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lái xe

Level ≈A1 (approx.) verbnoun Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [laːj˧˦ sɛ˧˧]Huế [laːj˨˩˦ sɛ˧˧]Saigon [laːj˦˥ sɛ˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
láirisingsắcxelevelngang

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

lái xe means to drive a car.

Meanings of lái xe in English

Verb

  1. to drive a car (or any vehicle)

Noun

  1. driver

Example sentences with lái xe

  • Sami đã quá say để lái xe. Sami was too drunk to drive.
  • Cô ấy đang học cách lái xe. She is learning how to drive a car.
  • Tom đã dạy Mary lái xe hơi. Tom taught Mary how to drive.
  • Tom đã dạy tôi cách lái xe. Tom taught me how to drive.
  • Tôi khi đó đang lái xe máy. I was riding my motorcycle.
  • Tom lái xe máy đến nhà thờ. Tom rode his motorcycle to church.
  • Tom không lái xe vào ban đêm. Tom wasn't driving at night.
  • Bạn có thể lái xe, đúng không? You can drive a car, right?

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

Etymology

lái + xe, ultimately from Old Chinese 舵 (OC *l'aːlʔ) (ZS) (SV: đà) and 車 (OC *kʰlja) (ZS) (SV: xa) respectively; doublet of tài xế (“driver”), a late borrowing from Cantonese.

Frequently asked questions

What does lái xe mean in English?

lái xe (verb) means "to drive a car".

How do you pronounce lái xe?

IPA: Hanoi [laːj˧˦ sɛ˧˧]; Saigon [laːj˦˥ sɛ˧˧]. Tones: lái — rising tone (sắc), xe — level tone (ngang).

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.