When traveling to Vietnam, shopping can be an exciting and rewarding experience. From bustling markets to stylish boutiques, knowing some basic Vietnamese vocabulary can enhance your shopping experience and help you interact more effectively with local vendors. This article will guide you through essential Vietnamese vocabulary and phrases for shopping, ensuring that you can shop like a local.
Basic Shopping Vocabulary
It’s important to start with some basic vocabulary that you’ll frequently encounter while shopping in Vietnam.
Shop in Vietnamese is “cแปญa hร ng”. When you want to specify what kind of shop it is, you simply add the type of goods sold in front of “cแปญa hร ng”. For instance, a clothing store is “cแปญa hร ng quแบงn รกo”.
Market is referred to as “chแปฃ”. If you are visiting Vietnam, exploring local markets like “Chแปฃ Bแบฟn Thร nh” in Ho Chi Minh City can be a fascinating experience.
Price is “giรก”. Itโs one of the most crucial words since youโll need to often ask for the price of items.
Expensive is described as “ฤแบฏt”, while cheap is “rแบป”. These adjectives will come in handy to express your opinion about the price.
For example:
– Bao nhiรชu tiแปn cรกi nร y? (How much is this?)
– Cรกi nร y giรก bao nhiรชu? (What is the price of this?)
Asking for Prices and Bargaining
Bargaining is common in many Vietnamese markets, and knowing how to ask for a price and negotiate can help you get a better deal.
To ask the price of something, you can say:
– Cรกi nร y giรก bao nhiรชu? (How much is this?)
If you feel the price is too high and you want to suggest a lower price, you can say:
– Giรก nร y quรก ฤแบฏt, giแบฃm giรก ฤฦฐแปฃc khรดng? (This price is too expensive, can you reduce it?)
Remember, being polite can make a significant difference, so always add “lร m ฦกn” (please) to sound more courteous.
Describing What You Want
Being able to describe what you’re looking for can significantly enhance your shopping experience. Here are some useful adjectives and phrases:
Size in Vietnamese is “kรญch cแปก”. If you need a specific size, you can say:
– Tรดi cแบงn kรญch cแปก lแปn hฦกn. (I need a bigger size.)
Color is “mร u”. To specify the color you want, you can say:
– Tรดi muแปn mร u xanh. (I want the blue one.)
If you’re looking for something specific, you can use:
– Tรดi tรฌm cรกi… (I’m looking for a…)
Payment and Money-Related Vocabulary
Understanding how to discuss prices and payments is crucial. Here are some terms and phrases that will be useful:
Money in Vietnamese is “tiแปn”. When you’re ready to pay, you can say:
– Tรดi thanh toรกn bแบฑng tiแปn mแบทt. (I will pay with cash.)
Credit card is “thแบป tรญn dแปฅng”. If you prefer to pay by credit card, you can mention:
– Tรดi thanh toรกn bแบฑng thแบป tรญn dแปฅng. (I will pay with a credit card.)
Change as in money returned after a payment is “tiแปn thแปi”. You might need to ask:
– Bแบกn cรณ thแปi tiแปn khรดng? (Do you have change?)
Useful Phrases for Shopping
Here are some additional phrases that might be helpful during your shopping ventures:
– Bแบกn cรณ cรกi nร y bแบฑng vแบฃi khรกc khรดng? (Do you have this in another fabric?)
– Cรณ mร u khรกc khรดng? (Is there another color?)
– Cแปญa hร ng mแป cแปญa mแบฅy giแป? (What time does the store open?)
– Cแปญa hร ng ฤรณng cแปญa mแบฅy giแป? (What time does the store close?)
Conclusion
Mastering these basic Vietnamese vocabulary and phrases for shopping will not only enhance your shopping experience but also help you immerse more into the Vietnamese culture. Whether you’re bargaining in a local market or asking for a specific item in a boutique, these phrases will serve as your guide. Remember, practice makes perfect, so donโt hesitate to use these new words and phrases during your travels or in your language studies. Happy shopping!