tán chuyện
Definition
- Verb:
- To chat / to have a chat: To engage in informal, relaxed conversation, often about everyday or lighthearted topics. The focus is on the social and leisurely aspect of talking rather than on exchanging serious information.
- To gossip / to chitchat: To talk casually, sometimes about other people's personal lives or trivial matters.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Họ ngồi quán cà phê tán chuyện cả buổi chiều. (They sat in the coffee shop chatting all afternoon.)
- Đừng chỉ ngồi đó tán chuyện, hãy bắt đầu làm việc đi. (Don't just sit there chitchatting, start working.)
- Các bà mẹ thường tán chuyện khi đón con ở trường. (Mothers often chat when picking up their children from school.)
Advanced Usage
- The word implies a prolonged, meandering, and often enjoyable conversation. It is rarely used for brief, formal, or goal-oriented discussions.
- It can have a slightly negative connotation when implying time-wasting or idle gossip.
Variants and Related Words
- Trò chuyện (v): To converse, to talk. This is a more general and neutral term for conversation.
- Buôn chuyện (v): To gossip, often with a more negative connotation of spreading rumors or talking behind someone's back.
- Tán gẫu (v): A very close synonym to "tán chuyện," meaning to chat or gossip casually.
Synonyms
- Chat: to talk in a friendly, informal way.
- Gossip: to talk about other people's private lives.
- Chitchat: to talk about unimportant things.
Related Idioms
- Tán chuyện phiếm: To engage in idle talk or chit-chat.
- Chúng tôi không bàn công việc, chỉ tán chuyện phiếm thôi. (We didn't discuss work, we just engaged in idle chat.)