nấn ná
Definition
- Verb:
- To linger: To stay in a place longer than necessary, often due to hesitation, reluctance to leave, or a desire to wait for something.
- To dawdle / to tarry: To delay leaving or to move slowly, typically because one is unwilling to depart.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cô ấy nấn ná ở quán cà phê, hy vọng sẽ gặp lại anh. (She lingered at the coffee shop, hoping to see him again.)
- Đã đến giờ về nhưng các em nhỏ vẫn nấn ná trên sân chơi. (It was time to go home, but the children still dawdled on the playground.)
- Anh ấy nấn ná thêm vài phút để chờ tin nhắn. (He tarried a few more minutes to wait for a message.)
Advanced Usage
- The verb "nấn ná" often carries a nuance of emotional hesitation or hopeful waiting, not just simple delay. It implies a psychological state of being torn between leaving and staying.
Variants and Related Words
- Do dự (v): to hesitate, to be indecisive. (This focuses more on the indecision itself, while focuses on the resulting action of staying.)
- Lần lữa (v): to procrastinate, to delay action. (This often implies putting off a task, while implies putting off departure.)
Synonyms
- Linger: To remain in a place longer than usual.
- Dawdle: To waste time; to be slow.
- Tarry: To delay or be slow in going.
- Hesitate (to leave): To pause before departing.
Related Idioms
- Nấn ná lưu luyến: To linger with attachment or nostalgia.
- Cô gái nấn ná lưu luyến không rời khung cảnh cũ. (The girl lingered with nostalgia, unwilling to leave the old scene.)