Definition

1. Adjective/Adverbial phrase:
   • Completely out of, entirely depleted, bone dry: Describes a state where something is completely exhausted, used up, or dried out, leaving nothing remaining. It emphasizes totality and finality.
   • Completely gone, all gone: Indicates that something has been fully consumed or has disappeared without a trace.

Usage Examples

• Adjective/Adverbial phrase:
  • Ruộng hết ráo nước rồi, phải bơm nước vào đi. (The fields are completely out of water, let's pump some into them.)
  • Xăng trong xe hết ráo rồi, không thể chạy thêm được nữa. (The car is completely out of gas, it can't run any further.)
  • Sau trận hạn hán, giếng làng đã hết ráo. (After the drought, the village well is bone dry.)
  • Tiền tiết kiệm của tôi đã hết ráo sau chuyến du lịch đó. (My savings were completely gone after that trip.)

Advanced Usage

• "hết ráo" vs. "hết": While "hết" means "to run out" or "to finish," adding "ráo" intensifies the meaning to imply a thorough, absolute depletion, often with a nuance of being dry or barren. It's a more vivid and emphatic expression.

  • Tôi hết tiền. (I'm out of money.) → A general statement.
  • Tôi hết ráo tiền. (I'm completely cleaned out of money.) → Emphasizes having absolutely zero money left.

• Used for abstract concepts: Can be applied metaphorically to abstract resources like energy, patience, or ideas.

  • Sau một ngày dài, tôi cảm thấy hết ráo năng lượng. (After a long day, I feel completely drained of energy.)
  • Nhà văn ấy đã hết ráo ý tưởng. (That writer has completely run out of ideas.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hết sạch: Completely gone, all used up. Similar in meaning but less colloquial and doesn't carry the "dryness" connotation.
• Cạn kiệt: To be exhausted, depleted (often for resources). More formal.
• Khô cạn: To dry up, to run dry (often for liquids). Literally means "dry and empty."
• Trống rỗng: Empty, void (often for containers or abstract feelings).

Synonyms

• Hoàn toàn hết: Completely finished.
• Sạch trơn: Cleaned out, not a trace left (informal).
• Kiệt quệ: Exhausted, depleted (often for strength or finances).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: As "hết ráo" is a Vietnamese adjectival phrase, it does not have direct phrasal verb equivalents. The following are English phrases conveying similar meanings.) - To run dry: To have no more liquid; to be depleted. - The well has run dry. (Cái giếng đã cạn khô.) - To be cleaned out: To have everything taken or used up. - My wallet was cleaned out. (Ví của tôi đã hết ráo tiền.)

Related Idioms

• Hết tiền hết bạc, hết cả tình thâm: (Out of money, out of silver, out of deep affection.) An idiom highlighting how financial depletion can strain relationships.
• Cạn tàu ráo máng: (The boat is empty, the water trough is dry.) A vivid idiom meaning to be completely broke or to have exhausted all resources and options. This is a very close synonym in spirit to "hết ráo."

1. Completely out of
   • Ruộng hết ráo nước rồi, phải bơm nước vào đi
     The fields are completely out of water, let's pump some into them