Definition

1. Verb:
   • To think mistakenly; to believe incorrectly: "ngỡ" expresses the act of holding a belief or assumption that later turns out to be false. It implies a temporary state of incorrect understanding or perception.
   • To feel as if; to seem like: "ngỡ" can also describe a sensation or experience so intense or surreal that it feels like something else, often used in poetic or emotional contexts.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Tôi ngỡ anh ấy đã về nước. (I thought he had returned to his home country.)
  • Căn phòng yên tĩnh đến ngỡ không có ai ở nhà. (The room was so quiet it seemed as if no one was home.)
  • Tôi ngỡ là cô ấy đồng ý rồi. (I believed she had already agreed.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngỡ là" / "ngỡ rằng": to think/believe that (introducing a clause expressing the mistaken thought).
  • Cậu ấy ngỡ là mình đã thua cuộc. (He thought he had lost.)
• "ngỡ như" / "ngỡ như là": to feel as if; to be just like (used for comparisons, often poetic).
  • Khoảnh khắc ấy đẹp ngỡ như trong cổ tích. (That moment was beautiful, just like in a fairy tale.)
• "ngỡ ngàng": (adjective) to be astonished, amazed, caught off guard (a common compound).
  • Cô ấy ngỡ ngàng trước vẻ đẹp của khung cảnh. (She was astonished by the beauty of the scene.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngỡ ngàng (adj): astonished, surprised. This is a fixed compound adjective derived from the feeling associated with "ngỡ".
• Lầm tưởng (v): to misunderstand, to have a mistaken belief. A near-synonym with a stronger emphasis on error.

Synonyms

• Tưởng: to think, to believe (can be neutral or mistaken, but "ngỡ" more strongly implies the belief is wrong).
• Nghĩ: to think (more general and neutral).
• Lầm tưởng: to misunderstand.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Ngỡ trong mơ": to feel as if in a dream; used to describe an unbelievably happy or beautiful experience.
  • Ngày cưới của họ hạnh phúc đến ngỡ trong mơ. (Their wedding day was so happy it felt like a dream.)
• "Mắt ngỡ tai nghe": (idiomatic) to see and hear with astonishment or disbelief.

verb

1. to think; to believe