dùm

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adverb Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [zum˨˩]Huế [jum˦˩]Saigon [jʊm˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

dùmfallinghuyền

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

dùm means in someone else's stead.

Also spelled giùm — same word, same meaning.

Meanings of dùm in English

Adverb

Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam in someone else's stead ≈ hộ thay nhờ
- Mày mua giùm tao điếu thuốc cái coi!Get me a cigarette while you're at it, please!

Example sentences with dùm

Tôi mang giỏ dùm bạn nhé? Can I take your bags?
Bạn có thể đánh vần họ của bạn dùm tôi? Can you spell your last name for me?

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

Etymology

Ferlus, 2009: From Proto-Vietic *p-tʃuːm, a prefixed form of Proto-Vietic *tʃuːm (“to gather”), via the changes of /p-tʃuːm/ > /p-ʝuːm/ > /ʝuːm/. The forms of gium (“to help”), giúm (“to help each other”) and giụm (“to put together”) are attested in older dictionaries. Related to xum (“to meet; to get together”, now obsolete), xúm (“to gather; to collect”), chùm (“bunch; cluster”) and chụm (“to assemble; to gather”). Outside Vietic, related to Khmer ប្រជុំ (prɑɑcum, “to gather; to meet together”) → Thai ประชุม (bprà-chum, “to gather; to meet”).

Frequently asked questions

What does dùm mean in English?

dùm (adverb) means "in someone else's stead".

How do you pronounce dùm?

IPA: Hanoi [zum˨˩]; Saigon [jʊm˨˩]. Tones: dùm — 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.