Definition

Adjective (tính từ): - Extremely drunk, to the point of slurring speech: Describes a state of severe intoxication where a person's speech becomes incoherent, mumbled, and drawn-out.

Usage

This word is a colloquial (khẩu ngữ) term. It is used informally to describe someone who is not just drunk, but so drunk that they are visibly affected in their speech and behavior, often in a messy or ridiculous way. It carries a nuance of being sloppily drunk.

Examples

• (He starts talking in a drunken slur as soon as he drinks alcohol.)
• (Stop drinking, you're about to get sloppy drunk.)
• (The whole drinking table had only one guy left, completely wasted and slurring.)

Advanced Usage / Nuances

• The term emphasizes the audible effect of drunkenness (slurred, dragging speech) more than just the state of being drunk.
• It often implies a degree of loss of dignity or control that is observable to others.
• Commonly used in spoken Vietnamese, especially in narratives or when chiding someone.

Variants and Related Words

• Say (adj): Drunk. A more general and common term for intoxication.
• Say bí tỉ (adj): Dead drunk, completely passed out.
• Say lè nhè / Nói lè nhè (v): To speak in a drunken, mumbling, and dragging manner. This is closely related to the core idea of "bét nhè".
• Say xỉn (adj): Drunk, intoxicated.

Synonyms

• Soused (adj): Very drunk. (Matches the reference definition closely).
• Wasted (adj): Slang for extremely intoxicated.
• Slurring one's words (phrase): Describing the speech effect directly.

Idioms / Common Phrases

• Say bét nhè: This is the standard and most common phrase. The word "bét nhè" is almost exclusively used following "say" (drunk).
  • Nó say bét nhè rồi, đưa nó về đi. (He's completely plastered, take him home.)

khẩu ngữ

1. Having a drawl from overdrinking
   • say bét nhè
     to be soused (to the point of drawling)