no "do": Bạn thích cà phê không? (9.5)
- Làm = do, make, work: Làm gì? (15.1), Chim làm tổ. (15.2), Hôm nay tôi không đi làm. (15.7) - A job is làm + the trade or the role: Bạn làm nghề gì? (15.5), Cha tôi làm thầy giáo. (15.6) - Làm + verb or adjective = "cause": Bão làm đổ nhiều cây. (15.9), Anh làm cho chị ấy đau khổ. (15.11) - Result words come after làm: làm xong (15.10), làm lại (15.25), làm giúp (15.19) - English "Do you …?" has no làm: Bạn thích cà phê không? (9.5), and never ~~Bạn làm thích cà phê không~~
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The IPA in this lesson is a broad transcription of the Hanoi standard, with the tone written in Chao tone letters after each syllable, as in the earlier lessons. The six tones, in Hanoi values:
- Level, no mark: ma /maː˧˧/ "ghost" - Falling, grave accent: mà /maː˨˩/ "but" - Rising, acute accent: má /maː˧˦/ "mother (Southern); cheek" - Dipping, hook above: mả /maː˧˩/ "grave, tomb" - Broken rising, tilde: mã /maː˧˥/ "horse (Sino-Vietnamese)", with a glottal break in the middle of the vowel - Heavy, dot below: mạ /maː˧˨ʔ/ "rice seedling", short, low, ending in a glottal catch
Key words for this lesson:
- làm /laːm˨˩/ — l is as in English "lamp". The vowel a is long and open, like the vowel of "father", and the lips close at the end for m. The tone falls gently from a low-mid pitch and does not rise. English Wiktionary gives the same pronunciation for Hanoi and for Saigon. - lam /laːm˧˧/, lắm /lam˧˦/ and lầm /ləm˨˩/ — the neighbours of làm. ă is a short [a], and â a short [ə]. - nghề /ŋe˨˩/ and nghĩ /ŋi˧˥/ — ngh is [ŋ], the "ng" of "singer" at the start of a word. It is spelt ngh before e, ê, i. - bão /ʔɓaːw˧˥/, bếp /ʔɓep˧˦/ and bền /ʔɓen˨˩/ — b is an implosive [ʔɓ]. bão has the broken rising tone, with the tilde. - đổ /ʔɗo˧˩/, đỡ /ʔɗəː˧˥/ and đói /ʔɗoj˧˦/ — đ is an implosive [ʔɗ]. ổ is a closed [o] and ỡ an open [əː]. - trồng /t͡ɕəwŋ͡m˨˩/, trưa /t͡ɕɨə˧˧/ and trả /t͡ɕaː˧˩/ — tr is [t͡ɕ] in Hanoi, the same sound as ch. ô before ng is spoken [əw], and the lips close at the end. - giáo /zaːw˧˦/, giúp /zup˧˦/ and gì /zi˨˩/ — gi is [z] in Hanoi. - cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/ and sáng /saːŋ˧˦/ — au is a short [aw] after ch, and ang a long [aːŋ]. - nước /nɨək˧˦/, người /ŋɨəj˨˩/ and cười /kɨəj˨˩/ — ươ glides from [ɨ], a spread vowel, to [ə]. - cảnh /kajŋ˧˩/, canh /kajŋ˧˧/ and cách /kajk˧˦/ — a final -nh is [ŋ] and a final -ch is [k], both with a glide [j] after a. - khó /xɔ˧˦/ and khổ /xo˧˩/ — kh is [x], a "ch" of Scottish "loch". ó is an open [ɔ] and ổ a closed [o]. - ơi /ʔəːj˧˧/ and sớm /səːm˧˦/ — ơ is a long [əː], like the vowel of British "bird" without the r. - Ôi /ʔoj˧˧/ and ạ — both begin with a glottal stop, which English does not write.
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15.1a Làm do gì? what
15.1b Làm /laːm˨˩/ do gì /zi˨˩/ what.Q
15.2a Chim bird làm make tổ nest
15.2b Chim /t͡ɕim˧˧/ bird làm /laːm˨˩/ make tổ /to˧˩/ nest
15.3a Mẹ mother làm make cơm rice
15.3b Mẹ /mɛ˧˨ʔ/ mother làm /laːm˨˩/ make cơm /kəːm˧˧/ cooked.rice
15.4a Tôi I làm do bài lesson- tập -practice
15.4b Tôi /toj˧˧/ 1SG làm /laːm˨˩/ do bài /ʔɓaːj˨˩/ exercise(1) tập /təp˧˨ʔ/ exercise(2)
15.5a Bạn you làm do nghề trade gì? what
15.5b Bạn /ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ/ 2SG làm /laːm˨˩/ do/work.as nghề /ŋe˨˩/ profession gì /zi˨˩/ what.Q
15.6a Cha father tôi I làm be thầy teacher- giáo -teacher
15.6b Cha /t͡ɕaː˧˧/ father tôi /toj˧˧/ 1SG(POSS) làm /laːm˨˩/ work.as thầy /tʰəj˨˩/ teacher(1) giáo /zaːw˧˦/ teacher(2)
15.7a Hôm day nay this tôi I không not đi go làm work
15.7b Hôm /hom˧˧/ day nay /naj˧˧/ this.present tôi /toj˧˧/ 1SG không /xəwŋ͡m˧˧/ NEG đi /ʔɗi˧˧/ go làm /laːm˨˩/ work
15.8a Ở at đây here không not có have gì what làm do cả all
15.8b Ở /ʔəː˧˩/ LOC đây /ʔɗəj˧˧/ here không /xəwŋ͡m˧˧/ NEG có /kɔ˧˦/ have gì /zi˨˩/ anything làm /laːm˨˩/ do cả /kaː˧˩/ at.all
15.9a Hôm day qua past bão storm làm cause đổ fall nhiều many cây tree
