Vietnamese 'mà' Usage (But / Though / You know)
'mà' is frequently used to express mild contrast ('but', 'though') or as a sentence-final particle indicating reminder, explanation, or emphasis, essential for learners.
Quick explanation
Quick explanation
'mà' is frequently used to express mild contrast ('but', 'though') or as a sentence-final particle indicating reminder, explanation, or emphasis, essential for learners.
English meanings
- But
- Though
- You know
Grammar pattern
Examples
1
Anh ấy thông minh mà lười.
He is smart but lazy.
2
Tôi đã nói rồi mà.
I already told you, you know.
How to use it
'mà' is a high-frequency functional word that can indicate mild contrast ('but', 'though') within a sentence, or appear at sentence end as a particle conveying reminder, justification, or a 'you know' tone.
- Within a sentence, 'mà' signals contrast between clauses.
- At sentence end, 'mà' often conveys a reminding or justifying tone.
- Do not translate all 'mà' as 'but'.
Compared with English
Compared with English
Learners often translate all 'mà' as 'but', but Vietnamese 'mà' covers a wider range: it connects contrasts and also functions as a sentence-final particle for tone.
Common mistakes
Tôi đã nói rồi nhưng.
Tôi đã nói rồi mà.
Use 'mà' at sentence end for reminding tone, not 'nhưng'.
Anh ấy thông minh nhưng lười.
Anh ấy thông minh mà lười.
'mà' here expresses a closer, more natural contrast than 'nhưng'.
Commonly confused grammar
Practice
Multiple choice
What tone does sentence-final 'mà' usually convey?
Show answer
Multiple choice
What tone does sentence-final 'mà' usually convey?
- Reminder or justification
- Quantity correspondence
- Formal purpose
Answer: Reminder or justification
Explanation: Sentence-final 'mà' is similar to 'you know' or 'didn't I say' tone.
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: Anh ấy thông minh ____ lười.
Show answer
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: Anh ấy thông minh ____ lười.
Answer: Anh ấy thông minh mà lười.
Explanation: 'mà' within a sentence signals contrast.
English to Vietnamese
Translate "He is smart but lazy." into Vietnamese.
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English to Vietnamese
Translate "He is smart but lazy." into Vietnamese.
Answer: Anh ấy thông minh mà lười.
Explanation: Use mà in the same structure as the example.
True or false
Is this sentence correct? 'Tôi đã nói rồi nhưng.'
Show answer
True or false
Is this sentence correct? 'Tôi đã nói rồi nhưng.'
Answer: False
Explanation: Use 'mà' at sentence end for reminding tone, not 'nhưng'.
Correction
Correct this sentence: 'Tôi đã nói rồi nhưng.'
Show answer
Correction
Correct this sentence: 'Tôi đã nói rồi nhưng.'
Answer: Tôi đã nói rồi mà.
Explanation: Sentence-final tone uses 'mà', not 'nhưng'.