Chào bà
[t͡ɕaːw˨˩ ʔɓaː˨˩]word by word
The English phrase hello grandma is translated into Vietnamese as Chào bà.
The phrase Chào bà is used to greet both your actual grandmother and any elderly woman to show respect.
How does it change in a sentence?
In polite or formal speech, a grandchild often adds the pronoun con (child/grandchild) before chào to make the greeting more respectful, resulting in Con chào bà.
Did you know?
- The word chào is actually a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of a Chinese character that originally described an audience with an emperor.
- A common gesture accompanying Chào bà is a slight bow of the head or a crossing of the arms in front of the chest to show deep respect.
- Vietnamese has several different words for 'grandmother' depending on whether she is from the father's or mother's side, but bà is the universal respectful term.
Examples in context
- Con chào bà ạ.Hello grandma (polite).
- Chào bà, cháu đã về rồi đây.Hello grandma, I am home now.
- Chào bà, bà có khỏe không ạ?Hello grandma, are you doing well?
Example conversation
Minh visits his grandmother's house to see her.
- MinhChào bà ạ, cháu đến thăm bà đây.Hello grandma, I am here to visit you.
- HươngChào cháu, Minh đấy à?Hello, is that you, Minh?
- MinhVâng, cháu chào bà ạ.Yes, hello grandma.
- HươngĐể bà đi lấy nước cho cháu uống nhé.Let me go get some water for you to drink.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (chào, bà) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bà, chào, CC BY-SA 4.0.
