There is no direct translation for the phrase “How are you” in Vietnamese. However, after saying Hello, Vietnamese has various ways of following up questions.
4 common ways are:
4 common ways are:
- Bạn có khoẻ không? – Literally, that means “Are you healthy?”. Some language textbooks equal this phrase with “How are you?”. When Vietnamese says this sentence, they do really care about your health condition. So only say this if you don’t see each other for a long time and you do care about their health.
- Bạn dạo này thế nào? – How are you recently? It is more generally than “Bạn có khoẻ không?” but often be used only when you don’t see each other for a while. “How are you?” in English can be used daily.
- Bạn ăn cơm chưa? – Have you eaten rice yet? Very similar to the phrase 你吃饭了吗？in Chinese. Say this when you meet each other often and around lunch/dinner time.
- Bạn đi đâu đấy? – Where are you heading to? Say this if you meet each other on the street.
Let’s check out our video lesson.