Vietnamese for Absolute Beginners: Your First 50 Words

These 50 words will get you through basic interactions in Vietnam and give you a foundation for WELE dictation practice. ## Greetings & Basics 1. **Xin chào** — Hello (formal) 2. **Cảm ơn** — Thank you 3. **Xin lỗi** — Sorry / Excuse me 4. **Vâng / Dạ** — Yes (North/South) 5. **Không** — No / Not 6. **Tạm biệt** — Goodbye 7. **Xin** — Please ## Pronouns 8. **Tôi** — I (formal) 9. **Bạn** — You (same age friend) 10. **Anh** — You/He (older male) 11. **Chị** — You/She (older female) 12. **Em** — You/He/She (younger person) ## Common Verbs 13. **Là** — To be 14. **Có** — To have / There is 15. **Ăn** — To eat 16. **Uống** — To drink 17. **Đi** — To go 18. **Đến** — To come / arrive 19. **Muốn** — To want 20. **Biết** — To know 21. **Nói** — To speak 22. **Hiểu** — To understand 23. **Học** — To study / learn 24. **Làm** — To do / make ## Question Words 25. **Gì** — What 26. **Ai** — Who 27. **Ở đâu** — Where 28. **Khi nào** — When 29. **Tại sao** — Why 30. **Bao nhiêu** — How much/many ## Numbers 31. **Một** — One 32. **Hai** — Two 33. **Ba** — Three 34. **Bốn** — Four 35. **Năm** — Five 36. **Mười** — Ten ## Food & Drink 37. **Cơm** — Rice 38. **Phở** — Pho (noodle soup) 39. **Nước** — Water 40. **Cà phê** — Coffee 41. **Trà** — Tea 42. **Bánh mì** — Bread / Baguette sandwich ## Useful Adjectives 43. **Tốt** — Good 44. **Xấu** — Bad 45. **Lớn** — Big 46. **Nhỏ** — Small 47. **Nóng** — Hot 48. **Lạnh** — Cold 49. **Đẹp** — Beautiful 50. **Ngon** — Delicious ## How to Use This List Don't memorize all 50 at once. Learn 5 per day. Say them out loud. When you encounter them in WELE dictation, you'll recognize them — and that recognition is where real learning begins.