xẵng giọng
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To speak in a sharp, curt, or abrupt tone: To raise one's voice or alter one's speech to sound harsh, irritated, or impatient, often in response to annoyance or to assert authority.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Nghe câu hỏi ngây thơ, bà ấy liền xẵng giọng. (Hearing the naive question, she immediately spoke sharply.)
- Đừng có xẵng giọng với mẹ! (Don't you use that tone with your mother!)
- Anh ấy trả lời xẵng giọng vì đang bực mình. (He answered curtly because he was upset.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often describes a sudden change in tone during speech, indicating a loss of patience or a deliberate show of displeasure. It is more about the quality (harsh, cutting) than merely the volume of the voice.
Variants and Related Words
- Cáu gắt (v): to be irritable or snappish.
- Ông ấy dễ cáu gắt khi mệt. (He gets snappish easily when tired.)
- Quát (v): to yell or bark at someone.
- Bố quát lên bảo im lặng. (Dad yelled to tell them to be quiet.)
Synonyms
- To snap (at someone): to speak abruptly and irritably.
- To speak curtly: to reply in a brief, dismissive, and potentially rude manner.
- To use a sharp tone: to employ a harsh, cutting vocal quality.
Related Idioms
- Nổi nóng: to lose one's temper.
- Anh đừng nổi nóng vì chuyện nhỏ. (Don't lose your temper over a small matter.)
- Lên giọng: to raise one's voice (often in a lecturing or authoritative way).
- Bà giáo lên giọng khiển trách. (The teacher raised her voice in reprimand.)