sớm
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
sớm means early; soon.
Meanings of sớm in English
Adverb
- early
- soon
- literary (early) morning
Words with sớm
Synonyms and antonyms of sớm
Antonyms
Example sentences with sớm
- Lẽ ra tôi nên đi ngủ sớm. I should have gone to bed early.
- Tôi lẽ ra nên đi ngủ sớm. I should have gone to bed early.
- Nhắc anh ấy về nhà sớm nhé. Remind him to come home early.
- Lần tới tôi sẽ đến sớm hơn. Next time I'll come earlier.
- Tôi mệt nên tôi đi ngủ sớm. I was tired, so I went to bed early.
- Tiết học sẽ bắt đầu lại sớm. Classes are starting again soon.
- Chắc Tom sẽ về nhà sớm thôi. Tom is likely to come home soon.
- Đáng lẽ bạn nên tới sớm hơn. You should have come sooner.
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, sớm could be written as 歛, 𪩪, 𣋽, 𣌋. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Usage note: sớm
sớm means "early" and also "soon".
- Early: Tôi dậy sớm. — I get up early. sáng sớm — early morning
- Soon: Hẹn gặp lại anh sớm. — Hope to see you again soon. càng sớm càng tốt — the sooner the better
- Get well soon: Chúc anh sớm khỏe. or Chúc anh mau khỏe.
Vietnam is an early-rising country: parks fill with people exercising around dawn, and many street-food breakfast stalls sell out by mid-morning. Đi sớm mới có! — Go early or it'll be gone!
Opposites: muộn (North), trễ (South).
Position: sớm usually follows the verb: về sớm (go home early), đến sớm (arrive early). Before the verb it means "soon, at an early date": Tôi sẽ sớm trả lời. — I'll reply soon.
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *k-rǝːmʔ; cognate with Muong khởm (“morning”) and Arem arʌːmʔ ("morning").
Frequently asked questions
What does sớm mean in English?
sớm (adverb) means "early; soon".
How do you pronounce sớm?
IPA: Hanoi [səːm˧˦]; Saigon [ʂəːm˦˥]. Tones: sớm — rising tone (sắc).