Definition

1. Conjunction:
   • Unless: Used to introduce the only situation in which a statement is not true or an event will not happen. It indicates an exception to a general rule or plan.

Usage Examples

• Conjunction:
  • Tuần sau sẽ lên đường, trừ phi trời mưa bão. (We will leave next week, unless there is a storm.)
  • Bệnh không qua khỏi được, trừ phi có thuốc tiên. (The illness cannot be cured, unless there is a miracle drug.)
  • Tôi sẽ đến dự tiệc, trừ phi tôi bị ốm. (I will attend the party, unless I am sick.)

Advanced Usage

• Formal and Written Context: "Trừ phi" is commonly used in both spoken and written Vietnamese, but it carries a slightly more formal or precise tone than some alternatives. It is often used to state conditions or exceptions clearly.
  • Dự án sẽ tiến hành đúng kế hoạch, trừ phi có chỉ thị mới từ ban lãnh đạo. (The project will proceed as planned, unless there is a new directive from the board.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trừ khi: Conjunction meaning "unless" or "except when." It is very similar in meaning and usage to "trừ phi" and often interchangeable.

  • Tôi không đi đâu trừ khi bạn đi cùng. (I won't go anywhere unless you go with me.)

• Nếu không thì: A phrase meaning "otherwise" or "if not," which can sometimes convey a similar conditional relationship but with a different sentence structure.

  • Chúng ta phải đi ngay, nếu không thì sẽ muộn. (We must go now, otherwise we will be late.)

Synonyms

• Unless: If not; except on the condition that.
• Except if: With the exclusion of the situation where.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Trừ phi có chuyện gì xảy ra: Unless something happens.

  • Cuộc họp vẫn diễn ra, trừ phi có chuyện gì xảy ra. (The meeting will still take place, unless something happens.)

• Trừ phi tôi nhầm: Unless I'm mistaken.

  • Đây là đường đi đúng, trừ phi tôi nhầm. (This is the right way, unless I'm mistaken.)

trạng ngữ unless