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chừng nào

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adverbconjunction Top 5,000 most common
Hanoi [t͡ɕɨŋ˨˩ naːw˨˩]Huế [t͡ɕɨŋ˦˩ naːw˦˩]Saigon [cɨŋ˨˩ naːw˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
chừngfallinghuyềnnàofallinghuyền

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

chừng nào means when; how much more.

Meanings of chừng nào in English

Adverb

  1. colloquial when ≈ khi nàobao giờ
    • Chừng nào về tới nơi?What time will you be back?
    • Chừng nào gởi là OK?When should I send it to you?
    • Vậy chừng nào có nhớ kêu nha!Please let me know whenever it reaches you!
  2. literary how much more
    • Còn chịu đựng được đến chừng nào?How much more suffering could you withstand?

Conjunction

  1. as long as
    • Chừng nào còn địch thì vẫn đánh.As long as there are enemies still, we must fight.

Example sentences with chừng nào

  • Chừng nào cậu mới chuẩn bị xong? When will you complete the preparations?
  • Chừng nào còn sự sống, thì vẫn còn hi vọng. As long as there's life, there's hope.

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

Usage note: chừng nào

chừng nào is the Southern way to ask "when", equivalent to Northern bao giờ.

  • Chừng nào anh về? — When are you coming back?
  • Chừng nào rảnh thì ghé chơi nha. — Drop by whenever you're free.

As with other "when" words, putting it at the start points to the future. For past events, Southerners more often say hồi nào: Anh về hồi nào? — When did you get back?

In the frame chừng nào … thì …, it means "as long as, until": Chừng nào còn tiền thì còn đi chơi. — As long as there's money, we keep travelling.

chừng alone means "about, approximately": chừng mười phút — about ten minutes. See also khoảng.

Region guide for "when?": North bao giờ · South chừng nào, hồi nào (past) · everywhere khi nào.

Etymology

chừng (“extent”) + nào (“which”).

Frequently asked questions

What does chừng nào mean in English?

chừng nào (adverb) means "when; how much more".

How do you pronounce chừng nào?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕɨŋ˨˩ naːw˨˩]; Saigon [cɨŋ˨˩ naːw˨˩]. Tones: chừng — falling tone (huyền), nào — 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.