15.9b Hôm /hom˧˧/ day qua /kwaː˧˧/ pass.PAST bão /ʔɓaːw˧˥/ storm làm /laːm˨˩/ cause đổ /ʔɗo˧˩/ fall.over nhiều /ɲiəw˨˩/ many cây /kəj˧˧/ tree
15.10a Tôi I làm do xong finish bài lesson- tập -practice rồi already
15.10b Tôi /toj˧˧/ 1SG làm /laːm˨˩/ do xong /sawŋ͡m˧˧/ finish.COMPL bài /ʔɓaːj˨˩/ exercise(1) tập /təp˧˨ʔ/ exercise(2) rồi /zoj˨˩/ PFV
15.11a Anh older-brother làm cause cho so-that chị older-sister ấy that đau pain- khổ -suffering
15.11b Anh /ʔajŋ˧˧/ older.brother(2SG) làm /laːm˨˩/ cause cho /t͡ɕɔ˧˧/ CAUS chị /t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ/ older.sister(3SG) ấy /ʔəj˧˦/ DEM.MED đau /ʔɗaw˧˧/ pain(1) khổ /xo˧˩/ suffering(2)
15.12a Trồng plant cây tree làm as cảnh scenery
15.12b Trồng /t͡ɕəwŋ͡m˨˩/ plant cây /kəj˧˧/ tree làm /laːm˨˩/ serve.as cảnh /kajŋ˧˩/ ornament
15.13a Làm have miếng piece bánh cake cho so-that đỡ ease đói! hungry
15.13b Làm /laːm˨˩/ have miếng /miəŋ˧˦/ CL.piece bánh /ʔɓajŋ˧˦/ cake cho /t͡ɕɔ˧˧/ so.that đỡ /ʔɗəː˧˥/ less đói /ʔɗoj˧˦/ hungry
15.14a Dám dare nghĩ think dám dare làm do
15.14b Dám /zaːm˧˦/ dare nghĩ /ŋi˧˥/ think dám /zaːm˧˦/ dare làm /laːm˨˩/ do
15.15a Tay hand làm work hàm jaw nhai chew
15.15b Tay /taj˧˧/ hand làm /laːm˨˩/ work hàm /haːm˨˩/ jaw nhai /ɲaːj˧˧/ chew
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Provenance. 15.6 and 15.8 are examples of the vdict.com entry for làm, with their wording. 15.11 is a third example of that entry, and 15.9 adapts its Bão làm đổ cây, which Vietnamese Wiktionary also gives. 15.13 is an example of the English Wiktionary entry. 15.2, 15.3, 15.12, 15.14 and 15.15 are phrases or sayings of the Vietnamese Wiktionary entry (Chim làm tổ, Làm cơm, Trồng làm cảnh, Dám nghĩ dám làm, Tay làm hàm nhai), and 15.4 and 15.7 follow the English Wiktionary phrases làm bài tập and đi làm. 15.1, 15.5 and 15.10 are made for the lesson from verified words and patterns. All of the narrative (15.16 to 15.30) is made for the lesson in the same way. None of these is a quotation.
15.1 Làm gì? → "What are you doing?" (or "What shall I do?")
15.2 Chim làm tổ. → "Birds build nests."
15.3 Mẹ làm cơm. → "Mother is making the meal."
15.4 Tôi làm bài tập. → "I am doing my homework."
15.5 Bạn làm nghề gì? → "What is your job?" (literally "What trade do you do?")
15.6 Cha tôi làm thầy giáo. → "My father is a teacher."
15.7 Hôm nay tôi không đi làm. → "Today I am not going to work."
15.8 Ở đây không có gì làm cả. → "There is nothing to do here."
15.9 Hôm qua bão làm đổ nhiều cây. → "Yesterday the storm knocked down many trees."
15.10 Tôi làm xong bài tập rồi. → "I have already finished my homework."
15.11 Anh làm cho chị ấy đau khổ. → "You made her suffer."
15.12 Trồng cây làm cảnh. → "To plant trees as decoration."
15.13 Làm miếng bánh cho đỡ đói! → "Have a piece of cake, so that you are less hungry!"
15.14 Dám nghĩ dám làm. → "Dare to think, dare to do." (a saying)
15.15 Tay làm hàm nhai. → "Hands work, jaws chew." (a proverb: one earns one's food by work)
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15.1 Làm gì?
15.2 Chim làm tổ.
15.3 Mẹ làm cơm.
15.4 Tôi làm bài tập.
15.5 Bạn làm nghề gì?
15.6 Cha tôi làm thầy giáo.
15.7 Hôm nay tôi không đi làm.
15.8 Ở đây không có gì làm cả.
15.9 Hôm qua bão làm đổ nhiều cây.
15.10 Tôi làm xong bài tập rồi.
15.11 Anh làm cho chị ấy đau khổ.
15.12 Trồng cây làm cảnh.
15.13 Làm miếng bánh cho đỡ đói!
15.14 Dám nghĩ dám làm.
15.15 Tay làm hàm nhai.
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These are the grammar rules for làm in Vietnamese:
1. Làm = "do", a general action. The plain frame is subject + làm + object: Tôi làm bài tập. (15.4), Ai làm món này? (15.28). The question word gì "what" stands in the place of the object: Làm gì? (15.1), Anh làm gì đấy? "What are you doing?" (a vdict.com example), Tôi có thể làm gì giúp bác? (15.18). When the thing to be done is unknown or does not exist, gì stands after làm in a negative sentence: Ở đây không có gì làm cả. (15.8), where có gì làm is literally "have what do". The noun that English puts before the verb ("nothing to do") stands before làm in Vietnamese too.
