Definition

Adverb: - Around here, round about, nearby: Indicates a location that is not far away, in the surrounding vicinity or general area. It describes something or someone being close by, often within the same neighborhood or region.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Anh ấy sống quanh quất đây thôi. (He lives around here somewhere.)
  • Tôi thấy con mèo quanh quất trong vườn nhà hàng xóm. (I saw the cat lurking around in the neighbor's garden.)
  • Có ai quanh quất ở khu vực này không? (Is anyone around in this area?)

Advanced Usage

• "quanh quất đâu đây": somewhere around here. This phrase emphasizes an indefinite but proximate location.

  • Tôi nghe tiếng trẻ con cười quanh quất đâu đây. (I hear children laughing somewhere around here.)

• "quanh quất mãi": to hang around persistently. This usage implies lingering or loitering in an area for an extended period.

  • Cậu bé cứ quanh quất mãi ở cổng trường. (The boy kept hanging around the school gate.)

Variants and Related Words

• Quanh quẩn (verb/adverb): to hang around, to linger; often with a slightly more negative connotation of being stuck in a place without purpose.

  • Nó chỉ quanh quẩn trong nhà cả ngày. (He just hangs around the house all day.)

• Quanh (preposition/adverb): around, about.

  • Chúng tôi đi quanh hồ. (We walked around the lake.)

Synonyms

• Gần đây: nearby, recently (in terms of location or time).
• Lảng vảng: to loiter, to hang around (often with a sense of aimlessness).
• Ở đâu đó gần đây: somewhere nearby.

Related Phrases

• Đi quanh quất: to wander around, to roam about a local area.
  • Bà cụ thích đi quanh quất trong làng. (The old lady likes to wander around the village.)

Related Idioms

• Quanh quất đầu làng cuối xóm: (to be) all around the village; describes someone who is always present and familiar within a small community.
  • Ông ấy là người quanh quất đầu làng cuối xóm, ai cũng biết. (He's someone who's always around the village, everyone knows him.)

1. about here, round about