ngon quá
[ŋɔn˧˧ kwaː˧˦]word by word
In Vietnamese, the phrase "it was delicious" is expressed as ngon quá.
The phrase is used to compliment a meal after you have eaten it.
Meaning: phrase said to compliment a meal after eating it (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ngon meaning delicious and quá meaning too much or very.
Which one should you use?
While ngon quá is a common way to say it, ngon lắm is a common alternative that carries a similar meaning of "very delicious".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Using just ngon quá is informal and suitable for friends or family, but adding a pronoun before it makes it more polite.
How does it change in a sentence?
Vietnamese does not require a subject like "it" or "the food" when the context of the meal is already established.
Did you know?
- Because quá is a Sino-Vietnamese word derived from the Chinese character 過, it is part of a massive layer of vocabulary shared across East Asian languages, even if the pronunciation has shifted.
- If you want to sound truly enthusiastic, you can stretch the vowel in ngon to create a drawn-out sound like ngooooon quá, which signals to the host that you were genuinely impressed.
- While ngon describes the food, the word đậm đà is often used alongside it to specifically praise a 'rich' or 'bold' flavor profile, a distinction English lacks a single word for.
Examples in context
- Món này ngon quá!This dish was delicious!
- Cảm ơn chị, cơm ngon quá.Thank you, the rice was delicious.
- Bữa tối hôm qua ngon quá.Yesterday's dinner was delicious.
Example conversation
Minh and Hương are finishing a home-cooked meal at her house.
- MinhHương ơi, món cá này ngon quá!Huong, this fish dish was delicious!
- HươngCảm ơn anh, anh thấy vừa miệng không?Thank you, did you find it to your taste?
- MinhRất vừa miệng, cảm ơn em nhé.It was perfect, thank you.
- HươngDạ, em rất vui khi anh thích.I am very happy that you liked it.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ngon, quá) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ngon, quá, CC BY-SA 4.0.