2. Làm = "make", "build", "prepare". Chim làm tổ. (15.2), Mẹ làm cơm. (15.3) and làm canh (15.22) all have an object that is brought into being. English splits this from rule 1 into "do" and "make"; Vietnamese does not, and the learner does not need to decide: làm bài tập and làm canh have the same verb. The Vietnamese Wiktionary gives Làm cơm among its examples of making something; it is a near neighbour of nấu cơm (14.4), and làm is the wider word, "to prepare the meal". A dictionary example with the other sense of "make" is Ghế làm bằng gỗ "The chair is made of wood" (vdict.com).
3. Làm = "work", "have a job". Đi làm is "go to work" (15.7, 15.16, 15.28), làm việc is "to work" (12.13) and làm ở + a place says where: Làm ở nhà máy "to work at a factory" (Vietnamese Wiktionary). The question about a trade is Bạn làm nghề gì? (15.5). Add về "return" and the result is đi làm về "come back from work" (15.28). English "work" as a noun, the task itself, is việc or công việc (14.13), and not làm.
4. Làm = "be" or "act as" a role. Cha tôi làm thầy giáo. (15.6) names the job that the father does for a living; Cha tôi là thầy giáo is also said, with là (Lesson 2) simply identifying him. After làm the noun is a role or a function: Làm mẹ "to be a mother" (Vietnamese Wiktionary), Trồng cây làm cảnh "to plant trees as an ornament" (15.12), where the trees serve as scenery. The same pattern gives Làm gương cho mọi người "to set an example for everyone" (Vietnamese Wiktionary).
5. Làm = "cause". When a verb or an adjective follows làm, the subject brings the result about: Bão làm đổ nhiều cây. (15.9), Cháu làm đổ nước canh rồi! (15.24), Ai cũng làm đổ canh lần đầu. (15.26). The verb đổ alone means "fall over" or "spill", and làm đổ "cause to fall, knock over, spill". Làm cho + person + verb or adjective says the same with more weight: Anh làm cho chị ấy đau khổ. (15.11), "You made her suffer". The Vietnamese Wiktionary gives further examples: làm hỏng việc "to spoil the matter", làm vui lòng "to please". The result must be said: ~~Bão làm cây~~ has no result and is incomplete.
6. Words of result: xong, lại, giúp, quen, nên. Many verbs are made by putting a second word after làm. - làm xong "finish doing": Tôi làm xong bài tập rồi. (15.10), cơm canh đã làm xong (15.27). Xong (7.9) closes the action, and rồi "already" closes the sentence. - làm lại "do again": Cháu làm lại nhé. (15.25). - làm giúp "do (it) to help": Cháu làm giúp bác món canh nhé. (15.19), Cảm ơn cháu đã làm giúp bác. (15.30). Giúp is "help" (8.21); the person helped comes after it. - làm quen "get to know": Rất vui được làm quen với bạn! (9.19). - làm nên "achieve, bring about": the last line of Section F, Quyết chí ắt làm nên; the Vietnamese Wiktionary gives Làm nên sự nghiệp "to build a career".
7. Làm = "have", in a friendly offer. In speech làm can mean "to have" a small portion of food or drink, or a nap: Làm miếng bánh cho đỡ đói! (15.13), English Wiktionary's Làm ngụm nước cho đỡ khát! "Take a gulp of water to feel less thirsty!", and the Vietnamese Wiktionary's Làm mấy cốc bia "to have a few glasses of beer". The sentence is an invitation among friends, and it often ends with cho đỡ + a feeling, "so as to ease it". Cho here is the "so that" of Lesson 14, rule 6.
8. Làm = "act as if", "pretend". Làm như + a clause is "to act as if": làm như không quen biết "to act as if they do not know each other" (English Wiktionary). The Vietnamese Wiktionary adds làm ra vẻ thông thạo "to pretend to be an expert" and làm ngơ "to turn a blind eye". The learner can read these before saying them.
9. Sayings and fixed phrases. - Dám nghĩ dám làm — "dare to think, dare to do" (15.14), from the Vietnamese Wiktionary. The two halves match: dám + verb, twice. - Tay làm hàm nhai — "hands work, jaws chew" (15.15). The Vietnamese Wiktionary gives it as a proverb. Hàm is the jaw, and nhai is "to chew": one who works eats. - làm ăn — "to earn a living, to do business" (a common compound; literally "do eat"). - làm lễ, làm đám cưới — "to hold a ceremony, to have a wedding" (vdict.com). - làm bài tập — "to do homework" (15.4, 15.10).
10. Where English "do" is not làm. This is the auxiliary "do", and it has no word. - Questions. "Do you like coffee?" is Bạn thích cà phê không? (9.5). The verb stands alone and không ends the sentence, as in Lesson 9, rule 4, and as in Bạn có thể mở cửa cho tôi không? (14.9). - Negation. "I do not go to work" is Tôi không đi làm (15.7). Không comes before the verb, and no helper is needed. - Past. "I did the exercise" is Tôi đã làm bài tập. Đã (Lesson 13) marks the past, and làm is the main verb. - "Do so", "do that". Làm vậy and làm thế are "do so" (Lesson 14, rule 5: Ai cho bạn làm vậy?). - "Do well". Bạn làm rất tốt! (15.23), with làm + adverb as in English "You do very well". - "Do" with a noun that has its own verb. "Do the washing-up" and "do one's hair" each use a verb of their own in Vietnamese. The learner looks the combination up.
