lảng tai
Definitions
- Adjective:
- Hard of hearing, inattentive to listening: Describes a state of not paying attention to what is being heard, often leading to a failure to understand. It can imply a temporary or deliberate inattentiveness rather than a permanent physical hearing impairment.
- Turning a deaf ear: To ignore or refuse to listen to something intentionally.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Nó cứ lảng tai đi, không chịu nghe lời khuyên của ai. (He just turns a deaf ear and refuses to listen to anyone's advice.)
- Bà ấy hơi lảng tai nên bạn phải nói to một chút. (She is a bit hard of hearing, so you have to speak a little louder.)
- Đừng có lảng tai khi thầy giáo đang giảng bài. (Don't be inattentive when the teacher is lecturing.)
Advanced Usage
- "làm lảng tai": to pretend not to hear, to feign deafness.
- Nó biết mình sai nên làm lảng tai không trả lời. (He knew he was wrong, so he pretended not to hear and didn't answer.)
Variants and Related Words
- Điếc (adj): Deaf. Refers to a more severe or physical hearing loss.
- Lơ đãng (adj): Inattentive, absent-minded. A more general term for lack of attention, not specific to hearing.
- Không chú ý (verb phrase): To not pay attention.
Synonyms
- Giả điếc: To pretend to be deaf.
- Không nghe thấy: To not hear (can be literal or figurative).
Related Idioms
- Nước đổ đầu vịt: Literally "water poured on a duck's head," meaning advice or criticism goes in one ear and out the other, similar to being inattentive.
- Nói với nó như nước đổ đầu vịt, toàn lảng tai hết. (Talking to him is like water off a duck's back; he's completely inattentive.)