may mà
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adverbial phrase:
- Luckily; fortunately: "may mà" expresses relief that a potentially negative situation was avoided or had a positive outcome. It introduces a fortunate circumstance that prevented something bad from happening.
Usage
- "May mà" is used at the beginning of a sentence or clause to state a fortunate condition or event. It is followed by the description of the positive outcome or the avoided negative consequence.
- It is a common spoken phrase used to express gratitude for a stroke of luck.
Usage Examples
- Adverbial phrase:
- May mà tôi mang theo ô. (Luckily, I brought an umbrella.)
- May mà anh ấy đến kịp giờ. (Fortunately, he arrived on time.)
- Ngã xe đạp, may mà không bị thương. (I fell off my bike; luckily, I wasn't hurt.)
Advanced Usage
- "May mà... chứ không thì...": Luckily... otherwise... (Used to contrast the fortunate event with the negative consequence that was avoided).
- May mà trời mưa nhỏ chứ không thì lễ hội đã bị hủy. (Luckily it was only a light rain, otherwise the festival would have been canceled.)
Variants and Related Words
- May: (n) luck, fortune.
- Anh ấy có may mắn. (He has good luck.)
- May mắn: (adj) lucky, fortunate.
- Cô ấy là một người may mắn. (She is a lucky person.)
- Thật may: An exclamatory phrase meaning "How lucky!" or "What luck!".
- Thật may là chúng ta đã tìm thấy chìa khóa! (What luck that we found the key!)
Synonyms
- May thay: (adverbial phrase) Luckily; fortunately. (Slightly more literary or formal than "may mà").
- Thật may mắn là: (phrase) It's very fortunate that...
- Hên là: (adverbial phrase, informal/slang) Luckily. (Common in Southern Vietnamese speech).
Related Phrases
- May quá!: An exclamation meaning "Thank goodness!" or "Lucky!".
- May quá! Tàu vừa mới đến. (Thank goodness! The train just arrived.)
Related Idioms
- "May mà có phúc": Literally "Luckily, there is blessing/grace". Used to express that a fortunate outcome is due to accumulated good fortune or virtue.
- Tai nạn kinh khủng vậy mà sống sót, may mà có phúc. (To survive such a terrible accident, it must be due to good fortune/blessing.)
- luckily; fortunetely