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làm sao

Level ≈A2 (approx.) adverb Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [laːm˨˩ saːw˧˧]Huế [laːm˦˩ ʂaːw˧˧]Saigon [laːm˨˩ ʂaːw˧˧] synthetic voice
Syllables · tones
làmfallinghuyềnsaolevelngang

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

làm sao means why; how.

Meanings of làm sao in English

Adverb

  1. why; how
  2. literary how; so
    • To làm sao!How big!

Example sentences with làm sao

  • Căn hộ mới đẹp làm sao! What a beautiful apartment!
  • Tom không biết làm sao để vui vẻ. Tom doesn't know how to have fun.
  • Quả là một ngày đẹp trời làm sao! What a beautiful day it is!
  • Làm sao để dịch tiếng anh hay nhất. Ignore what he said. He was only joking.
  • Bạn bị làm sao vậy? What's wrong with you?
  • Bạn có làm sao không? Are you all right?
  • Làm sao để tìm thức ăn ngoài vũ trụ? How do you find food in outer space?
  • Cô ấy muốn biết làm sao để giảm cân. She wants to know how she can lose weight.

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

Usage note: làm sao

làm sao asks "how (can/do I)" — the method — and also "what's wrong".

  • How to: Làm sao để đến phố cổ? — How do I get to the Old Quarter?
  • How possible: Làm sao tôi biết được? — How would I know?
  • What's wrong: Anh làm sao thế? — What's the matter with you?

In the pattern làm sao mà…, it expresses disbelief: Làm sao mà nhớ hết được! — There's no way to remember all that!

And in exclamations, it means "how very": Đẹp làm sao! — How beautiful! (literary, or in songs)

Không làm sao = nothing's wrong, I'm fine: Tôi không làm sao, chỉ hơi mệt. — I'm fine, just a little tired.

Compare with thế nào, which asks what something is like; làm sao focuses on the means or on a problem.

Etymology

làm + sao.

Frequently asked questions

What does làm sao mean in English?

làm sao (adverb) means "why; how".

How do you pronounce làm sao?

IPA: Hanoi [laːm˨˩ saːw˧˧]; Saigon [laːm˨˩ ʂaːw˧˧]. Tones: làm — falling tone (huyền), sao — 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). Audio is a synthetic voice, for reference only. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.