ba
Noun:
- Father, Dad: A familiar and affectionate term for one's male parent, commonly used in Southern Vietnam.
- Bar: An establishment where alcoholic drinks are served. (From French bar).
Numeral:
- Three: The cardinal number equivalent to the sum of one and two.
- Third: Indicating position in a sequence after second and before fourth.
Noun (Father):
- Ba tôi là công nhân. (My father is a worker.)
- Con yêu ba nhiều lắm! (I love you very much, Dad!)
Noun (Bar):
- Anh ấy thường ghé qua ba để uống bia. (He often stops by the bar for a beer.)
Numeral (Three):
- Nhà tôi có ba phòng ngủ. (My house has three bedrooms.)
- Tôi đợi ba tiếng đồng hồ. (I waited for three hours.)
Numeral (Third):
- Cô ấy về đích thứ ba trong cuộc đua. (She finished third in the race.)
- Phòng họp ở tầng ba. (The meeting room is on the third floor.)
"ba mặt một lời": Literally "three faces, one word". Used to describe a situation where an agreement or statement is made clearly in the presence of all relevant parties or a witness.
- Hai bên ký hợp đồng ba mặt một lời. (The two parties signed the contract with clear, witnessed terms.)
"ba chìm bảy nổi": Literally "three submersions, seven emergences". An idiom describing a life of constant hardship, instability, and ups and downs.
- Cuộc đời bà ấy ba chìm bảy nổi. (Her life has been full of turbulence and hardship.)
"ba hồn bảy vía" / "ba hồn chín vía": Literally "three souls, seven vital spirits" (for men) / "three souls, nine vital spirits" (for women). Refers to the traditional Vietnamese belief about the spiritual components of a person. Often used in expressions of fear.
- Tôi sợ ba hồn bảy vía lên mây. (I was scared out of my wits.)
- Bố (n): Father, Dad. More common in Northern Vietnam.
- Cha (n): Father. More formal or literary than "ba" or "bố".
- Thứ ba (n): Tuesday; (adj) third (in sequence).
- Ba mươi (num): Thirty.
- Ba lần (phrase): Three times.
- Bố (n): Dad, father.
- Cha (n): Father.
- Số ba (n): The number three.
- Ba hoa (v): To boast, to talk big or excessively.
- Anh ta chỉ biết ba hoa chứ không làm được việc. (He only knows how to boast but can't get the work done.)
"Ba cọc ba đồng": Literally "three stakes, three coins". Means a very small, negligible amount of money; just enough to break even with no profit.
- Làm cả tháng mà lương ba cọc ba đồng. (I worked the whole month for a pittance.)
"Ba que xỏ lá": Literally "three sticks piercing a leaf". A derogatory term for a deceitful, untrustworthy swindler or trickster.
- Đừng tin hắn, hắn là đồ ba que xỏ lá. (Don't trust him, he's a swindler.)