Before you start
Vietnamese looks frightening from the outside: strange marks above the letters, six tones, a word that changes meaning when your voice goes down instead of up.
It is not as hard as it looks. Verbs never change. There are no plurals, no genders, no tenses to conjugate. Most of what makes a language difficult simply is not here. What is left is the sound — and sound is something you can practise.
This book holds the Vietnamese you need in your first weeks: how to greet someone, order food, ask a price, find a toilet, say you do not understand. Nothing you will never use.
How to use it — three things
- Read parts 1 and 2 first. The sounds and the six tones. Twenty minutes here saves you a month of being misunderstood.
- Then one part a day. Each one takes two or three minutes. Do not read the whole book in one sitting — you will remember none of it.
- Say every example out loud. Reading silently teaches you to recognise Vietnamese. Only your mouth teaches you to speak it.
When a word will not stay in your head, go to the practice pages and the flashcards. They ask, they mark you, and they bring back what you got wrong.
One last thing. You will say a tone wrong and someone will laugh. They are not laughing at you — a Vietnamese person hears a tone the way you hear the difference between ship and sheep. Say it again. They will help you.
Enjoy the ride.
⬇️ Take it with you
Free. Printable. No sign-up.
The PDF cannot play sound — tapping to listen only works here on the web.
Why Vietnamese is easier than you think
⏱ 2 minFour grammar headaches from your own language — Vietnamese simply does not have them.
Verbs never change
One form. Forever.
tôi ăn · bạn ăn · họ ănNo plurals
No "-s". Add a number if you need one.
hai cà phê = two coffeesNo gender, no articles
No le/la, no der/die/das, no a/the.
nhà = house / a house / the houseTense = one small word
Drop it in front of the verb. Done.
đã ăn · đang ăn · sẽ ăn| Vietnamese | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Tôi đã ăn. | toy dah an | I ate. |
| Tôi đang ăn. | toy dahng an | I am eating. |
| Tôi sẽ ăn. | toy seh an | I will eat. |
The sounds that trip everyone up
⏱ 3 minOnly the letters that behave differently from English. Northern (Hanoi) sound; Southern noted where it matters.
| Letter | Say it like | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| đ | English d in "do" | đi (dee) | to go |
| d | z in "zoo" · South: y | dạ (zah / yah) | yes, politely |
| gi | z · South: y | giá (zah) | price |
| r | z · South: rolled r | rồi (zoy) | already |
| x | s in "see" | xin (sin) | please / to ask |
| th | hard t with a puff — never English "th" | thêm (tem) | more |
| kh | ch in German "Bach" | không (khawng) | no / not |
| ph | f | phở (fuh) | noodle soup |
| nh | ny in "canyon" | nhà (nyah) | house |
| ng / ngh | ng in "singer" — yes, at the start | ngon (ngawn) | delicious |
a · ă · â
a = "ah" (father) · ă = same but cut short · â = "u" in "but"
ăn · âm · ane · ê
e = "e" in "bed" · ê = "ay" in "day", no glide
em · đêmo · ô · ơ
o = "aw" in "law" · ô = "oh" · ơ = "er" in "her", no r
con · cô · cơu · ư
u = "oo" in "food" · ư = "oo" with flat, unrounded lips
tu · tưThe 6 tones, in one page
⏱ 3 minSame letters, six meanings. Tone is not decoration — it is part of the word.
| Word | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| bánh | bahn | cake, bread, pastry |
| bạn | bahn (dropped, low) | friend · you |
| cám | kahm (rising) | bran (animal feed) |
| cảm ơn | kahm uhn (dipping) | thank you ✅ |
Who am I talking to?
⏱ 3 minNo neutral "you" here. You pick a word by age — and your own name for yourself changes with it.
| They look… | Call them | Say it | Call yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man, slightly older than you | anh | ahn | em |
| Woman, slightly older than you | chị | chee | em |
| Clearly younger, a teenager, a child | em | em | anh / chị |
| Woman around your mother's age | cô | koh | con / em |
| Man around your father's age | chú | choo | con / em |
| Older than your parents | bác | bahk | con |
| Grandparent age | ông / bà | awng / bah | con / cháu |
12 sentence patterns, plug & play
⏱ 3 minMemorise the frame, swap the blank. Twelve frames cover a whole week.
| # | Pattern | Say it | Use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tôi là ___ | toy lah | I am ___ Tôi là Anna. |
| 2 | Đây là ___ | day lah | This is ___ Đây là vợ tôi. |
| 3 | Cho tôi ___ | chaw toy | I'll have ___ Cho tôi một cà phê. |
| 4 | Tôi muốn ___ | toy moo-awn | I want ___ Tôi muốn đi chợ. |
| 5 | Tôi không ___ | toy khawng | I don't ___ Tôi không ăn thịt. |
| 6 | ___ ở đâu? | uh doh | Where is ___? Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? |
| 7 | Bao nhiêu tiền? | bow nyew tyen | How much? Cái này bao nhiêu tiền? |
| 8 | Có ___ không? | kaw … khawng | Do you have ___? Có wifi không? |
| 9 | ___ được không? | duhk khawng | Is ___ possible? Bớt một chút được không? |
| 10 | Cái này là gì? | kigh nay lah zee | What is this? — point and ask |
| 11 | Tôi không hiểu. | toy khawng hyew | I don't understand. |
| 12 | Nói chậm lại nhé. | noy chum ly nyeh | Please speak slower. |
…không?
At the end of any statement = a yes/no question.
Ngon không? = Is it tasty?…nhé / nha
Softens a request into a friendly one. Instantly less blunt.
