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In Vietnamese, “là” is not just used as the copula “to be” (meaning “is/am/are”). It is also used in various situations to emphasize emotions, explain reasons, and convey thoughts or feelings. In this lesson, we will introduce three common usages of “là” in daily conversation.
① “là” for Emphasizing Degree, Emotion, and Attitude
* Often used after adverbs of degree such as “rất” (very), “thật” (really), “quá” (so/too).
Used in spoken language when you want to put more feeling into your statement.
① Trời rất là đẹp hôm nay.
→ The weather is really beautiful today.
② Cái váy này đúng là hợp với bạn luôn đó.
→ This dress truly suits you.
③ Cô ấy thật là dễ thương.
→ She is so cute.
④ Anh ấy quá là tốt với tôi.
→ He is so kind to me.
Point
Using “là” allows the emotion to come across more strongly. The sentence is grammatically correct without “là”, but it sounds more descriptive or factual.
→ “Trời rất đẹp hôm nay.” (Normal description)
→ “Trời rất là đẹp hôm nay.” (Natural spoken form with emotion)
② “là” for Emphasizing Reasons and Causes
* Often used in the forms “là vì”, “là do”, “là bởi vì” when the speaker wants to politely explain “why something happened” (Equivalent to “It is because…”).
① Tôi đi muộn là vì kẹt xe.
→ I was late because of a traffic jam. (The reason I was late is because…)
② Cô ấy khóc là do quá thất vọng.
→ She cried because she was so disappointed.
③ Cây chết là bởi vì thiếu nước lâu ngày.
→ The tree died because it lacked water for a long time.
④ Cô ấy buồn là vì bị hiểu lầm.
→ She is sad because she was misunderstood.
③ “là” for Introducing Feelings, Thoughts, and Evaluations
* Used after verbs expressing feelings, thoughts, or evaluations, functioning to introduce the content of the following clause.
① Mình nghĩ là cô ấy đã hiểu lầm rồi.
→ I think that she has misunderstood.
② Chỉ lo là trời sẽ mưa.
→ I’m just worried that it will rain.
③ Thật ngạc nhiên là anh ta nói tiếng Việt rất tốt!
→ It is really surprising that he speaks Vietnamese so well!
Point
Using “là” makes the spoken language sound more natural and softer. This “là” functions similarly to the conjunction “that” in English (e.g., “I think *that*…”).
Commonly Used Expressions in Conversation
| rất tiếc là (Unfortunately, / It’s a pity that…) | Rất tiếc là tôi không thể đi cùng bạn. Unfortunately, I cannot go with you. |
| may là (Fortunately, / Luckily,) | May là tôi đến kịp. Luckily, I arrived in time. |
| chẳng / không phải là (Isn’t it that…? / It’s not that…) |
Chẳng phải là anh ấy đã hứa rồi sao? Didn’t he already promise? (Isn’t it that he promised?) |
| (Thật) không ngờ là (Unexpectedly, / To one’s surprise,) |
Thật không ngờ là cô ấy lại nói vậy. I didn’t expect that she would say such a thing. |
| thật ra là (Actually, / The truth is…) | Thật ra là tôi chưa quyết định. Actually, I haven’t decided yet. |
|
gần như là / hầu như là |
Hôm nay gần như là không có ai ở văn phòng. Today, there is practically no one in the office. |