Definition

1. Verb:
   • To fall in love with, to be smitten by: "phải lòng" describes the act of developing a strong, often sudden or irresistible, romantic affection for someone.
   • To take a fancy to: It can also imply being captivated or charmed by someone, leading to romantic feelings.

Usage

• "Phải lòng" is an intransitive verb phrase. It is often used with the preposition "với" (with) when specifying the object of affection, but can also be used directly.
• It conveys a sense of the feelings being somewhat involuntary or overwhelming.
• Common in conversational and literary Vietnamese.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy đã phải lòng cô bạn cùng lớp từ cái nhìn đầu tiên. (He fell in love with his classmate at first sight.)
  • Cô ấy sợ mình đang phải lòng người hàng xóm mới. (She is afraid she is falling for the new neighbor.)
  • Họ phải lòng nhau ngay trong buổi gặp mặt. (They fell for each other right at the meeting.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đã phải lòng": The past tense, indicating that the falling in love has already occurred.
  • Tôi biết tôi đã phải lòng cô ấy rồi. (I know I have already fallen in love with her.)
• Used to describe the initial, powerful stage of attraction or love, often with a poetic or dramatic nuance.

Variants and Related Words

• Yêu (v): To love. A more general and common term for love.
  • Yêu is a broader term for love, while phải lòng specifically describes the act of falling in love.
• Mê (v): To be infatuated with, to be crazy about.
  • Can be stronger and sometimes implies obsession, not necessarily romantic.
• Cảm nắng (v, colloquial): To have a crush on.
  • A very modern and casual synonym for phải lòng.

Synonyms

• Đem lòng yêu: To conceive a love for (more literary).
• Trót yêu: To have inadvertently fallen in love (implies the love was unintended).

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Phải lòng phải dạ: An idiom emphasizing deep, committed love where the heart ("lòng") and mind/soul ("dạ") are both engaged.
  • Tình yêu của họ là phải lòng phải dạ. (Their love is deep and sincere from heart and soul.)
• Phải lòng ai: The standard structure meaning "to fall for someone."
  • Làm sao để biết mình đã phải lòng ai? (How do you know if you've fallen for someone?)

adj

1. be in love with
   • phải lòng cô bạn gái
     to be in love with the girl friend