lâu ngày
Definition
- Adverbial phrase:
- For a long time / Over a long period: Indicates that a considerable amount of time has passed since an event occurred or a state began. It emphasizes the duration of the elapsed time.
Usage Examples
- Adverbial phrase:
- Lâu ngày không gặp, anh có khỏe không? (Long time no see, are you well?)
- Cái máy này lâu ngày không dùng nên bị hỏng. (This machine hasn't been used for a long time, so it's broken.)
- Lâu ngày tôi mới trở lại quê hương. (It's been a long time since I returned to my hometown.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used at the beginning of a clause to set the temporal context for the statement that follows. It can imply a sense of nostalgia, change, or consequence resulting from the passage of time.
- Lâu ngày, tình bạn đó cũng phai nhạt. (Over a long time, that friendship faded.)
Variants and Related Words
Đã lâu (adv. phrase): for a long time (often used similarly but can sound slightly more formal or literary).
- Chúng tôi đã không liên lạc đã lâu. (We haven't been in contact for a long time.)
Bấy lâu (adv. phrase): all this time, for this long (often used in reflective contexts).
- Bấy lâu nay tôi vẫn tin anh. (All this time, I have still trusted you.)
Synonyms
- For ages: a very long time (informal).
- For a long while: over an extended period.
- Over time: gradually during a long period.
Related Idioms
- Lâu ngày lâu tháng: An extended form emphasizing a very long, drawn-out period, often with a negative connotation of monotony or waiting.
- Công việc cứ lặp đi lặp lại lâu ngày lâu tháng. (The work just repeats itself month after month, year after year.)