đi chơi
[ʔɗi˧˧ t͡ɕəːj˧˧]word by word
To go play in Vietnamese, use đi chơi.
The phrase đi chơi means to leave one's home to have fun or spend time with others. While this can mean 'to play' when referring to children, for adults đi chơi more commonly refers to going out for leisure, such as hanging out with friends or going on a trip.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of đi, which means 'to go' and chơi, which means 'to play' or 'to hang out'.
Which one should you use?
đi chơi focuses on the act of leaving to have fun, whereas chơi alone focuses specifically on the activity of playing or gaming.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the particle đi at the end of the phrase, forming đi chơi đi, turns it into an imperative or a suggestion, similar to 'go ahead and play'.
Did you know?
- The word chơi is thought to be related to the Muong word chơl, which means 'glad' or 'jubilant'. This suggests the very idea of 'playing' is rooted in the feeling of being joyful.
- The word chơi can be added to other verbs to indicate that an action is being done for fun or without seriousness, rather than for a professional purpose.
- While đi means 'to go', adding it to the end of đi chơi đi transforms the phrase into a suggestion. This use of 'to go' as an imperative marker is a linguistic trait shared with several nearby languages in the Guangxi region.
Examples in context
- Đi chơi đi!Go play!This sentence is useful for the imperative form of đi chơi.Tatoeba #10708479 by MrOhno, translation #13723872 by an_hien
- Đi chơi thôi!Let's go play!This sentence is useful for a suggestion using đi chơi.Tatoeba #11486849 by OneJanuary, translation #11486633 by Adelpa
- Hãy mời anh ấy đến chơi, anh ấy sẽ rất vui.Invite him to come play, he will be very happy.
- Đi chơi đi, công việc có thể đợi một chút.Go play, work can wait for a while.
- Chơi đi, cuộc sống không chỉ toàn là công việc đâu.Go play, life isn't just about work.
- Cuối tuần này tôi muốn đi chơi.I want to go out this weekend.
Example conversation
A couple is deciding what to do on a Saturday afternoon.
- ChiHùng ơi, chiều nay mình đi chơi không?Hung, do you want to go out this afternoon?
- HùngĐược chứ, Chi muốn đi đâu?Sure, where do you want to go, Chi?
- ChiChúng ta đi công viên đi.Let's go to the park.
- HùngÝ hay đó, đi thôi!That's a good idea, let's go!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (đi, chơi) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chơi, đi, đi chơi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
