tiếng Hy Lạp
In Vietnamese, the English word "greek" refers to the language of the Greek people as tiếng Hy Lạp. Wiktionary also lists tiếng Hy-lạp.
Meaning: language of the Greek people (name)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese |
|---|
| tiếng Hy Lạp |
| tiếng Hy-lạp |
The term refers specifically to the Greek language. If you wish to describe things relating to Greece, its people or its culture, you use the adjective form Hy Lạp.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase begins with tiếng, which literally means "language" or "speech".
Which one should you use?
While tiếng Hy Lạp refers to the language, you must use người Hy Lạp to refer to a Greek person.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase for the language is constructed by combining the word for language with the proper noun for Greece, Hy Lạp.
Did you know?
- The word lạp in tiếng Hy Lạp is a Sino-Vietnamese loanword from the character 臘, which is also the root for the word lạp xưởng, a popular Chinese-style sausage.
- Vietnamese identifies the language using tiếng, a word that can mean both 'language' and 'sound'.
- The term tiếng is used for spoken languages, while ngôn ngữ is used for the more formal or scientific concept of 'language'.
Examples in context
- Joergen dạy tiếng Hy Lạp.Joergen teaches Greek.This sentence shows how to use tiếng Hy Lạp to describe the subject being taught.Tatoeba #13431874 by leucammieuvu, translation #8730148 by shekitten
- Tôi đang học ngôn ngữ Hy Lạp để tìm hiểu thêm về văn hóa và lịch sử.I am learning the Greek language to explore more about its culture and history.
- Tôi đang học tiếng Hy Lạp.I am studying Greek.
- Anh ấy có thể nói tiếng Hy Lạp.He can speak Greek.
Example conversation
Mai and Nam are discussing their favorite languages.
- MaiNam, bạn có biết tiếng Hy Lạp không?Nam, do you know Greek?
- NamKhông, tôi không biết tiếng Hy Lạp.No, I don't know Greek.
- MaiTiếng Hy Lạp nghe rất hay.Greek sounds very beautiful.
- NamĐúng vậy, tôi cũng nghĩ thế.That's true, I think so too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “greek” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lạp, tiếng, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
