Language/Vietnamese/Vocabulary/Counting-21-and-Beyond

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Vietnamese → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Numbers and Counting → Counting 21 and Beyond

Introduction

In this lesson, we will continue our journey of learning Vietnamese numbers and counting. So far, we have covered counting from one to ten and from eleven to twenty. Now, we will explore how to count beyond twenty in Vietnamese. This is an essential skill that will allow you to express larger numbers and quantities in the Vietnamese language.

Vietnamese Numbers Review

Before we dive into counting beyond twenty, let's quickly review the numbers we have learned so far. Here is a table summarizing the Vietnamese numbers from one to twenty:

Vietnamese	Pronunciation	English Translation
một	m-owt	one
hai	h-eye	two
ba	b-ah	three
bốn	b-awn	four
năm	num	five
sáu	sow	six
bảy	bye	seven
tám	tahm	eight
chín	jeen	nine
mười	m-oo-ee	ten
mười một	m-oo-ee m-owt	eleven
mười hai	m-oo-ee h-eye	twelve
mười ba	m-oo-ee b-ah	thirteen
mười bốn	m-oo-ee b-awn	fourteen
mười năm	m-oo-ee num	fifteen
mười sáu	m-oo-ee sow	sixteen
mười bảy	m-oo-ee bye	seventeen
mười tám	m-oo-ee tahm	eighteen
mười chín	m-oo-ee jeen	nineteen
hai mươi	h-eye m-oo-ee	twenty

Please take a moment to review these numbers and their pronunciations. It's important to have a solid understanding of the numbers from one to twenty before moving on to counting beyond twenty.

Counting Beyond Twenty

To count beyond twenty in Vietnamese, we use a similar pattern to English. We combine the words for the tens (twenty, thirty, forty, etc.) with the words for the ones (one, two, three, etc.). Let's take a look at some examples:

• 21 - hai mươi một (h-eye m-oo-ee m-owt)
• 22 - hai mươi hai (h-eye m-oo-ee h-eye)
• 23 - hai mươi ba (h-eye m-oo-ee b-ah)
• 30 - ba mươi (b-ah m-oo-ee)
• 40 - bốn mươi (b-awn m-oo-ee)
• 50 - năm mươi (num m-oo-ee)
• 60 - sáu mươi (sow m-oo-ee)
• 70 - bảy mươi (bye m-oo-ee)
• 80 - tám mươi (tahm m-oo-ee)
• 90 - chín mươi (jeen m-oo-ee)
• 100 - một trăm (m-owt ch-ahm)

As you can see, the pattern is quite straightforward. We start with the word for the tens, followed by the word for the ones. For example, to say 21 in Vietnamese, we say "hai mươi một" which literally translates to "two tens one".

It's important to note that when counting beyond twenty, the word for "one" (một) is used instead of "mười một" (eleven). This is to avoid confusion between "twenty-one" and "eleven".

Counting Large Numbers

Now that you understand how to count beyond twenty, let's explore how to express larger numbers in Vietnamese. To form larger numbers, we continue the pattern of combining the words for the hundreds, thousands, and so on, with the words for the tens and ones.

Here are some examples:

• 100 - một trăm (m-owt ch-ahm)
• 1000 - một nghìn (m-owt ng-een)
• 10,000 - mười nghìn (m-oo-ee ng-een)
• 100,000 - một trăm nghìn (m-owt ch-ahm ng-een)
• 1,000,000 - một triệu (m-owt tree-ow)
• 10,000,000 - mười triệu (m-oo-ee tree-ow)
• 100,000,000 - một trăm triệu (m-owt ch-ahm tree-ow)

As you can see, the pattern remains consistent as we count larger and larger numbers. It's important to practice these larger numbers to become comfortable with expressing quantities and amounts in Vietnamese.

Counting with Cardinal Numbers

In addition to the pattern we have learned for counting beyond twenty, Vietnamese also has a system of cardinal numbers that can be used for counting objects or people. Let's take a look at the cardinal numbers from one to ten:

Vietnamese	Pronunciation	English Translation
một	m-owt	one
hai	h-eye	two
ba	b-ah	three
bốn	b-awn	four
năm	num	five
sáu	sow	six
bảy	bye	seven
tám	tahm	eight
chín	jeen	nine
mười	m-oo-ee	ten

When counting objects or people, we use the cardinal numbers and follow a similar pattern to English. Here are some examples:

• one book - một quyển sách (m-owt k-ween s-ahch)
• two cats - hai con mèo (h-eye c-on me-ow)
• three chairs - ba cái ghế (b-ah c-ai g-ay)
• four houses - bốn căn nhà (b-awn c-an ny-ah)
• five cars - năm chiếc xe hơi (num chee-ehc s-eh h-oy)
• six pencils - sáu cây bút chì (sow c-ay b-oot chee)
• seven apples - bảy quả táo (bye qw-a t-ah-oh)
• eight shirts - tám cái áo (tahm c-ai ah-oh)
• nine flowers - chín bông hoa (jeen b-ong h-ah)
• ten students - mười học sinh (m-oo-ee h-awk s-ing)

By using the cardinal numbers, you can count objects, people, or any other items in Vietnamese. This will be particularly useful in everyday situations like shopping, describing quantities, or counting group members.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to count beyond twenty in Vietnamese. You can now express larger numbers and quantities with confidence. Keep practicing and reviewing the numbers we have covered in this lesson to solidify your understanding. In the next lesson, we will continue our journey of learning Vietnamese vocabulary by exploring nouns and pronouns.

Table of Contents - Vietnamese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Greetings and Introductions

• Hello and Goodbye
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Vietnamese Culture Basics

• Vietnamese Values
• Social Etiquette
• Cuisine and Dining

  ---

Numbers and Counting

• Counting 1-10
• Counting 11-20
• Counting 21 and Beyond

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns and Gender
• Pronouns and Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Holidays and Celebrations

• Tet
• Mid-Autumn Festival

  ---

Verbs and Verb Tenses

• Present Tense Verbs
• Past Tense Verbs
• Future Tense Verbs
• Modal Verbs

  ---

Food and Drink

• Vietnamese Food
• Drinks and Beverages
• Food Ordering

  ---

Arts and Entertainment

• Traditional Music
• Movie and Television

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives
• Adverbs

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Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Giving Directions

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Traditional Clothing

• Ao Dai
• Other Traditional Clothing

Other Lessons

• Parts of the Body
• Months of the year
• Drinks and Beverages
• Family Members
• Count from 1 to 10
• Geography
• Clothes
• Animal
• How to say Good Bye?

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