ông bà
[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˨˩]word by word
The English phrase "grandparents" is translated into Vietnamese as ông bà.
The phrase ông bà is used to refer to the parents of a person's father or mother.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a compound of ông, meaning grandfather and bà, meaning grandmother.
Which one should you use?
While ông bà is the general term for grandparents, you can be more specific about which side of the family you are referring to. Use ông bà nội for paternal grandparents (the father's side) and ông bà ngoại for maternal grandparents (the mother's side).
Did you know?
- The word nội in ông bà nội literally means 'inside', while ngoại in ông bà ngoại means 'outside'.
- If you were to use the term ông bà to address a random elderly couple on the street, it would be a way of showing respect rather than suggesting they are your actual relatives.
- In Vietnamese, the word ông for 'grandfather' is actually a Sino-Vietnamese term that originally meant 'old man'.
Examples in context
- Tôi chỉ nói tiếng Pháp với ông bà của tôiI only speak French to my grandparents.This sentence demonstrates using ông bà when talking about the language spoken to them.Tatoeba #10669869 by quoctrong018, translation #6344356 by CK
- Năm sau tôi sẽ sống ở Úc cùng với ông bà tôi.I'll be living in Australia with my grandparents next year.This sentence shows the use of ông bà in the context of living with them.Tatoeba #8963507 by dotheduyet1999, translation #7159134 by CK
- Anh ấy từng làm việc tại nông trại do ông bà anh ấy sở hữu.He used to work at the farm owned by his grandparents.This sentence illustrates the use of ông bà when discussing property ownership.Tatoeba #11399226 by chaule3, translation #11399225 by chaule3
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their weekend plans.
- ChiCuối tuần này bạn có đi đâu không?Are you going anywhere this weekend?
- MinhTôi sẽ đi thăm ông bà.I am going to visit my grandparents.
- ChiÔng bà bạn ở đâu vậy?Where do your grandparents live?
- MinhÔng bà tôi ở thành phố thôi.My grandparents live in the city.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ông, bà) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bà, ông, ông bà, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
