bạn có đói không?
[ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ kɔ˧˦ ʔɗɔj˧˦ xəwŋ͡m˧˧]word by word
The English phrase "are you hungry?" is bạn có đói không? in Vietnamese.
This phrase is used to ask if someone feels a need to eat food. While bạn is the standard word for "you", in real Vietnamese conversation, the word for "you" is almost always replaced by a kinship term based on the age and gender of the person being addressed.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from bạn (you), có (have/is), đói (hungry) and không (a question particle used at the end of a sentence).
How does it change in a sentence?
To address specific people, you replace bạn with a kinship term. For example, use anh if you are speaking to a man slightly older than you or chị if you are speaking to a woman slightly older than you.
When do people say it?
A standard way to answer "no" to this question is to use Không (No/Not), such as in the sentence Không, tôi không đói. (No, I am not hungry.).
Did you know?
- In Vietnam, asking if someone is hungry is often a social gesture rather than a literal question about appetite. It is a common way to show care and hospitality to a guest.
- The word không for 'no' or 'not' originally meant 'empty' or 'vacant' in Chinese. It evolved from representing the concept of 'zero' into the primary way to negate sentences in Vietnamese.
Examples in context
- Bạn có đói không?Are you hungry?
- Bây giờ bạn có đói không?Are you hungry now?
- Ăn trưa thôi, bạn có đói không?Let's eat lunch, are you hungry?
Example conversation
Tuấn and Lan are walking home from work.
- TuấnLan ơi, bạn có đói không?Lan, are you hungry?
- LanCó, mình hơi đói rồi.Yes, I am a little hungry.
- TuấnChúng ta đi ăn phở nhé?Shall we go eat phở?
- LanÝ hay đấy, đi thôi!That's a good idea, let's go!
