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nghe lời

Level ≈B1 (approx.) verb Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [ŋɛ˧˧ ləːj˨˩]Huế [ŋɛ˧˧ ləːj˦˩]Saigon [ŋɛ˧˧ ləːj˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
nghelevelnganglờifallinghuyền

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

nghe lời means to obey; to follow someone's advice.

Meanings of nghe lời in English

Verb

  1. transitive to obey; to follow someone's advice
    • nghe lời cha mẹto obey one's parents' words

Example sentences with nghe lời

  • Con trai phải biết nghe lời cha. A son must obey his father.
  • Chó của tôi chẳng chịu nghe lời. My dog never obeys.
  • Bạn nên nghe lời cha mẹ. You should obey your parents.
  • Cuối cùng thì Mary đã nghe lời Tom. In the end, Mary listened to Tom.
  • Tom không muốn nghe lời khuyên từ Mary. Tom doesn't want to take advice from Mary.
  • Nghe lời cha mẹ đi. Obey your parents.
  • Cứ nghe lời đi. Just obey.
  • Tom nghe lời Mary. Tom obeyed Mary.

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, nghe lời could be written as 𦖑𠳒. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

nghe (“to listen”) + lời (“word; utterances”)

Frequently asked questions

What does nghe lời mean in English?

nghe lời (verb) means "to obey; to follow someone's advice".

How do you pronounce nghe lời?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋɛ˧˧ ləːj˨˩]; Saigon [ŋɛ˧˧ ləːj˨˩]. Tones: nghe — level tone (ngang), lời — 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.