ngày xưa

adverb

Hanoi [ŋaj˨˩ sɨə˧˧]Huế [ŋaj˦˩ sɨə˧˧]Saigon [ŋa(ː)j˨˩ sɨə˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

ngàyfallinghuyền xưalevelngang

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

ngày xưa means formerly; in the past.

Meanings of ngày xưa in English

Adverb

formerly; in the past ≈ xưa kia

Example sentences with ngày xưa

So với các cụ ngày xưa, chúng ta không thiếu thốn gì cả. Compared to our grandparents, we don't lack anything today.

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

Etymology

ngày + xưa.

Frequently asked questions

What does ngày xưa mean in English?

ngày xưa (adverb) means "formerly; in the past".

How do you pronounce ngày xưa?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋaj˨˩ sɨə˧˧]; Saigon [ŋa(ː)j˨˩ sɨə˧˧]. Tones: ngày — falling tone (huyền), xưa — 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. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.