Dừng ở đây nhé.Numbers & money without panic
⏱ 3 minPrices come fast and carry many zeros. Ten minutes here saves you all month.
| Number | Vietnamese | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | mười một | ten one |
| 20 | hai mươi | two ten |
| 34 | ba mươi bốn | three ten four |
| 100 | một trăm | one hundred |
| 1,000 | một nghìn (North) · một ngàn (South) | one thousand |
• 5 inside a compound becomes lăm: 15 = mười lăm, 25 = hai mươi lăm — never "năm".
• 1 after a ten becomes mốt: 21 = hai mươi mốt, 31 = ba mươi mốt.
"chục" = ten thousand
Vendors drop the zeros.
tám chục = 80,000 đ"k" is spoken too
Young people and apps say it out loud.
ba mươi k = 30,000 đBargaining line
Smile, never argue. Walk away slowly if needed.
Bớt một chút được không?Check the bill
Ask for the total at the end.
Tính tiền ạ. (teen tyen ah)6 scenes from a real day
⏱ 4 minRead each one once out loud. Tomorrow, use one. That is the whole method.
☕ 1. Ordering coffee
🍜 2. Street food
🛵 3. Taxi / Grab
🧺 4. Market, politely
🤝 5. Meeting someone
🏥 6. When something is wrong
What people will say to you
⏱ 4 minEvery book teaches you to speak. The hard part is when they answer. These are the lines you will actually hear.
| You will hear | Say it | It means |
|---|---|---|
| Ăn gì ạ? / Uống gì ạ? | an zee ah | What will you have? |
| Mấy người ạ? | may ngerr-ee ah | How many people? |
| Ăn ở đây hay mang về? | an uh day high mahng veh | Eat in or take away? |
| Có cay không? | kaw kigh khawng | Do you want it spicy? |
| Hết rồi ạ. | het zoy ah | Sold out, sorry. |
| Đợi chút nhé. | duh-ee choot nyeh | One moment please. |
| Của bạn đây ạ. | koo-ah bahn day ah | Here you go. |
| Còn gì nữa không ạ? | kawn zee nuh-ah khawng | Anything else? |
| Anh đi đâu ạ? | ahn dee doh ah | Where are you going? (taxi) |
| Đến rồi ạ. | den zoy ah | We have arrived. |
| They ask | You answer | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bạn tên gì? | Tôi tên ___ | What is your name? |
| Bạn là người nước nào? | Tôi là người ___ | Where are you from? |
| Bạn làm nghề gì? | Tôi là giáo viên / kỹ sư / sinh viên. | What do you do? |
| Ở Việt Nam bao lâu rồi? | Tôi ở đây ___ tháng rồi. | How long have you been here? |
| Bạn bao nhiêu tuổi? | Tôi ___ tuổi. | How old are you? (normal here) |
| Có gia đình chưa? | Rồi. / Chưa. | Are you married? (also normal) |
| Sao bạn biết tiếng Việt? | Tôi đang học. | How do you know Vietnamese? |
| Bạn thấy Việt Nam thế nào? | Tôi rất thích. | How do you find Vietnam? |
Ask them to write it
Writing is easier than sound — you can look it up later.
Anh viết ra giúp em được không ạ?Ask them to type it
Especially for prices and addresses.
Anh gõ vào điện thoại giúp em ạ.Point at it
Nothing to be shy about. Everyone does it.
Cho em cái này ạ.Ask for a repeat
Better than nodding and hoping.
Nói lại được không ạ?100 words you will actually use
⏱ 4 minNot a dictionary — the words that show up in almost every real conversation. One row a day.
8 mistakes foreigners make
⏱ 2 minAll fixable in a minute — and worth more than another hundred words.
"I'll learn tones later"
Tones are the word. And later never comes.
English "th"
thêm is not "them". It is a hard t with a puff of air.
Adjective before noun
Not "đá cà phê". It is cà phê đá. Noun first, always.
"bạn" to an elder
Safe with peers, cold with older people. Use cô / chú / bác.
Adding -s and -ed
hai cà phê, not "hai cà phês". Verbs never change shape.
Mixing ơ / ô and ư / u
cơ ≠ cô. Two different words, two different reactions.
Forgetting ạ
Correct, but abrupt. One syllable fixes it.
Speaking louder, not slower
Volume does not fix tones. Slow down and separate each syllable.
Your 30-day plan
⏱ 2 min15 minutes a day. Not more. The goal of each week is one thing you can do in the real world.
Sound
Tones + the 10 tricky letters
Say ma má mà mả mã mạ out loud every morning. Learn the 10 politeness words.
Win: order a coffee without pointing.
People
Pronouns + patterns 1 to 6
Decide anh / chị / em for every person you meet, silently. Introduce yourself three times.
Win: say who you are and ask where something is.
Money
Numbers + patterns 7 to 12
Read every price tag out loud in Vietnamese. Practise lăm and mốt.
Win: buy something at a market and ask for a discount.
Real life
The 100 words + the 6 scenes
Use one scene a day with a real person. Expect mistakes — they are the lesson.
Win: three real conversations, no English.
- 5 min — say the 6 tones out loud
- 5 min — review yesterday's 5 new words
- 3 min — read one scene aloud
- 2 min — use one sentence with a real person
★ Pocket card
Print this page, cut it out, keep it in your wallet. Twenty lines that cover a normal day.
⬇️ Take it with you
Free. Printable. No sign-up.
The PDF cannot play sound — tapping to listen only works here on the web.
Come and join us — it is free
This book is a gift, not a sample. The group is simply where the rest of it lives.
Short enough to use the same night.
Audio, exercises, printable cards.
You are not working this out alone.
Nothing is sold there. Nobody is chased. Stay if you like it, leave if you do not.