mấy
Definition
Interrogative pronoun:
- How many / How much: Used to ask about an indefinite, usually small, quantity or number of countable or uncountable things.
- What (in questions about time or price): Used specifically to ask "what time" or "how much (does it cost)".
Indefinite pronoun:
- A few / Several / Some: Indicates an unspecified but limited number or amount, typically small.
- Any (number of) / However many: Used to express "no matter how many" in a concessive sense, often paired with "cũng" (also).
Numeral suffix:
- -odd / -some / and some: Attached to round numbers like ten, hundred, or thousand to mean "more than that number but not much more" (e.g., ten-odd, a hundred and some).
Usage Examples
Interrogative:
- Nhà bạn có mấy người? (How many people are in your family?)
- Mấy giờ rồi? (What time is it?)
- Cái áo này giá mấy? (How much is this shirt?)
Indefinite:
- Tôi sẽ ở đây mấy ngày. (I will be here for a few days.)
- Khó mấy tôi cũng làm. (However difficult it is, I will still do it.)
Numeral suffix:
- Có mười mấy sinh viên trong lớp. (There are ten-odd students in the class.)
- Anh ấy đã đọc trăm mấy trang sách. (He has read a hundred and some pages.)
Advanced Usage
"mấy khi": How often / Rarely (used in rhetorical questions to imply "rarely").
- Mấy khi được gặp nhau? (How often do we get to meet? / We rarely meet.)
"mấy nữa": How much more / How much longer.
- Còn mấy nữa thì xong? (How much longer until it's finished?)
Variants and Related Words
- Bao nhiêu: Another interrogative word for "how many/how much," often used interchangeably with but can imply a broader or larger scope.
- Vài: Means "a few," similar to the indefinite use of , but often suggests an approximate number between two and five.
Synonyms
- How many / How much (for questions).
- A few / Several (for indefinite quantities).
- -odd / and some (as a suffix).
Related Idioms
Mấy cũng được: Any number/amount is okay; however many/much.
- Giúp được mấy cũng được, tôi cảm ơn. (However much you can help is fine, thank you.)
Mấy hồi: Used to emphasize that something took a long time or many attempts (colloquial).
- Mấy hồi tôi mới tìm thấy chìa khóa. (It took me quite a while to find the key.)