- Translating the auxiliary "do". ~~Bạn làm thích cà phê không~~ is not Vietnamese. Say Bạn thích cà phê không? (9.5). - Using làm for "work" as a noun. ~~Tôi có nhiều làm~~ is wrong. Say Tôi có nhiều việc; the noun is việc. - Leaving out the result after "cause". ~~Bão làm cây~~ has no result. Say Bão làm đổ cây: the second word (đổ) is what happened. - Doubling the verb of being. ~~Cha tôi là làm thầy giáo~~ is wrong. Say Cha tôi làm thầy giáo (15.6) or Cha tôi là thầy giáo, and not both. - Using đi làm for "go and do". Đi làm is "go to work" (15.7). "Go and do it" is another sentence, with its own verbs. - Mixing up the tones. làm (do, make) is not lắm (very, 8.21), lam (indigo) or lầm (mistaken). Cảm ơn lắm and ~~Cảm ơn làm~~ are different sentences, and only the first is Vietnamese. - Mixing up đổ, đỏ and đó. đổ (spill, fall over, 15.9, 15.24) is not đỏ (red) and đó (that, Lesson 13). Đổ and đỏ have the same tone and differ in the vowel (ô and o); đổ and đó differ in both. - Asking a stranger a bare "Làm gì?". Between friends Làm gì? (15.1) is fine. With a stranger or an elder, give the person word and the soft ending: Anh làm gì đấy ạ?.
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Frequency and register. "Do" is rank 15 in the vocabulary list that this course follows. Làm is neutral and is used in every setting, in speech and in writing, and the dictionaries consulted divide it into many senses. A learner meets it in the first week in the questions Làm gì? and Bạn làm nghề gì?, and goes on meeting it, in new senses, for as long as the language is studied.
Asking about a job. Bạn làm nghề gì? (15.5) is the ordinary way of asking what someone does for a living, and Bạn làm ở đâu? "Where do you work?" asks about the place. The word nghề is "trade, profession". The question Bạn làm gì? alone can mean "What are you doing?" or "What is your job?", and the setting decides.
Working and eating. The proverb Tay làm hàm nhai (15.15) puts the working hand next to the chewing jaw: what is eaten has been earned. The Vietnamese Wiktionary gives it under its intransitive sense, "to work for a living". The saying Dám nghĩ dám làm (15.14) is a call to act on one's thinking.
Cháu and bác. In the narrative of this lesson, Anna calls herself cháu when she speaks to Nam's mother, and calls her bác. Cháu (Lesson 8) is "grandchild, nephew, niece", and is used by a young person who speaks to someone of their parents' age or older, as bác is used for someone a little older than one's parents. The older person calls the younger cháu in return (15.19, 15.25, 15.30). Anna therefore uses the family's own words for a guest who is treated almost as a relative. In 15.21 Nam says mình for "I" to Anna, as friends of the same age do (13.12).
Cha and bố. The word for "father" in 15.6 is cha, from the dictionary example, and in the narrative (15.16, 15.28) it is bố, which is the commoner word in the North. Both are understood everywhere.
Làm quen. The phrase làm quen "to get acquainted" (9.19) is the courteous way of saying that one wishes to know someone. The narrator's scene is the next stage of the acquaintance of Lesson 14: Anna has bought the flowers, and she now comes to the house to help.
Làm in a poem. The poem of Section F is attributed to Hồ Chí Minh and is printed on pages of "the Uncle's teachings" (Lời Bác dạy). It has làm nên in its last line, and it takes the verb of this lesson from the kitchen to a larger scale.
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A four-line poem attributed to Hồ Chí Minh (1890–1969), the first President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The three online pages consulted print the same four lines, and they agree in every word: the Từ điển danh ngôn (a dictionary of quotations) gives it as a saying of "Chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh", a page of a school website in Ho Chi Minh City reprints it as "Lời Bác dạy" (the Uncle's teaching) for 16 September, and an article of the newspaper Báo Quân khu 7 says that the President gave it to a unit of young volunteers who were building a road for the Border Campaign (Chiến dịch Biên giới) in mid-September 1950. Only that one article gives the occasion and the date, and the other two give no source for the poem; the manuscript was not seen for this lesson. One of the pages prints commas at the ends of the lines, and the others do not; this lesson follows the pages without punctuation. The text is spelt as Vietnamese is spelt today.
