Today, let\’s learn how to ask for a phone number in Vietnamese. Nowadays, Zalo is the most common method of instant messages in Vietnam, so don\’t be surprised if people ask you for a Zalo number, not a phone number.
In a majority of the case, phone number = Zalo number as we need a phone number to register for a Zalo account. However, you can still keep your old Zalo account even when you changed your phone number, so in some cases, they are different.
Em có dùng Zalo không?
= Little sister, do you use Zalo?
For young Vietnamese people 90% of the time, the answer is \”Yes\”. However, we ask for the sake of asking.
I use \”em\” in this example, as normally, a guy is a person who initiates to ask for the other party\’s contact details. (Only correct 60% of the time. It is more common, but not a rule).
Cho anh xin số nha!
= Please give me your number!
Literally, the word order is: Give/Allow | me | to ask | the number | please!
The word \”nha\” is just a filler word that softens the sentence in Vietnamese. Some people (especially in Northern Vietnam) also use \”nhé\” in this case.