không tốt
[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ tot̚˧˦]word by word
In Vietnamese, "no good" is expressed as không tốt.
The phrase is used to describe something that is of poor quality or not satisfactory.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of không (not/no) and tốt (good).
Which one should you use?
While không tốt means "not good", the word tệ is a stronger way to say something is "bad" or "terrible". Additionally, if you wish to say something is "not very good" rather than a blunt "no good", you can use the modified form không tốt lắm.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding lắm after không tốt softens the phrase to mean "not very good" rather than a blunt "no good".
Did you know?
- The word không actually means 'empty' or 'vacant' in its original Sino-Vietnamese form. It functions as 'no' or 'not' today because the concept of 'zero' or 'nothing' was used to negate statements.
- Before the 20th century, the primary way to negate a sentence was using the native Vietnamese word chẳng. Over time, không replaced it as the most common method of negation.
- The word tốt has a linguistic relative in the Muong language, where the word thốch is used to mean 'good' or 'beautiful'.
Examples in context
- Cái sản phẩm này không tốt cho sức khỏe.This product is not good for your health.
- Loại bút này có chất lượng kém.This pen has poor quality.
- Tôi không hài lòng với dịch vụ khách hàng của công ty này.I am not satisfied with the customer service of this company.
- Phim này chẳng ổn cho lắm.This movie is not good at all.
- Món này không ngon cho lắm.This dish is not very tasty.
- Chất lượng sản phẩm này không tốt.The quality of this product is not good.
- Thời tiết hôm nay không tốt.The weather today is not good.
Example conversation
Tuấn and Lan are discussing a restaurant they just visited.
- TuấnĐồ ăn ở đó không tốt lắm.The food there was not very good.
- LanĐúng vậy, dịch vụ cũng không tốt.That's right, the service was not good either.
- TuấnChúng ta không nên quay lại đó.We should not go back there.
- LanTôi đồng ý với anh.I agree with you.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (không, tốt) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries không, tốt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
