Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To sign a paper (certifying or stating something): The primary meaning refers to the act of formally signing a document to certify, acknowledge, or record an agreement, transaction, or statement. It implies completing official paperwork.
   • To draw up/draft a document: In some contexts, it can encompass the entire process of preparing and finalizing a formal document.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Hai bên đã đồng ý và sẽ làm giấy vào ngày mai. (Both parties have agreed and will sign the papers tomorrow.)
  • Anh ấy phải làm giấy vay nợ tại ngân hàng. (He had to sign a loan agreement at the bank.)
  • Sau khi mua bán, họ đã làm giấy chuyển nhượng đất. (After the sale, they executed the land transfer deed.)

Advanced Usage

• "làm giấy tờ": This is a common extended form emphasizing the administrative or bureaucratic aspect of handling documents.
  • Việc làm giấy tờ nhập học khá phức tạp. (The paperwork for school enrollment is quite complicated.)
• The phrase often implies a formal, legal, or financial context, moving beyond a simple signature to the act of formalizing an agreement.

Variants and Related Words

• Giấy tờ (n): Papers, documents.
  • Anh đã mang đủ giấy tờ chưa? (Have you brought all the documents?)
• Ký giấy (v): To sign papers. This is a more direct synonym for the signing action within "làm giấy".
  • Họ đã ký giấy kết hôn. (They signed the marriage certificate.)
• Thủ tục giấy tờ (n): Paperwork, formal procedures.
  • Thủ tục giấy tờ mua nhà rất nhiều. (The paperwork for buying a house is extensive.)

Synonyms

• Ký kết: To sign, to conclude (an agreement). More formal.
• Hoàn tất thủ tục: To complete the procedures. Broader in scope.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Làm giấy khai sinh: To register/obtain a birth certificate.
  • Bố mẹ phải đi làm giấy khai sinh cho con. (The parents must go get a birth certificate for their child.)
• Làm giấy đăng ký kết hôn: To register a marriage.
  • Họ đã làm giấy đăng ký kết hôn tại Ủy ban nhân dân. (They registered their marriage at the People's Committee.)

Related Idioms

• Đầu voi đuôi chuột (lit: Elephant's head, mouse's tail): This idiom describes something that starts with grand promises or formalities ("làm giấy" could be part of this start) but ends insignificantly. It is conceptually related as it contrasts formal beginnings with poor outcomes.
  • Dự án đầu voi đuôi chuột, làm giấy tờ rầm rộ nhưng chẳng đi đến đâu. (The project was all talk and no action; they made a big show of the paperwork but it went nowhere.)

1. Sign a paper (certifying, stating something)
   • Làm giấy vay nợ
     To sign a paper certifying a loan (from someone)