Greetings
Greetings and goodbyes
Can greet and say goodbye appropriately
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Chào chị! Chị khỏe không?
Hello! How are you? (to older woman)
Ăn cơm chưa? — Ăn rồi, cảm ơn!
Have you eaten? — Already, thanks!
Tạm biệt! Hẹn gặp lại!
Goodbye! See you again!
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Chào hỏi — Greetings
Vietnamese greetings incorporate the pronoun system — you greet differently based on who you're talking to!
| Greeting | When | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Xin chào | General hello | Formal, safe for foreigners |
| Chào anh/chị/em | Hello (to specific person) | Natural, uses kinship pronoun |
| Ăn cơm chưa? | Have you eaten? | Casual = How are you? |
| Khỏe không? | Are you well? | Casual check-in |
| Tạm biệt | Goodbye | Formal |
| Chào anh/chị nhé | Bye (casual) | With pronoun + nhé |
| Hẹn gặp lại | See you again | Standard |
Ăn cơm chưa? (Eaten rice yet?) is the classic Vietnamese greeting — like 'How are you?' You don't need to literally answer about food!
Common Error Patterns
Used Xin chào when Chào + pronoun is more natural
Xin chào is formal/textbook. In real life, use Chào + pronoun: Chào anh! Chào chị! Chào em!
Chào chị! Chị khỏe không?
Hello! How are you? (to older woman)
Chào + pronoun is more natural than Xin chào. khỏe không? = well not? = Are you well?
Ăn cơm chưa? — Ăn rồi, cảm ơn!
Have you eaten? — Already, thanks!
The most Vietnamese greeting! Not really about food — it's like 'How are you?' Answer: Ăn rồi (Already) or Chưa (Not yet).
Tạm biệt! Hẹn gặp lại!
Goodbye! See you again!
Tạm biệt = goodbye (formal). Hẹn gặp lại = arrange meet again = see you again.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises