Signification
Asking for a small amount of sugar
Contexte culturel
Sugar is often served separately in 'cà phê đen' (black coffee) but pre-mixed in 'cà phê sữa' (milk coffee). Always check before adding more! Southerners love sweetness. If you ask for 'một ít đường', they might still give you a lot by Northern standards. The Vietnamese word for coffee (cà phê) and the habit of adding sugar/milk were heavily influenced by French colonial history. Health consciousness is rising. Many young people now say 'không đường' (no sugar) or 'ít đường' (less sugar) when ordering milk tea.
The 'Nhé' Factor
Always add 'nhé' at the end to sound 10x friendlier to locals.
Diabetes Awareness
In Vietnam, 'tiểu đường' (sugar disease) is the word for diabetes. Be careful when discussing sugar with older people.
Signification
Asking for a small amount of sugar
The 'Nhé' Factor
Always add 'nhé' at the end to sound 10x friendlier to locals.
Diabetes Awareness
In Vietnam, 'tiểu đường' (sugar disease) is the word for diabetes. Be careful when discussing sugar with older people.
Condensed Milk
Often, Vietnamese people use 'sữa đặc' (condensed milk) instead of sugar. If you want that, say 'Cho tôi một ít sữa'.
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing word to ask for sugar.
Cho tôi một ___ đường.
'Ít' is the correct quantifier for mass nouns like sugar.
Which sentence is the most polite when asking an older waiter?
Choose the best option:
Using 'Anh ơi' and 'Làm ơn' adds layers of respect and politeness.
Complete the dialogue in a cafe.
Khách: Cà phê đắng quá. Nhân viên: Dạ, để em lấy ___.
Sugar (đường) is the logical addition to bitter coffee.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: You are at a neighbor's house and need sugar for a cake.
Using 'xin' and 'nhé' is appropriate for the friendly neighbor context.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesCho tôi một ___ đường.
'Ít' is the correct quantifier for mass nouns like sugar.
Choose the best option:
Using 'Anh ơi' and 'Làm ơn' adds layers of respect and politeness.
Khách: Cà phê đắng quá. Nhân viên: Dạ, để em lấy ___.
Sugar (đường) is the logical addition to bitter coffee.
Situation: You are at a neighbor's house and need sugar for a cake.
Using 'xin' and 'nhé' is appropriate for the friendly neighbor context.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsFor a learner, it's fine. But using 'em' (if you're younger) or 'anh/chị' (if you're older) is much more natural.
Yes, they are interchangeable. 'Một chút' sounds slightly more Northern.
Say 'Cho tôi vài viên đường'. 'Viên' is the classifier for small round/square objects.
Say 'Không đường' or 'Đừng cho đường'.
Context is key. In a cafe, it's sugar. On a map, it's a road.
Usually, yes. It's kept on the table or provided upon request without extra charge.
Say 'đường nâu'.
The opposite is 'nhiều' (much/many).
Yes, just replace 'đường' with 'muối'.
It's a regional culinary preference influenced by the abundance of sugarcane in the Mekong Delta.
Expressions liées
Cho tôi một ít muối
similarGive me a little salt
Không đường
contrastNo sugar
Nhiều đường
contrastA lot of sugar
Đường phèn
specialized formRock sugar
