Improve your Vietnamese skills

Vietnamese Learning Tips

• Vietnamese is a tonal language - one that uses pitch to differentiate between words. Altering the tone of a word can create a totally different or even non-existent word. Our system will help you learn to recognise and apply Vietnamese tones in Level 1 of your course.
• All words in Vietnamese, apart from loanwords, contain just one syllable. A single meaning can be expressed in multiple words such as the phrase for ‘subway’ in Vietnamese; tàu điện ngầm.
• You’ll discover that words are not modified to specify plurals or tense. Alternatively, these are specified by other words in the sentence or contextual factors.
• There is no single way to say ‘I,’ ‘you,’ or ‘we.’ Vietnamese speakers address each other in terms relating to age, gender, and familial or social relationship.
• The formal word ‘ạ’ is often used in conversation, particularly when speaking with elders.
• Many words in Vietnamese, including a great deal of the vocabulary concerning science and religion, are derived from Chinese. Several words for Western items of clothing come from French.