6 minute story
Morning at the Market
A short beginner story for recognizing shopping phrases in context.
Story
You see mangoes and ask Bao nhiêu tiền?. The seller answers quickly, so you ask Nói chậm hơn. You buy half a kilo and say Cảm ơn.
Useful language
| Vietnamese | English | Practice note |
|---|---|---|
| Bao nhiêu tiền? | How much is it? | The key market phrase. |
| Bao nhiêu một ký? | How much per kilo? | Useful for fruit and vegetables. |
| Mắc quá | Too expensive | Common bargaining phrase. |
| Bớt được không? | Can you lower the price? | Polite bargaining. |
| Tôi lấy cái này | I will take this one | Use while pointing. |
| Cho tôi cái kia | Please give me that one | Use when pointing farther away. |
| Nửa ký | Half a kilo | Useful for fruit and food. |
| Một ký | One kilo | Common quantity. |
Read it again
Read the story once for meaning. Read it a second time and pause at each Vietnamese phrase. On the third pass, cover the English translation and see if the situation helps you remember the phrase.
Practice
Imagine the same scene tomorrow. Change one detail: the location, the price, the drink, the person, or the time. Say the Vietnamese phrase again with that new detail in mind.
Story phrases
Bao nhiêu tiền?
How much is it?
The key market phrase.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
Vietnamese spelling
Bao→bờ ao bao
nhiêu→nhờ iêu nhiêu
tiền→tờ iên tiên huyền tiền
Bao nhiêu một ký?
How much per kilo?
Useful for fruit and vegetables.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
Vietnamese spelling
Bao→bờ ao bao
nhiêu→nhờ iêu nhiêu
một→mờ ôt môt nặng một
ký→cờ y ky sắc ký
Mắc quá
Too expensive
Common bargaining phrase.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
Vietnamese spelling
Mắc→mờ ăc măc sắc Mắc
quá→quờ a qua sắc quá
Bớt được không?
Can you lower the price?
Polite bargaining.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
Vietnamese spelling
Bớt→bờ ơt bơt sắc Bớt
được→đờ ươc đươc nặng được
không→khờ ông không
Tôi lấy cái này
I will take this one
Use while pointing.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
lấy→lờ ây lây sắc lấy
cái→cờ ai cai sắc cái
này→nờ ay nay huyền này
Cho tôi cái kia
Please give me that one
Use when pointing farther away.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
Vietnamese spelling
Cho→chờ o cho
tôi→tờ ôi tôi
cái→cờ ai cai sắc cái
kia→cờ ia kia
Nửa ký
Half a kilo
Useful for fruit and food.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
Vietnamese spelling
Nửa→nờ ưa nưa hỏi Nửa
ký→cờ y ky sắc ký
Một ký
One kilo
Common quantity.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
Vietnamese spelling
Một→mờ ôt môt nặng Một
ký→cờ y ky sắc ký
Finish this story
Ready to mark complete?
Mark complete only after you have listened, practiced, and saved at least one useful phrase. Then continue straight to the next task.
Listen to at least 3 phrases
Use normal audio first, then slow audio.
Save at least 1 phrase
Only save phrases you would actually reuse.
Finish the quiz or practice task
Check that you can recall the idea, not only read it.
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