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chẳng là

Level ≈B2 (approx.) phrase Top 5,000 most common
Hanoi [t͡ɕaŋ˧˩ laː˨˩]Huế [t͡ɕaŋ˧˨ laː˦˩]Saigon [caŋ˨˩˦ laː˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
chẳngdippinghỏilàfallinghuyền

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

chẳng là means là; so; what happened was.

Meanings of chẳng là in English

Phrase

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see chẳng, là.
    • Mày chẳng/chả là cái cóc khô gì cả !You ain't a damn thing!
  2. so, what happened was; so, this is what happened

Example sentences with chẳng là

  • Không có tôi, bạn chẳng là gì cả. Without me, you'd still be nobodies.
  • Bạn chẳng là ai cả. You're a nobody.
  • Tiền chẳng là gì cả. Money is nothing.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

chẳng (“not”) + là (“to be”).

Frequently asked questions

What does chẳng là mean in English?

chẳng là (phrase) means "là; so; what happened was".

How do you pronounce chẳng là?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕaŋ˧˩ laː˨˩]; Saigon [caŋ˨˩˦ laː˨˩]. Tones: chẳng — dipping tone (hỏi), là — falling tone (huyền).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited; example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.