Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Not expect, not anticipate: Used to express that something happened contrary to what was expected or predicted. It indicates an unexpected or surprising outcome.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Tưởng trượt mười mươi, hay đâu lại đỗ. (He thought he would surely fail and did not expect to pass.)
  • Tôi tưởng anh ấy đã về nước, hay đâu vẫn còn ở đây. (I thought he had returned to his home country, but unexpectedly, he is still here.)
  • Ai ngờ trời mưa to thế, hay đâu nắng đẹp như vậy. (Who would have thought it would rain so heavily? Contrary to expectation, it's beautifully sunny.)

Advanced Usage

• "hay đâu có ngờ": A more emphatic form meaning "who would have ever expected".

  • Cứ nghĩ cuộc họp sẽ chán, hay đâu có ngờ lại rất thú vị. (I kept thinking the meeting would be boring; little did I expect it to be so interesting.)

• "hay đâu được": Can be used to express that an unexpected positive outcome was not anticipated.

  • Chỉ thử sức thôi, hay đâu được giải nhất. (I just tried my best, never expecting to win first prize.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ai ngờ: Who would have thought (a near synonym often used interchangeably).

  • Ai ngờ cô ấy là diễn viên nổi tiếng. (Who would have thought she was a famous actress?)

• Không ngờ: Did not expect (a more direct phrase for "unexpectedly").

  • Tôi không ngờ gặp lại bạn ở đây. (I did not expect to meet you here.)

Synonyms

• Bất ngờ: Unexpectedly, surprisingly.
• Ngoài dự đoán: Beyond prediction/expectation.

Related Phrases

• Trái với dự tính: Contrary to plan/expectation.
  • Mọi việc diễn ra trái với dự tính. (Everything happened contrary to expectation.)

Related Idioms

• "Đời không như là mơ": Life is not like a dream (i.e., things often turn out differently than expected). This idiom shares the thematic idea of unexpected outcomes.
  • Muốn thành công phải cố gắng, đời không như là mơ đâu. (To succeed, you must try hard; life doesn't go as you dream.)

1. Do not expect
   • Tưởng trượt mười mươi, hay đâu lại đỗ
     he though he