vậy
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
vậy means so; thus; like that.
Meanings of vậy in English
Words with vậy
Example sentences with vậy
- Bạn đã nói gì với họ vậy? What did you say to them?
- Giám đốc đang ở đâu vậy ạ? Where's the president?
- Ai đã ăn mấy cái bánh vậy? Who ate all the pies?
- Cậu đã cởi quần ở đâu vậy? Where did you take your pants off?
- Bạn đang nói về cái gì vậy? What are you talking about?
- Cái mũ đỏ này mấy tiền vậy? How much for this red hat?
- Anh ta nói vậy vì ghen tức. He said so out of envy.
- Cô ta cũng trẻ như tôi vậy. She is as young as I am.
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, vậy could be written as 丕. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Usage note: vậy
vậy means "so, like that", and it is all over Southern speech; the Northern equivalent is thế.
- Like that: Đừng làm vậy. — Don't do that.
- So, then: Vậy mình đi nhé. — So, let's go then.
- Question softener: Gì vậy? — What is it? Sao vậy? — What's wrong?
- Surprise: Vậy hả? / Vậy à? — Really? / Is that so?
Very useful: Vậy thôi. — That's all. Cũng vậy. — Same here. Tôi cũng vậy. — Me too.
At the end of a question, vậy makes it less abrupt: Anh tên gì vậy? sounds friendlier than Anh tên gì?
Formal written equivalents: như vậy, vì vậy (therefore): Trời mưa, vì vậy chúng tôi ở nhà. — It rained, so we stayed home.
Frequently asked questions
What does vậy mean in English?
vậy (adverb) means "so; thus; like that".
How do you pronounce vậy?
IPA: Hanoi [vəj˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [vəj˨˩˨]. Tones: vậy — heavy tone (nặng).