Vietnamese · KNLTV Bậc 1 (A1) · Chapter 7
Tôi có một em traiI have a younger brother
The heart of Vietnamese: the address-term system. There is no neutral "you/I" — you pick anh/chị/em/cô/chú/ông/bà by the other person's AGE and GENDER, and the same term doubles as "I" and "you". The same person can be your "anh" (older) while you are their "em". Vocabulary: older/younger brother and sister, grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle, wife, husband. Tone corner: the tones on the address terms.
Dialogue
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Tôi có một em trai— I Have a Younger Brother
- NamTom, bạn có anh trai không?Tom, do you have an older brother?
- TomCó, tôi có một anh trai và một em trai.Yes, I have one older brother and one younger brother.
- NamAnh trai là "anh", và bạn là "em".Your older brother is "anh", and you are "em".
- TomAnh khỏe không, anh? Em là Tom!How are you, older brother? I am Tom!
Dialogue
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Em chào cô— Hello, Teacher
- TomChào cô. Tôi là Tom.Hello, teacher. I am Tom. (cold: tôi with a teacher)
- Cô HoaChào em. Em là "em", không phải "tôi".Hello. You are "em", not "tôi".
- TomDạ, em chào cô ạ. Em có một em gái và một anh trai.Yes, hello teacher. I have a younger sister and an older brother.
- Cô HoaCô cũng có một em gái. Gia đình cô có năm người.I also have a younger sister. My family has five people.
Vocabulary
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- anh trai
nounolder brother
- chị gái
nounolder sister
- em trai
nounyounger brother
- em gái
nounyounger sister
- ông
noungrandfather; sir (older man)
- bà
noungrandmother; madam (older woman)
- cô
nounaunt; Ms (female teacher)
- chú
noununcle (father's younger brother)
- bác
nounolder uncle/aunt
- vợ
nounwife
- chồng
nounhusband
Grammar
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Pronoun / kinship address — the core social grammar
Explanation
Vietnamese has no neutral "you" and "I". You pick the address term by the other person's age and gender: an older man → anh; an older woman → chị; a younger person → em; a much older person → ông/bà. That same term serves as both "you" and often "I". And it FLIPS per conversation — the same person is your "anh" (because older) while you are their "em". Using tôi for everyone sounds cold and distant.
Examples
- Em chào anh.Hello. (younger speaker → older male)
- Anh có em trai không?Do you (older male) have a younger brother?
- Chị tên là gì?What is your (older female) name?
Script & tones
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Ôn thanh điệu: thanh trên các từ xưng hô— Tone Review: tones on the address terms
Each address term and its tone:
- anhngang (level)older male — flat mid-level
- chịnặng (heavy)older female — low, short, glottal
- emngang (level)younger person — flat
- chúsắc (rising)uncle — rising
- bàhuyền (falling)grandmother — low falling
Read aloud, keeping the right tone:
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