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lại

Level ≈A1 (approx.) adverbverb Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [laːj˧˨ʔ]Huế [laːj˨˩ʔ]Saigon [laːj˨˩˨] browser voice
Syllables · tones
lạiheavynặng

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

lại means again; to come over.

Chinese characters: 賴

Meanings of lại in English

Adverb

  1. after verb again
    • Bạn nói lại đi.Say it again.
  2. before verb once more, indicates an action or state is resumed
  3. after adjective or verb reducing in volume, distance, or increasing in density or viscosity
    • nhắm mắt lạito shut one's eyes
    • cứng lạito harden
    • rắn lạito stiffen
  4. on the other hand, meanwhile
  5. after objects indicates a return to some original state
    • đóng cửa lạito close the door

Verb

  1. to come
    • Mang lại đây!Bring that here!
  2. rather dialectal to recover
    • Này con, ăn bát cháo nóng này cho lại sứcKid, here's the hot porridge for you to heal yourself.
  3. colloquial to make up for one's disadvantage
    • Đội bạn đá như trâu thế thì đánh sao cho lạiHow can we even put up with a team as strong as horses without being lost?

Words with lại

để lạilặp lạimang lạiquay lạitrả lạitrở lạixét lạilại hồnlại nữa

Idioms and sayings with lại

Example sentences with lại

  • Sao cô ta lại ở đây chứ? Why is she here?
  • Họ đưa nó lại cho cô ấy. They gave it back to her.
  • Cô ấy sẽ thử lại lần nữa. She'll try it once more.
  • Các cửa sổ đã bị bít lại. The windows were boarded up.
  • Cô ấy nhắm mắt lại và ngủ. She closes her eyes and sleeps.
  • Tôi sẽ thử lại sau, cảm ơn. I'll try again, thank you.
  • Tôi sẽ phải xem xét lại nó. I'll have to reconsider it.
  • Tớ vẫn chưa gọi lại cho họ. I haven't called them back.

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

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, lại could be written as 吏, 又, 來, 徠. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Usage note: lại

lại has several meanings that depend on position.

  • Again (after the verb): Anh nói lại được không? — Could you say that again?
  • Again, once more (before the verb, often with annoyance): Trời lại mưa. — It's raining again.
  • Come over: Lại đây! — Come here!
  • Back: Gọi lại cho tôi. — Call me back. Trả lại tiền. — Give the money back.

A survival sentence: Anh nói chậm lại được không? — Could you speak more slowly? Here lại after chậm means "slow down" — chậm lại, like dừng lại (stop), ở lại (stay behind).

In argument and contrast, lại shows surprise: Sao anh lại làm thế? — Why on earth did you do that?

ngược lại = on the contrary, the other way round.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *laːjʔ. Possibly related to Chinese 來 (MC loj, “to come; to arrive”) (SV: lai).

Frequently asked questions

What does lại mean in English?

lại (adverb) means "again; to come over".

How do you pronounce lại?

IPA: Hanoi [laːj˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [laːj˨˩˨]. Tones: lại — heavy tone (nặng).

Is lại a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. lại is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 賴.

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.