bạn có mùi
[ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ kɔ˧˦ muj˨˩]word by word
The phrase "you smell" is translated into Vietnamese as bạn có mùi.
This phrase is used to tell someone that they have an unpleasant body odor. In Vietnamese, the expression có mùi is almost always used to imply an unpleasant or bad odor rather than a pleasant one.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bạn (you), có (to have) and mùi (smell/odor).
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the unpleasantness more explicit, you can add the word hôi (stinky/foul) after mùi, resulting in the phrase bạn có mùi hôi (you smell stinky).
Did you know?
- If someone says có mùi during a conversation about a situation or a deal, they are not talking about scent but are suggesting that something is 'fishy' or suspicious.
- Because có mùi is so blunt, Vietnamese speakers often use indirect phrases or non-verbal cues to suggest someone needs deodorant to avoid causing a loss of 'face'.
- The word bạn comes from a Sino-Vietnamese root meaning 'companion'. In this phrase, using bạn can actually sound ironically formal or distancing given the intimacy of the insult.
Examples in context
- Cậu có hơi hôi đấy nhé.You smell a bit
- Bạn có mùi mồ hôi.You smell of sweat.
- Hình như bạn có mùi khó chịu.It seems like you have an unpleasant smell.
- Sao bạn có mùi lạ vậy?Why do you smell strange?
Example conversation
Tuấn and Mai are talking after a workout.
- TuấnMai, hình như bạn có mùi.Mai, I think you smell.
- MaiThật sao? Tôi vừa tập xong.Really? I just finished exercising.
- TuấnBạn nên đi tắm đi.You should go take a shower.
- MaiĐược rồi, tôi sẽ đi ngay.Okay, I will go now.
