How to Say "Too Big" in Vietnamese

quá lớn

[kwaː˧˦ ləːn˧˦]word by word

The English phrase "too big" is translated into Vietnamese as quá lớn.

The phrase is used to describe something that is larger than the desired or necessary size.

What does it mean word for word?

In the phrase quá lớn, the word quá means "too" or "excessively" and lớn means "big" or "large".

While quá lớn is a standard way to express this, quá to is a more common and colloquial way to say "too big" in everyday spoken Vietnamese.

In the northern region of Vietnam, people often use the colloquial term to đùng to describe something that is excessively large.

To express that something is "too big compared to" something else, you can use the construction quá lớn so với.

In Vietnamese, the word lớn can describe not just physical size but also a person's maturity or age, similar to the English phrase 'grown up'.
The term quá in 'too big' is a Sino-Vietnamese word derived from the Chinese character 過, which carries the meaning to exceed or go beyond.

Ti vi này quá to
This TV is too big.
Nhà này quá lớn
This house is too big.
Bàn làm việc quá lớn đối với không gian này
The desk is too big for this space.
Chỗ ngồi này to quá
This seat is too big.
Cái áo này to quá, em mặc nhìn kì kì
This shirt is too big, you look weird wearing it.
Chiếc xe máy này to đùng
This motorbike is too big.
Bánh bao này to đùng, ăn không hết đâu
This bao bun is too big, can't finish it all.
Cái bàn này quá lớn.
This table is too big.
Chiếc áo này quá lớn đối với tôi.
This shirt is too big for me.
Dự án này có vẻ quá lớn.
This project seems too big.

Hùng and Mai are looking at a new sofa in a furniture store.

Hùng

Cái sofa này quá lớn phải không Mai?
This sofa is too big, isn't it Mai?
Mai

Đúng vậy, nó quá lớn cho phòng khách của mình.
That's right, it is too big for our living room.
Hùng

Chúng ta nên tìm cái nào nhỏ hơn.
We should look for a smaller one.
Mai

Tôi đồng ý với anh.
I agree with you.

Sources

IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (quá, lớn) and can differ in connected speech.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries lớn, quá, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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