Vietnamese phrase
How to say “to gossip, chat idly” in Vietnamese
“to gossip, chat idly” in Vietnamese is
tám chuyện
Hear it in both accents
Vietnamese sounds noticeably different north to south. Both are recorded so you can match wherever you are.
Northern
Hanoi and the north
Southern
Saigon and the south
Used in a sentence
Chúng mình ra ngoài tám chuyện một chút đi.
Let's go outside and chat for a bit.
Northern
Hanoi and the north
Southern
Saigon and the south
Worth knowing
Word by word: tám (eight/gossip) + chuyện (story/matter)
North vs south: In Northern Vietnam, 'buôn chuyện' is more commonly used for gossiping.
When you would use it
This line comes from the Office Slang Part 1: Workplace Survival situation pack in XinChao (Beginner) — the moments you actually run into in Việt Nam, not textbook drills.
See the survival packsRelated phrases
- À hiểu rồi. Cố lên nhé! Lần sau đi với tụi mình nha.Ah, I understand. Try your best! Join us next time, okay?
- Chào bạn, đi ăn trưa không? Mọi người đang đợi.Hi friend, going for lunch? Everyone is waiting.
- Em đang OT.I'm doing overtime.
- Em đang chạy deadline gấp!I'm rushing a deadline urgently!
- trà đáiced tea (common office break drink)
- ô tê (ot)overtime (from English 'OverTime')