Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Almost; nearly: Indicates that something is very close to being complete or total, but not entirely 100%. It describes a quantity or proportion that is very large, approaching the whole.
   • Most; the majority of: Used to describe the largest part of a group or the greatest proportion of something.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Hầu hết sinh viên trong lớp đã hoàn thành bài tập. (Most students in the class have completed the homework.)
  • Công việc đã hầu hết xong. (The work is almost finished.)
  • Hầu hết thời gian, cô ấy làm việc ở nhà. (Most of the time, she works from home.)

Advanced Usage

• "Hầu hết các..." / "Hầu hết mọi...": These are common collocations meaning "most of the..." or "almost every...". They are used before plural nouns or general concepts.

  • Hầu hết các quốc gia đều tham gia hiệp ước. (Most countries participated in the treaty.)
  • Hầu hết mọi người đều đồng ý. (Almost everyone agrees.)

• "Phần hầu hết": This phrase emphasizes "the majority part". It is slightly more formal.

  • Phần hầu hết ngân sách được dành cho giáo dục. (The majority part of the budget is allocated to education.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hầu như (adv): Almost, nearly. Often used interchangeably with "hầu hết" but can feel slightly less quantitative and more qualitative (e.g., - It's almost dark).
• Phần lớn (n/adv): The larger part, mostly. Very close in meaning to "hầu hết".
• Đa số (n): Majority. Often used in formal or statistical contexts (e.g., - majority of votes).

Synonyms

• Phần lớn: The larger part, for the most part.
• Gần như tất cả: Almost all.
• Đa phần: For the most part, the greater part.

Notes on Different Meanings

The core meaning of "hầu hết" is quantitative, relating to a large proportion. It does not typically describe degree or quality in the same way "almost" can in English (e.g., "almost impossible"). For those cases, "hầu như" is more common. - Quantitative (Main use): Hầu hết táo đã bị hỏng. (Most of the apples were rotten.) - Not typically used for qualitative degree: For "The task is almost impossible," use "Công việc đó hầu như không thể."

1. almost; nearly