> Không có việc gì khó > Chỉ sợ lòng không bền > Đào núi và lấp biển > Quyết chí ắt làm nên
F.1a Không no có have việc matter gì what khó hard
F.1b Không /xəwŋ͡m˧˧/ NEG có /kɔ˧˦/ have/exist việc /viək˧˨ʔ/ matter gì /zi˨˩/ any khó /xɔ˧˦/ hard
F.2a Chỉ only sợ fear lòng heart không not bền lasting
F.2b Chỉ /t͡ɕi˧˩/ only sợ /səː˧˨ʔ/ fear lòng /lawŋ͡m˨˩/ heart/resolve không /xəwŋ͡m˧˧/ NEG bền /ʔɓen˨˩/ durable
F.3a Đào dig núi mountain và and lấp fill biển sea
F.3b Đào /ʔɗaːw˨˩/ dig núi /nuj˧˦/ mountain và /vaː˨˩/ and lấp /ləp˧˦/ fill.in biển /ʔɓiən˧˩/ sea
F.4a Quyết decide- chí -will ắt surely làm do nên come-to-be
F.4b Quyết /kwiət˧˦/ resolve(1) chí /t͡ɕi˧˦/ will(2) ắt /ʔat˧˦/ surely làm /laːm˨˩/ do nên /nen˧˧/ come.to.be
Không có việc gì khó Chỉ sợ lòng không bền Đào núi và lấp biển Quyết chí ắt làm nên
"Nothing is hard; one need only fear a heart that does not last. Dig out mountains and fill in seas: with firm resolve, one will surely achieve it."
Không có việc gì khó Chỉ sợ lòng không bền Đào núi và lấp biển Quyết chí ắt làm nên
Làm nên: the result word. The last word of the poem is the nên of Section D, rule 6: làm + nên is "to do so that it comes to be", that is, "to achieve". The Vietnamese Wiktionary gives làm nên sự nghiệp "to build a career" for it. The subject is not said: the poem speaks to anyone, and the sentence has the form "a resolved will surely achieves".
Không có … gì. Không có việc gì khó is "there is no matter that is hard". Gì after a noun, in a negative sentence, means "any", as in 15.8 (không có gì làm cả): the same word that asked "what?" in 15.1. Khó "hard" ends the line, and it stands after the noun it describes, as adjectives do.
Chỉ sợ. Chỉ is "only", and sợ "to fear". The line has no subject and no "one": chỉ sợ lòng không bền is "only fear a heart that is not lasting". Lòng is the heart as the seat of the will (the word also means the inside of a body, "belly"), and bền is "durable, lasting"; the whole clause lòng không bền is the thing that is feared.
Đào núi và lấp biển. Two verbs of heavy labour in parallel, đào "dig" and lấp "fill in", each with its object. They have no subject, and they come as a pair of tasks that a person might call impossible: to dig out a mountain and to fill in a sea.
Form. Each line has five syllables. The last words of the second and the fourth line, bền and nên, rhyme on -ên; the first and the third (khó, biển) do not rhyme with them. The poem is plain in vocabulary: apart from ắt "surely" and quyết chí "resolved", every word has been met in the course or is in the common word-stock.
The text. The three pages agree in every word, and differ in punctuation only. Of the three, only one gives the occasion, and it is not confirmed in the others.
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The morning of the birthday of Nam's mother. Anna comes early to Nam's house to help in the kitchen. The text is a short narrative with a narrator.
15.16a Sáng morning nay this bố father Nam Nam đi go làm work sớm early
15.16b Sáng /saːŋ˧˦/ morning nay /naj˧˧/ this.present bố /ʔɓo˧˦/ father Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME đi /ʔɗi˧˧/ go làm /laːm˨˩/ work sớm /səːm˧˦/ early
15.17a Mẹ mother Nam Nam làm make cơm rice trong in bếp kitchen
15.17b Mẹ /mɛ˧˨ʔ/ mother Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME làm /laːm˨˩/ make cơm /kəːm˧˧/ cooked.rice trong /t͡ɕawŋ͡m˧˧/ in.LOC bếp /ʔɓep˧˦/ kitchen
15.18a Anna Anna đến arrive và and hỏi: ask "Bác elder ơi, VOC cháu grandchild có have thể can làm do gì what giúp help bác?" elder
15.18b Anna /ʔan˧˧ naː˧˧/ Anna.NAME đến /ʔɗen˧˦/ arrive và /vaː˨˩/ and hỏi /hɔj˧˩/ ask Bác /ʔɓaːk˧˦/ elder(2SG) ơi /ʔəːj˧˧/ VOC cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/ grandchild(1SG) có /kɔ˧˦/ can(1) thể /tʰe˧˩/ can(2) làm /laːm˨˩/ do gì /zi˨˩/ what.Q giúp /zup˧˦/ help bác /ʔɓaːk˧˦/ elder(1SG)
15.19a Mẹ mother Nam Nam nói: say "Cháu grandchild làm do giúp help bác elder món dish canh soup nhé." OK
