Tiếng Việt · Saying Attested

tôi không biết nói tiếng Việt

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The honest opener every learner needs day one: "I can't (really) speak Vietnamese" — usually softened with "cho lắm" (not very well) and instantly forgiven.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

không thể nói tiếng Việt thành thạo

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: I do not know how to speak Vietnamese

Examples

Dạ, tôi không biết nói tiếng Việt cho lắm, anh nói chậm giúp em.Sorry, I don't speak Vietnamese very well — could you slow down for me?

Editorial example (batch 048)

Sources & notes

Headword discovered via the English Wikivoyage Vietnamese phrasebook (CC BY-SA; definition and example written independently for Idiomer). Retrieved 2026-08-05.

Topics: Everyday talk

Common questions

What does “tôi không biết nói tiếng Việt” mean?

The honest opener every learner needs day one: "I can't (really) speak Vietnamese" — usually softened with "cho lắm" (not very well) and instantly forgiven. Literally: I do not know how to speak Vietnamese

Is “tôi không biết nói tiếng Việt” formal or informal?

tôi không biết nói tiếng Việt is generally informal.

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