Definition

1. Verb:
   • To speak in an incomprehensible language: To talk in a way that sounds like a foreign or unfamiliar language to the listener, often characterized by rapid, low, or indistinct sounds.
   • To chatter or babble unintelligibly: To talk rapidly and continuously in a manner that is difficult for others to understand or follow.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hai du khách nước ngoài ngồi xì xồ với nhau ở góc quán cà phê. (The two foreign tourists sat chattering unintelligibly to each other in the corner of the coffee shop.)
  • Đừng có xì xồ gì ở đằng kia, nói to lên để mọi người cùng nghe. (Stop babbling over there; speak up so everyone can hear.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a slight nuance of the speech being secretive, foreign, or annoyingly indistinct from the perspective of the listener who cannot understand it.

Variants and Related Words

• Thì thầm (v): to whisper. This implies speaking very softly but not necessarily in an incomprehensible language.
  • Họ thì thầm để không ai nghe thấy bí mật. (They whispered so no one would hear the secret.)

Synonyms

• Babble: to talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way.
• Chatter: to talk quickly, incessantly, and often trivially.
• Jabber: to talk rapidly and excitedly but with little sense.

Related Idioms

• Nói xì xồ bô lô ba la: To speak in a rapid, nonsensical, or gibberish-like manner. This idiom emphasizes complete lack of understanding.
  • Đứa trẻ mới học nói cứ nói xì xồ bô lô ba la. (The toddler just learning to talk keeps babbling gibberish.)