Lessons · Level 4
4-7. Loanwords — Vietnamese words you already know
Từ mượn tiếng Pháp và tiếng Anh
🎯 Goal Recognize everyday words Vietnamese borrowed from French and English, say them the Vietnamese way, and avoid the ones whose meaning shifted · about 30 min
A head start for English speakers
Vietnam was under French rule for about 80 years, so many words for food, drinks, clothes and machines came from French. Newer words, especially online and in delivery apps, come from English.
If you know English (and a bit of French), you can often guess these words once you hear them. They just follow Vietnamese sound rules:
- One word becomes several short syllables: chocolat → sô-cô-la, garage → ga-ra
- Each syllable gets a tone: café → cà phê, bière → bia
- Endings that Vietnamese doesn't have are dropped or changed: beurre → bơ, balcon → ban công
Say them the Vietnamese way — with English or French pronunciation, people often won't catch it.
Words from French and English
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| cà phê | coffee French café | ka fay |
| bia | beer French bière | bee-uh |
| bơ | butter; avocado French beurre (butter). The avocado fruit is also called bơ | buh |
| pa tê | pâté French pâté — the spread inside a bánh mì | pa tay |
| phô mai | cheese French fromage | foh mai |
| xúc xích | sausage French saucisse | sook sit |
| kem | ice cream; cream French crème | kem |
| sô-cô-la | chocolate French chocolat. Also written sô cô la | soh-koh-la |
| ga | train station French gare — ga Sài Gòn = Saigon Station | ga |
| xe buýt | bus French bus | seh bwit |
| xăng | petrol, gasoline French essence | sang |
| áo sơ mi | shirt (with buttons) áo = top + French chemise | ao suh mee |
| ban công | balcony French balcon | bang kohng |
| phim | film, movie French film | fim |
| pin | battery French pile | pin |
| sếp | boss French chef (= head, boss) | sep |
| shipper | delivery driver From English, written the English way. You'll hear it all the time with delivery apps | shipper |
Using them in real life
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Cho em hai chai bia. | Two bottles of beer, please. | chaw em hai chai bee-uh. |
| Cho em một ly sinh tố bơ. | An avocado smoothie, please. In a smoothie, bơ is always avocado | chaw em mohk lee sin toh buh. |
| Bánh mì này có pa tê không? | Does this bánh mì have pâté? | ban mee nai kaw pa tay khohng? |
| Em không ăn phô mai. | I don't eat cheese. | em khohng ang foh mai. |
| Ga Sài Gòn ở đâu vậy? | Where is Saigon Station? | ga sai gawng uh duh-oo yuhy? |
| Xe buýt số mấy đi Bến Thành? | Which bus number goes to Bến Thành? | seh bwit soh muhy dee ben tan? |
| Xe em hết xăng rồi. | My motorbike is out of petrol. In the South, xe on its own usually means a motorbike | seh em het sang roy. |
| Điện thoại em sắp hết pin. | My phone is almost out of battery. | dee-uhng twai em sap het pin. |
| Tối nay đi xem phim không? | Want to go see a movie tonight? | toy nai dee sem fim khohng? |
| Shipper tới rồi, em xuống lấy liền. | The delivery driver is here, I'll go down and get it right away. liền = right away (Southern; Northern: ngay) | Shipper tuhy roy, em soo-uhng luhy lee-uhng. |
Watch out — the meaning shifted
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Bơ này bao nhiêu một ký? | How much is a kilo of these avocados? bơ: butter on bread, but avocado at fruit stalls and in drinks (trái bơ = an avocado) | buh nai bao nyee-oo mohk kee? |
| Em muốn mua kem chống nắng. | I want to buy sunscreen. kem is any cream: kem chống nắng = sunscreen, kem đánh răng = toothpaste. Ice cream is kem too | em moo-uhng moo-uh kem chohng nang. |
| Sếp em đi công tác rồi. | My boss is away on a business trip. sếp means boss, not a chef. A cook is đầu bếp | sep em dee kohng tak roy. |
| Nhà em dùng bếp ga. | We use a gas stove at home. ga also means cooking gas (bình ga = gas cylinder) — a different source (French gaz), same spelling as ga (station) | nya em yoong bep ga. |
| Em đi xe hơi tới. | I came by car. A car is xe hơi in the South and ô tô (French auto) in the North. Both are understood | em dee seh huhy tuhy. |
Real conversation — a coffee break
Saturday afternoon at a café in Thảo Điền. Minsu is chatting with his Vietnamese teacher, Lan. Lan is younger, so she calls Minsu anh.
| Lan | Anh uống gì? | What would you like to drink? |
| Minsu | Anh uống cà phê sữa đá. | I'll have an iced milk coffee. |
| Lan | Anh biết không, cà phê là từ tiếng Pháp đó. | Did you know cà phê is a French word? |
| Minsu | Thiệt hả? Vậy bia cũng vậy hả? | Really? So is bia too? |
| Lan | Đúng rồi. Bơ, phô mai, xúc xích cũng vậy. | That's right. So are bơ, phô mai and xúc xích. |
| Minsu | Dễ nhớ quá! | That's so easy to remember! |
| Lan | Nhưng cẩn thận nha, bơ trong sinh tố là trái bơ đó. | But careful — bơ in a smoothie means avocado. |
| Minsu | Vậy anh uống thêm một ly sinh tố bơ. | Then I'll have an avocado smoothie as well. |
| Lan | Anh có ăn bánh mì pa tê không? | Will you have a pâté bánh mì? |
| Minsu | Có, mà không bỏ phô mai nha. | Yes, but no cheese, please. |
How to learn loanwords fast
- Food and drink are full of French words: cà phê, bia, bơ, pa tê, phô mai, xúc xích, kem, sô-cô-la, bánh flan (crème caramel), rượu vang (wine — vang from vin).
- Machines and city life too: xe buýt (bus), ga (station), xăng (petrol), pin (battery), ga-ra (garage).
- Newer words come from English and are often written the English way: shipper, online, check-in, selfie, OK.
- When you hear a short string of syllables that sounds a bit like a French or English word, guess first, then confirm — it's right more often than not.
Loanword traps
- Say them with Vietnamese tones. 'Coffee' with English pronunciation may not be understood. Say cà phê (ka fay).
- Some meanings shifted: bơ = butter or avocado, kem = ice cream or any cream (sunscreen, toothpaste), sếp = boss (not a cook).
- Not everything has a French or English name. Many everyday words come from Vietnamese's much older layer of Chinese-origin vocabulary instead — a toilet is nhà vệ sinh, a bank is ngân hàng, a hospital is bệnh viện. Hotels and tourist spots may understand 'toilet', but don't count on it everywhere.