Definition

1. Verb:

   • To live; to reside: To have one's home or dwelling in a specific place.
   • To be; to be located: To exist or be situated in a particular place or position.
   • To stay; to remain: To continue to be in a place without leaving.
   • To behave; to conduct oneself: To act or live in a certain manner.
   • To work as a live-in servant: To be employed as a domestic worker residing in the employer's home.

2. Preposition:

   • In; at; on; from: Indicates location, origin, source, or point in time.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ta ở thành phố Sài Gòn. (She lives in Saigon city.)
  • Nhà tôi ở kia. (My house is over there.)
  • Kẻ ở người đi. (Some stay, others go.)
  • Anh ấy ở rất hiền. (He behaves very kindly.)
• Preposition:
  • Mua thức ăn ở chợ. (To buy food at the market.)
  • Lỗi ở tôi. (The fault is with me / lies with me.)

Advanced Usage

• "ở không": To be idle; to be unemployed.
  • Sau khi nghỉ việc, anh ấy chỉ ở không. (After quitting his job, he just stays idle.)
• "ở vậy": To live or remain like that (often implying a state of being alone or unchanged).
  • Bà cụ cứ ở vậy một mình. (The old lady continues to live alone like that.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ở lại (v): To stay behind; to remain.
  • Xin hãy ở lại thêm vài ngày. (Please stay a few more days.)
• Ở trọ (v): To lodge; to rent a room.
  • Sinh viên thường phải ở trọ. (Students often have to rent rooms.)
• Ở đâu (interrogative phrase): Where.
  • Bạn ở đâu? (Where are you? / Where do you live?)

Synonyms

• Live / Reside: cư trú, sinh sống.
• Be / Be located: tại, nằm tại.
• Stay: lưu lại.
• Behave: cư xử, đối xử.
• In / At: tại, trong.

Related Idioms

• Ở hiền gặp lành: Good things happen to good people; virtue is its own reward.
  • Cứ tin ở hiền gặp lành. (Just believe that good deeds are rewarded.)
• Ở bầu thì tròn, ở ống thì dài: One adapts to one's environment; you are shaped by your company.
  • Con cái học theo bạn, đúng là ở bầu thì tròn. (Children imitate their friends, it's true that environment shapes you.)
• Ở nhà nhất mẹ nhì con: (Literally: At home, the mother is first, the child is second) A person is most confident or authoritative in their own home.

verb

1. to live;to bẹ
   • cô ta ở thành phố Saigon
     she lives in Saigon city
   • nhà tôi ở kia
     My house is overthere
2. stay;remain
   • kẻ ở người đi
     Those who leave and those who stay behind. behave
   • ở ác
     to behave ungratefully. in,
   • mua thức ăn ở chợ
     to buy food at market. from; with
   • lỗi ở tôi
     the fault is with me