15.19b Mẹ /mɛ˧˨ʔ/ mother Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME nói /nɔj˧˦/ say Cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/ grandchild(2SG) làm /laːm˨˩/ do giúp /zup˧˦/ help bác /ʔɓaːk˧˦/ elder(1SG) món /mon˧˦/ CL.dish canh /kajŋ˧˧/ soup nhé /ɲɛ˧˦/ PART.SOFT
15.20a Anna Anna nói: say "Cháu grandchild chưa not-yet biết know làm do món dish canh soup Việt Viet- Nam." -nam
15.20b Anna /ʔan˧˧ naː˧˧/ Anna.NAME nói /nɔj˧˦/ say Cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/ grandchild(1SG) chưa /t͡ɕɨə˧˧/ NEG.not.yet biết /ʔɓiət˧˦/ know.how làm /laːm˨˩/ make món /mon˧˦/ CL.dish canh /kajŋ˧˧/ soup Việt /viət˧˨ʔ/ Vietnam(1) Nam /naːm˧˧/ Vietnam(2)
15.21a Nam Nam nói: say "Để let mình self chỉ show cho to bạn you cách way làm." do
15.21b Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME nói /nɔj˧˦/ say Để /ʔɗe˧˩/ let mình /miŋ˨˩/ 1SG.FAM chỉ /t͡ɕi˧˩/ show cho /t͡ɕɔ˧˧/ to.BEN bạn /ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ/ 2SG(OBJ) cách /kajk˧˦/ way làm /laːm˨˩/ do
15.22a Hai two người person cùng together làm make canh soup trong in bếp kitchen
15.22b Hai /haːj˧˧/ two người /ŋɨəj˨˩/ CL.person cùng /kuŋ͡m˨˩/ together làm /laːm˨˩/ make canh /kajŋ˧˧/ soup trong /t͡ɕawŋ͡m˧˧/ in.LOC bếp /ʔɓep˧˦/ kitchen
15.23a Nam Nam nói: say "Bạn you làm do rất very tốt!" good
15.23b Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME nói /nɔj˧˦/ say Bạn /ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ/ 2SG làm /laːm˨˩/ do rất /zət˧˦/ very tốt /tot˧˦/ good
15.24a Anna Anna nói: say "Ôi, oh cháu grandchild làm cause đổ spill nước water canh soup rồi!" already
15.24b Anna /ʔan˧˧ naː˧˧/ Anna.NAME nói /nɔj˧˦/ say Ôi /ʔoj˧˧/ INTJ cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/ grandchild(1SG) làm /laːm˨˩/ cause đổ /ʔɗo˧˩/ spill nước /nɨək˧˦/ water(broth) canh /kajŋ˧˧/ soup rồi /zoj˨˩/ PFV
15.25a Mẹ mother Nam Nam nói: say "Không not sao how đâu, PART cháu grandchild làm do lại again nhé." OK
15.25b Mẹ /mɛ˧˨ʔ/ mother Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME nói /nɔj˧˦/ say Không /xəwŋ͡m˧˧/ NEG sao /saw˧˧/ how/why đâu /ʔɗəw˧˧/ PART.SOFT cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/ grandchild(2SG) làm /laːm˨˩/ do lại /laːj˧˨ʔ/ again nhé /ɲɛ˧˦/ PART.SOFT
15.26a Nam Nam cười: laugh "Ai who cũng also làm cause đổ spill canh soup lần time đầu." first
15.26b Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME cười /kɨəj˨˩/ laugh Ai /ʔaːj˧˧/ everyone cũng /kuŋ͡m˧˥/ also làm /laːm˨˩/ cause đổ /ʔɗo˧˩/ spill canh /kajŋ˧˧/ soup lần /lən˨˩/ CL.time đầu /ʔɗəw˨˩/ first
15.27a Đến by trưa, noon cơm rice canh soup đã PAST làm make xong. finish
15.27b Đến /ʔɗen˧˦/ by trưa /t͡ɕɨə˧˧/ noon cơm /kəːm˧˧/ cooked.rice canh /kajŋ˧˧/ soup đã /ʔɗaː˧˥/ PAST làm /laːm˨˩/ make xong /sawŋ͡m˧˧/ finish.COMPL
15.28a Bố father Nam Nam đi go làm work về, return nhìn look mâm tray cơm rice và and hỏi: ask "Ai who làm make món dish này?" this
15.28b Bố /ʔɓo˧˦/ father Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME đi /ʔɗi˧˧/ go làm /laːm˨˩/ work về /ve˨˩/ return nhìn /ɲin˨˩/ look mâm /məm˧˧/ tray cơm /kəːm˧˧/ cooked.rice và /vaː˨˩/ and hỏi /hɔj˧˩/ ask Ai /ʔaːj˧˧/ who.Q làm /laːm˨˩/ make món /mon˧˦/ CL.dish này /naj˨˩/ DEM.PROX
15.29a Mẹ mother Nam Nam trả return lời: word "Cháu grandchild Anna Anna làm do đấy." there
15.29b Mẹ /mɛ˧˨ʔ/ mother Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME trả /t͡ɕaː˧˩/ return lời /ləːj˨˩/ reply Cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/ grandchild Anna /ʔan˧˧ naː˧˧/ Anna.NAME làm /laːm˨˩/ do đấy /ʔɗəj˧˦/ PART.EMPH
15.30a Mẹ mother Nam Nam cười: laugh "Cảm feel- ơn -grateful cháu grandchild đã PAST làm do giúp help bác." elder
15.30b Mẹ /mɛ˧˨ʔ/ mother Nam /naːm˧˧/ Nam.NAME cười /kɨəj˨˩/ laugh Cảm /kaːm˧˩/ thank(1) ơn /ʔəːn˧˧/ thank(2) cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/ grandchild(2SG) đã /ʔɗaː˧˥/ PAST làm /laːm˨˩/ do giúp /zup˧˦/ help bác /ʔɓaːk˧˦/ elder(1SG)
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15.16 Sáng nay bố Nam đi làm sớm. → This morning Nam's father went to work early.
