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Lesson 24: What time is it in Vietnamese

Summary: Let’s learn how to ask “What time is it?” in Vietnamese and add time in making appointment, talking about time in conversations.

Learn Vietnamese Lesson 24 - What Time Is It In Vietnamese

1. Vocabulary about time in Vietnamese

Now in Vietnamese

Bây giờ

Hour in Vietnamese

Giờ

Minute in Vietnamese

Phút

Second in Vietnamese

Giây

A half in Vietnamese

Rưỡi

At in Vietnamese

Lúc

Morning in Vietnamese

Sáng (or Buổi sáng)

Afternoon in Vietnamese

Trưa (or Buổi trưa)

Evening/Night in Vietnamese

Tối (or Buổi tối)

After learning about time in a day, you may wonder how Vietnamese say “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, and “Good evening”. They’re “Chào buổi sáng”, “Chào buổi trưa”, and “Chào buổi tối”. Because locals don’t usually say that in daily conversations, I didn’t want to teach you that. You only hear those phrases in a formal conversation, or a public speech, or TV news.

2. Time format in Vietnamese

Format:

Vietnamese English
[Number] + giờ + [number] + phút + [sáng/trưa/tối] [Hour] : [minute] + [AM/PM]
[Number] + giờ + [number] + phút [Hour] : [minute]
[Number] + giờ + [number]

Note: There are to ways to talk about 30 minutes in Vietnamese

  • [Number] + giờ + 30 phút + [sáng/trưa/tối]. For example: 07 giờ 30 phút sáng = 07:30 AM.
  • [Number] + giờ + rưỡi + [sáng/trưa/tối]. For example: 07 giờ rưỡi sáng = 07:30 AM.

Examples:

Vietnamese English
Tám giờ ba mươi phút sáng 08:30 AM
Ba giờ bốn mươi lăm trưa 03:45 PM
Hai giờ rưỡi sáng 02:30 AM

Quiz 01: How to say “07:24 PM” in Vietnamese?

(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)

3. Questions about time in Vietnamese

3.1. What time is it in Vietnamese

Question:

Vietnamese: Bây giờ + là + mấy + giờ?
1 2 3 4
English: What + time + is + it + now?
3 4 2 1

Answer:

Vietnamese: Bây giờ + là + [time].
1 2 3
English: It + is + [time].
1 2 3

Quiz 02: How to ask if it’s 04:59 AM now in Vietnamese?

(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)

Examples:

Vietnamese English
Bây giờ là mấy giờ?
Bây giờ là 06 giờ rưỡi sáng.		 What time is it now?
It’s 06:30 AM now.
Bây giờ là 09 giờ 45 phút phải không?
⇒ Phải, bây giờ là 09 giờ 45 phút.
⇒ Không, bây giờ không phải là 09 giờ 45.		 It is 09:45 now, right?
⇒ Yes, it is.
⇒ No, it isn’t.

To make a yes-no question or negative statement, you just add “phải” before “là” and follow the structure “... có phải … không?” or “... phải không?”.

3.2. Ask if something happens at (time) in Vietnamese

Question:

Vietnamese: [Something/ Event] + là + lúc + mấy + giờ?
1 2 3 4 5
English: What + time + is + [something/ event]?
4 5 2 1

Answer:

Vietnamese: [Something/ Event] + là + lúc + [time].
1 2 3 4
English: It + is + at + [time].
1 2 3 4

You can use “... có phải … không?” or “... phải không?” to make yes-no question if an event/ something happens at a specific time.

Quiz 03: Choose the correct response for this question “Lớp tiếng Nhật có phải là lúc 08:45 tối không?” in Vietnamese.

(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)

Examples:

Vietnamese English
Lớp tiếng Anh là lúc mấy giờ?
Lớp tiếng Anh là lúc 07 giờ rưỡi tối.		 What time is the English class?
The English class is at 07:30 PM.
Lớp tiếng Nhật có phải là lúc 04 giờ 15 phút trưa không?
⇒ Phải, lớp tiếng Nhật là lúc 04 giờ 15 trưa.
⇒ Không, lớp tiếng Nhật không phải là lúc 04 giờ 15.		 Is the Japanese class at 04:15 PM?
⇒ Yes, it is.
⇒ No, it isn’t.
Lớp tiếng Trung Quốc là lúc 08 giờ 45 phải không?
⇒ Phải, lớp tiếng Trung Quốc là lúc 08 giờ 45.
⇒ Không, lớp tiếng Trung Quốc không phải là lúc 08 giờ 45.		 The Chinese class is at 08:45, right?
⇒ Yes, it is.
⇒ No, it isn’t.

4. Dialog

Nam and Thao conversation 1 in Vietnamese - Learn Vietnamese 30 Days
Vietnamese English
Nam Bây giờ là mấy giờ? What time is it now?
Thảo Bây giờ là 05 giờ 49 tối. It’s 05:49 PM
Nam Cảm ơn em. Thank you.
Thảo Không có chi. You’re welcome.
Nam and Thao conversation 2 in Vietnamese - Learn Vietnamese 30 Days
Vietnamese English
Nam Bây giờ là mấy giờ ở Nhật? What time is it now in Japan?
Thảo Bây giờ là 07 giờ 05 sáng ở Nhật. It’s 07:05 AM in Japan.
Nam Cảm ơn em. Thank you.
Thảo Không có chi. You’re welcome.
Ms. Suki and Phong conversation in Vietnamese - Learn Vietnamese 30 Days
Vietnamese English
Suki Chào Phong. Hi, Phong.
Phong Chào cô Suki. Lớp tiếng Nhật của em là lúc 08 giờ 30 phút phải không? Hi, Miss Suki. Is my Japanese class at 08:30?
Suki Không, lớp tiếng Nhật của em không phải lúc 08 giờ 30. No, it isn’t.
Phong Lớp tiếng Nhật của em là lúc mấy giờ? What time is my Japanese class?
Suki Lớp tiếng Nhật của em là lúc 09 giờ. Your Japanese class is at 09:00.
Phong Cảm ơn cô Suki. Thank you, Miss Suki.

We almost finish our first journey with Learn Vietnamese 30 Days. I've learned and built a very strong foundation in Vietnamese together. In the next lesson, we will learn more about time with a topic:


Tạm biệt và hẹn gặp lại các bạn!

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