Definition

1. Adverb (of place):

   • Nearby / close by: Refers to a location that is a short distance away from the speaker or a reference point.

2. Adverb (of time):

   • Recently / lately / not long ago: Refers to a point or period in the recent past, close to the present moment.

Usage Examples

• Adverb (of place):

  • Gần đây có một cái chợ. (There is a market nearby.)
  • Bạn tôi sống ở gần đây. (My friend lives close by.)

• Adverb (of time):

  • Gần đây tôi có gặp anh ấy. (I met him recently.)
  • Thời tiết gần đây thật lạnh. (The weather has been very cold lately.)

Advanced Usage

• The word can sometimes imply both proximity in place and time depending on context, but one meaning is usually primary.
• When used temporally, it often introduces a change or a new state of affairs.

Variants and Related Words

• Gần (adj/adv): near, close. The root word for proximity.
• Đây (pron): here. This place.

Synonyms

• Place: Nearby, close by, in the vicinity.
• Time: Recently, lately, of late, in recent times.

Related Phrases

• Dạo gần đây: These days, recently (emphasizing an ongoing recent period).
  • Dạo gần đây công việc rất bận. (Work has been very busy recently.)
• Mới đây: Just recently, a short while ago (often for a single recent event).
  • Vụ tai nạn xảy ra mới đây. (The accident happened just recently.)

adv

1. nearby
   • gần đây có một cái chợ
     there is a market nearby recently; not long ago