Giúp tôi
[zup̚˧˦ toj˧˧]word by word
The English phrase 'help me' is translated into Vietnamese as Giúp tôi.
Giúp tôi is used to request that someone provide assistance or aid.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of Giúp, which means 'to help' and tôi, which means 'me' or 'I'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal request, you can use Xin vui lòng giúp tôi. (Please help me) or Xin hãy giúp tôi. (Please, would you help me). In informal settings, you might use Giúp tôi với. (Help me) or the idiomatic Cho mình một tay nhé. (Give me a hand, please). When a child or a younger person is speaking to an elder, they should replace the neutral tôi with a kinship term such as con to say Giúp con in a polite manner.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding Hãy to the beginning of the phrase, as in Hãy giúp tôi, turns the statement into a polite imperative or a request.
Did you know?
- The word tôi used in 'help me' has an unexpected history as a word meaning 'slave' or 'servant'.
- In urgent situations, Vietnamese speakers may drop the pronoun entirely and simply shout Giúp với! to get immediate attention.
- While tôi is a neutral 'I', using it with a superior when asking for help can sometimes feel too distant or cold compared to using a kinship term.
Examples in context
- Họ đã muốn giúp tôi.They wanted to help me.This sentence shows the use of Giúp tôi in the past tense.Tatoeba #12068082 by dotheduyet1999, translation #11432656 by Amastan
- Hãy giúp tôi việc đó.Help me to do it.This sentence illustrates how to use Giúp tôi to ask for help with a specific task.Tatoeba #9004434 by dotheduyet1999, translation #3392960 by CK
- Nhanh, lại đây giúp tôi đi.Quick, come and help me.This sentence provides an example of a quick, urgent request for assistance using Giúp tôi.Tatoeba #13855658 by leucammieuvu, translation #13855499 by tieguy
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mai is struggling to carry a heavy box.
- MaiNam, làm ơn giúp tôi với!Nam, please help me!
- NamĐể tôi giúp bạn một tay.Let me give you a hand.
- MaiCảm ơn bạn rất nhiều.Thank you very much.
- NamKhông có gì đâu Mai.It's nothing, Mai.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (giúp, tôi) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tôi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
