lắp bắp
Definition
- Verb:
- To stammer; to stutter: To speak with involuntary pauses or repetitions, often due to nervousness, excitement, or a speech impediment, resulting in unclear or broken speech.
- To mumble; to babble: To speak in a low, hesitant, or confused way, making the words difficult to understand.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cậu bé lắp bắp khi bị cô giáo hỏi. (The boy stammered when the teacher asked him.)
- Cô ấy lắp bắp vài lời tạm biệt rồi vội vã rời đi. (She mumbled a few words of goodbye and hurried away.)
- Anh ấy trả lời một cách lắp bắp vì quá hồi hộp. (He answered in a stammer because he was so nervous.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often reduplicated for emphasis as "lắp ba lắp bắp", which intensifies the meaning of speaking in a severely broken, hesitant manner.
- Ông cụ lắp ba lắp bắp kể lại câu chuyện. (The old man haltingly and stammeringly recounted the story.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lắp bắp is primarily used as a verb. There is no direct noun form; the concept is expressed with the verb itself (e.g., "nói lắp bắp" - to speak stammeringly).
Synonyms
- Stammer/Stutter: To speak with sudden, involuntary pauses.
- Mumble: To speak quietly and indistinctly.
- Babble: To talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish or excited way.
- Falter: To speak in a hesitant or unsteady voice.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Nói lắp bắp: This is the standard phrase meaning "to stammer while speaking."
- Cô ấy nói lắp bắp khi đứng trước đám đông. (She spoke stammeringly when standing in front of the crowd.)