15.17 Mẹ Nam làm cơm trong bếp. → Nam's mother is making the meal in the kitchen.
15.18 Anna đến và hỏi: "Bác ơi, cháu có thể làm gì giúp bác?" → Anna arrives and asks: "Bác, what can I do to help you?"
15.19 Mẹ Nam nói: "Cháu làm giúp bác món canh nhé." → Nam's mother says: "Would you make the soup for me?"
15.20 Anna nói: "Cháu chưa biết làm món canh Việt Nam." → Anna says: "I do not yet know how to make Vietnamese soup."
15.21 Nam nói: "Để mình chỉ cho bạn cách làm." → Nam says: "Let me show you how to do it."
15.22 Hai người cùng làm canh trong bếp. → The two of them make the soup together in the kitchen.
15.23 Nam nói: "Bạn làm rất tốt!" → Nam says: "You are doing very well!"
15.24 Anna nói: "Ôi, cháu làm đổ nước canh rồi!" → Anna says: "Oh, I have spilled the broth!"
15.25 Mẹ Nam nói: "Không sao đâu, cháu làm lại nhé." → Nam's mother says: "Never mind. Make it again, will you?"
15.26 Nam cười: "Ai cũng làm đổ canh lần đầu." → Nam laughs: "Everyone spills the soup the first time."
15.27 Đến trưa, cơm canh đã làm xong. → By noon the meal was ready.
15.28 Bố Nam đi làm về, nhìn mâm cơm và hỏi: "Ai làm món này?" → Nam's father comes back from work, looks at the tray of food and asks: "Who made this dish?"
15.29 Mẹ Nam trả lời: "Cháu Anna làm đấy." → Nam's mother answers: "Anna made it."
15.30 Mẹ Nam cười: "Cảm ơn cháu đã làm giúp bác." → Nam's mother smiles: "Thank you for doing it for me."
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15.16 Sáng nay bố Nam đi làm sớm.
15.17 Mẹ Nam làm cơm trong bếp.
15.18 Anna đến và hỏi: "Bác ơi, cháu có thể làm gì giúp bác?"
15.19 Mẹ Nam nói: "Cháu làm giúp bác món canh nhé."
15.20 Anna nói: "Cháu chưa biết làm món canh Việt Nam."
15.21 Nam nói: "Để mình chỉ cho bạn cách làm."
15.22 Hai người cùng làm canh trong bếp.
15.23 Nam nói: "Bạn làm rất tốt!"
15.24 Anna nói: "Ôi, cháu làm đổ nước canh rồi!"
15.25 Mẹ Nam nói: "Không sao đâu, cháu làm lại nhé."
15.26 Nam cười: "Ai cũng làm đổ canh lần đầu."
15.27 Đến trưa, cơm canh đã làm xong.
15.28 Bố Nam đi làm về, nhìn mâm cơm và hỏi: "Ai làm món này?"
15.29 Mẹ Nam trả lời: "Cháu Anna làm đấy."
15.30 Mẹ Nam cười: "Cảm ơn cháu đã làm giúp bác."
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Đi làm. The narrator begins with the father (15.16): Sáng nay bố Nam đi làm sớm. Sáng nay "this morning" has the time first, as hôm nay "today" did in 15.7, and đi làm is rule 3, "go to work". Bố Nam is "Nam's father", with the owner after the owned, as mẹ Nam was in Lesson 14. Sớm is "early" and stands last, after the verb.
Làm cơm. Nam's mother (15.17) is at work in the kitchen: Mẹ Nam làm cơm trong bếp, with làm cơm of rule 2, and trong bếp "in the kitchen" (bếp as in 7.22). The meal she prepares is more than rice, as the sentence of 15.27 shows.
Can I help? Anna's offer (15.18) is Bác ơi, cháu có thể làm gì giúp bác?, "What can I do to help you?" Ơi after a person word is the vocative, as in English "Hey, Auntie". Có thể is "can" (14.9), làm gì is rule 1, and giúp bác "help you" ends the sentence, with the person helped after giúp (8.21). The word bác is used twice, once for "you" and once at the start as the call. Nam's mother answers (15.19) Cháu làm giúp bác món canh nhé: làm giúp is rule 6, "do for me", and món canh "the dish of soup" comes after the person. Món is the classifier of dishes, and nhé softens the request.
I do not know how. Anna answers (15.20) Cháu chưa biết làm món canh Việt Nam. Chưa is "not yet" (7.15, 9.13) and biết "know", so chưa biết làm is "do not yet know how to make". Món canh Việt Nam is "dish of soup, Vietnam", with the adjective-like noun last. Nam offers (15.21) Để mình chỉ cho bạn cách làm: để "let" (Lesson 12), mình "I" among friends, chỉ cho bạn "show to you" (verb + cho + recipient, as in Lesson 14, rule 3), and cách làm "the way of doing", a noun made from cách "way" + a verb. The English "how to do it" has no "how" here.
Together. In 15.22 Hai người cùng làm canh trong bếp, cùng is "together" and stands before the verb. Hai người is "two people", with người the classifier. Làm canh is "make soup", as in 15.3. Nam's praise (15.23), Bạn làm rất tốt, has làm + rất tốt "very well": the adverb follows the verb, as in the rule of "do well" (rule 10).
The accident. Anna's cry (15.24), Ôi, cháu làm đổ nước canh rồi!, is rule 5: làm đổ "cause to spill", with nước canh "the broth" as the object and rồi for the finished event. The English "I spilled" is also làm đổ, because the verb alone, đổ, would say that the soup spilled by itself. Nam's mother answers (15.25) Không sao đâu, cháu làm lại nhé: không sao "it does not matter", đâu a soft closing word, làm lại "make it again" (rule 6). Nam adds (15.26) Ai cũng làm đổ canh lần đầu, with ai … cũng "everyone": ai "who" before cũng "also" means "whoever … does", and so "everyone". Lần đầu is "the first time".
The meal is ready. In 15.27 Đến trưa, cơm canh đã làm xong, đến trưa is "by noon", cơm canh "rice and soup" together is the whole meal, đã marks the past and làm xong "finish making" is rule 6. The subject, cơm canh, comes first, and no "by" is needed beyond đến.
