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sắp

Level ≈A1 (approx.) particleverbnoun Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [sap̚˧˦]Huế [ʂap̚˦˧˥]Saigon [ʂap̚˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones
sắprisingsắc

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

sắp means about to.

Meanings of sắp in English

Particle

  1. future marker about to

Verb

  1. to arrange

Noun

  1. dialectal, informal group (of people) ≈ tụi

Words with sắp

sắp sửasắp tớisắp đặtsắp xếp

Example sentences with sắp

  • Có vẻ Tom và Mary sắp khóc. It looked like Tom and Mary were about to cry.
  • Chắc có lẽ trời sắp mưa rồi. It is going to rain.
  • Tôi sắp cạn kiệt ý tưởng rồi. I'm running out of ideas.
  • Phiên gác của tôi sắp bắt đầu. My watch is about to start.
  • Toà nhà này sắp hoàn thành rồi. This building is near completion.
  • Tôi sắp chịu đựng không nổi rồi. This is about all I can put up with.
  • "Trời sắp mưa à?" "Mong là không." "Will it rain?" "I hope not."
  • Có lẽ là trời sắp mưa. It is going to rain soon.

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, sắp could be written as 立, 𫁞, 㕸, 拉. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Usage note: sắp

sắp means "about to, soon going to". It goes before the verb or adjective.

  • Phim sắp bắt đầu. — The film is about to start.
  • Trời sắp mưa rồi, về thôi. — It's about to rain, let's go home.
  • Tôi sắp đến nơi. — I'm almost there.
  • Cô ấy sắp cưới. — She's getting married soon.

Compare with sẽ: sẽ is plain future, any time; sắp means very close in time. Tôi sẽ về = I'll go home (sometime); Tôi sắp về = I'm about to head home.

Useful expressions: sắp tới = upcoming, the coming (tuần sắp tới — the coming week); sắp xếp = to arrange, organise — a different word built on the same syllable.

A taxi or delivery driver's favourite line: Em sắp tới rồi! — I'm nearly there! (Take it with a pinch of salt.)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Mon-Khmer *srap (“ready, prepared”) (Shorto 2006, #1282). Cognate with Pacoh tiráp, Khmer ស្រាប់ (srap) and Koho prap.

Frequently asked questions

What does sắp mean in English?

sắp (particle) means "about to".

How do you pronounce sắp?

IPA: Hanoi [sap̚˧˦]; Saigon [ʂap̚˦˥]. Tones: sắp — rising tone (sắc).

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.