Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Hard of hearing: Having reduced or diminished hearing ability; difficulty in perceiving sounds or speech clearly. This term typically describes a mild to moderate hearing impairment, not complete deafness.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông cụ ấy hơi nặng tai, nên bạn phải nói to một chút. (That old gentleman is a bit hard of hearing, so you need to speak a little louder.)
  • Bà tôi bắt đầu nặng tai từ năm ngoái. (My grandmother started becoming hard of hearing last year.)
  • Anh ấy nặng tai nên thường phải hỏi lại. (He is hard of hearing, so he often has to ask people to repeat themselves.)

Advanced Usage

• "bị nặng tai": to be/become hard of hearing. This phrasing emphasizes the condition.
  • Sau trận ốm, bà ấy bị nặng tai hơn. (After her illness, she became more hard of hearing.)
• "nặng tai điếc": This is a more emphatic or colloquial phrase combining "nặng tai" (hard of hearing) and "điếc" (deaf), often used to stress significant hearing difficulty.
  • Nói gì cũng không nghe, nặng tai điếc rồi. (He/She doesn't hear anything said, must be very hard of hearing/deaf.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lãng tai (adj): A near-synonym for "nặng tai," also meaning hard of hearing, often used interchangeably.
  • Cụ ông đã hơi lãng tai. (The old man is a bit hard of hearing.)
• Khiếm thính (adj): A more formal or clinical term for hearing-impaired.
  • Trung tâm hỗ trợ trẻ em khiếm thính. (A center supporting hearing-impaired children.)
• Điếc (adj): Deaf; having little to no functional hearing. This is a more severe condition than "nặng tai."

Synonyms

• Nghe kém: Literally "poor hearing," a descriptive synonym.
• Nghễnh ngãng: Somewhat dated or literary, meaning hard of hearing or inattentive in listening.

Related Phrases

• Nói to vào/ Nói lớn lên: To speak up/louder. This is a common instruction given when speaking to someone who is "nặng tai."
  • Bà nội nặng tai, cháu phải nói to vào. (Grandma is hard of hearing, you have to speak up.)
• Tai nghe không rõ: Ears don't hear clearly; a descriptive phrase for the condition.

adj

1. hard of hearing