Definition

1. Verb:
   • To loiter; to hang about; to dawdle: To spend time somewhere, especially in public places, without a clear purpose or aim, often moving slowly from one place to another.
   • To linger; to idle: To stay in or around a place longer than necessary, typically in a relaxed, unhurried, or aimless manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nó thích la cà ở các quán cà phê. (He likes to hang about in coffee shops.)
  • Đừng la cà trên đường về nhà. (Don't loiter on the way home.)
  • Bọn trẻ la cà ở cổng trường sau giờ tan học. (The children lingered at the school gate after classes ended.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a slight nuance of wasting time or being unproductive. It can describe both a single instance of lingering and a habitual behavior.
• It is frequently used with locations like streets, shops, or cafes to imply idle presence.

Variants and Related Words

• Đi la cà (verb phrase): To go loitering; to wander about aimlessly.
  • Cuối tuần, anh ấy thường đi la cà quanh phố cổ. (On weekends, he often goes wandering around the old quarter.)

Synonyms

• Loiter: To stand or wait around idly without a clear purpose.
• Linger: To stay in a place longer than necessary.
• Dawdle: To waste time; to be slow.
• Hang around: To spend time in a place, often doing nothing specific.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• La cà quán xá: To frequent taverns or eateries; to hang around drinking establishments.

  • Ông ấy nổi tiếng là người hay la cà quán xá. (He is known as someone who often hangs around taverns.)

• Tính hay la cà: A tendency to loiter.

  • Cậu bé có tính hay la cà nên hay về nhà muộn. (The boy has a tendency to loiter, so he often comes home late.)

verb

1. to loiter; to hang about
   • đi la cà ở ngoài đường
     to loiter on the way