Who made it? When the father comes home (15.28), Bố Nam đi làm về has the two verbs đi làm and về, "go work return", for "comes back from work". Nhìn mâm cơm is "look at the tray of food" (mâm is the round tray on which the family meal is set). His question Ai làm món này? has the question word ai in the place of the subject, "who made this dish". Nam's mother answers (15.29) Cháu Anna làm đấy, "Anna made it": cháu before the name is a way of saying "our young Anna", and đấy closes the sentence with some emphasis, as in the vdict.com example Anh làm gì đấy?.
Thanks. The last sentence (15.30), Cảm ơn cháu đã làm giúp bác, has the pattern of Lesson 14 (14.30), Cảm ơn + person + đã + verb, "thank you for having done it". The English "for" has no word, and làm giúp bác is rule 6 again: the scene begins with cháu có thể làm gì giúp bác and ends with cháu đã làm giúp bác, "what can I do to help?" and "thank you for helping".
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The letters of this lesson. Vietnamese adds to the Latin alphabet ă, â, đ, ê, ô, ơ, ư, and marks five of its six tones with à á ả ã ạ. A letter may carry a vowel mark and a tone mark at once: bão (a + tilde), bếp (ê + sắc), bền (ê + huyền), đổ (ô + hỏi), đỡ (ơ + ngã), lắm (ă + sắc), lầm (â + huyền), lần (â + huyền), đầu (â + huyền), mâm (â, level), sớm (ơ + sắc), ơi (ơ, level), ở (ơ + hỏi), cơm (ơ, level), lời (ơ + huyền), sợ (ơ + nặng), trồng (ô + huyền), lòng (o + huyền), núi (u + sắc), tốt (ô + sắc), bố (ô + sắc), khổ (ô + hỏi), tổ (ô + hỏi), nghĩ (i + ngã), nghề (ê + huyền), thầy (â + huyền), ắt (ă + sắc), lấp (â + sắc), ơn (ơ, level), cười (ươ + huyền), nước (ươ + sắc), trưa (ư, level), người (ươ + huyền), việc (iê + nặng), miếng (iê + sắc), biển (iê + hỏi), quyết (uyê + sắc), biết (iê + sắc), Việt (iê + nặng).
Where the tone mark goes. On the main vowel of the syllable. In iê it goes on the ê: việc, miếng, biển, biết, Việt, quyết. In ươ it goes on the ơ: người, cười, nước. In ia, ua, ưa with no final consonant it goes on the first vowel: mua, trưa. A vowel that already carries a mark (ê, ơ, ô, ư, â, ă) takes the tone mark: bếp, sớm, trồng, lấp, lắm. In qu- the u is part of the consonant, and the mark goes on the vowel after it: quyết, quen.
Làm and its neighbours. làm /laːm˨˩/ (do, make), lam /laːm˧˧/ (indigo), lắm /lam˧˦/ (very much) and lầm /ləm˨˩/ (mistaken) are spelt with nearly the same letters. The first two differ in tone alone, and the other two in the vowel as well: làm has the long a and lắm the short ă.
The letters ng and ngh. The sound [ŋ] is spelt ng before a, o, ô, u, ư, ơ, â, ă (người, ngày) and ngh before e, ê, i (nghề, nghĩ). The two spellings are one sound.
The sound [z] and its spellings. In the Hanoi standard, d, gi and r are all [z]: dám /zaːm˧˦/, giáo /zaːw˧˦/, giúp /zup˧˦/, gì /zi˨˩/, rất /zət˧˦/, rồi /zoj˨˩/. The three spellings are to be learnt with the words. In the South d is often [j] and r is a trill.
The sound [t͡ɕ] and its spellings. In the Hanoi standard, ch and tr are both [t͡ɕ]: cháu /t͡ɕaw˧˦/, chim /t͡ɕim˧˧/, chỉ /t͡ɕi˧˩/, chí /t͡ɕi˧˦/, cha /t͡ɕaː˧˧/, trồng /t͡ɕəwŋ͡m˨˩/, trưa /t͡ɕɨə˧˧/, trả /t͡ɕaː˧˩/. The two spellings are to be learnt with the words. In the South tr is often a retroflex sound.
Final -ng, -nh, -ch, -c, -p, -t, -n, -m. After o, ô, u the lips close at the end of -ng: không [xəwŋ͡m], trồng [t͡ɕəwŋ͡m], lòng [lawŋ͡m], xong [sawŋ͡m], cùng [kuŋ͡m], cũng [kuŋ͡m]. After ư, a, i, ơ they do not: miếng [miəŋ]. The final -nh is [ŋ] and the final -ch is [k], with a glide [j] after a: canh [kajŋ], cảnh [kajŋ], bánh [ʔɓajŋ], cách [kajk]. A heavy tone with a final -c, -p or -t is short and low, with a glottal catch: việc [viək˧˨ʔ], tập [təp˧˨ʔ], Việt [viət˧˨ʔ].
Tone pairs to drill. làm (do) / lắm (very) / lam (indigo) / lầm (mistaken); tôi (I) / tối (evening) / tồi (bad); bão (storm) / bảo (to tell) / báo (to report) / bào (to plane); đổ (spill) / đỏ (red) / đó (that); cảnh (scenery) / canh (soup); nghề (trade) / nghe (to hear); chưa (not yet) / chữa (to repair); mẹ (mother) / me (tamarind) / mè (sesame); bố (father) / bó (bunch) / bò (cow).
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