Vietnamese 'mấy giờ' Usage (What Time)
'mấy giờ' is used to ask about a specific time, meaning "what time" or "which hour."
Quick explanation
Quick explanation
'mấy giờ' is used to ask about a specific time, meaning "what time" or "which hour."
English meanings
- What time (exact hour)
Grammar pattern
Examples
1
Bây giờ mấy giờ rồi?
What time is it now?
2
Bạn đi làm lúc mấy giờ?
What time do you go to work?
How to use it
'mấy giờ' asks about the clock time. When asking at what time something happens, people often use 'lúc mấy giờ'; to ask the current time, say 'mấy giờ rồi'.
- Used to ask about the exact hour.
- When asking about the time of an event, 'lúc mấy giờ' is commonly used.
- Do not confuse with 'bao lâu', which asks about duration.
Compared with English
Compared with English
In English, 'when' can be general or specific, but 'what time' asks for a specific hour. Similarly, Vietnamese distinguishes 'khi nào' for general time and 'mấy giờ' for exact hours.
Common mistakes
Bạn đi làm mấy giờ lúc?
Bạn đi làm lúc mấy giờ?
The phrase 'lúc mấy giờ' is the common and correct word order.
Bạn học tiếng Việt mấy giờ rồi?
Bạn học tiếng Việt bao lâu rồi?
To ask how long someone has studied, use 'bao lâu' instead of 'mấy giờ'.
Commonly confused grammar
Practice
Multiple choice
Which sentence correctly uses 'mấy giờ'?
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Multiple choice
Which sentence correctly uses 'mấy giờ'?
- Bây giờ mấy giờ rồi?
- Bạn đi làm mấy giờ lúc?
- Bạn học tiếng Việt mấy giờ rồi?
Answer: Bây giờ mấy giờ rồi?
Explanation: Used to ask about the exact time.
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: Bây giờ ____ rồi?
Show answer
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: Bây giờ ____ rồi?
Answer: Bây giờ mấy giờ rồi?
Explanation: Asking for the current time.
English to Vietnamese
Translate "What time is it now?" into Vietnamese.
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English to Vietnamese
Translate "What time is it now?" into Vietnamese.
Answer: Bây giờ mấy giờ rồi?
Explanation: Use mấy giờ in the same structure as the example.
True or false
The position of 'mấy giờ' can be placed exactly like English question words at the sentence start.
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True or false
The position of 'mấy giờ' can be placed exactly like English question words at the sentence start.
Answer: False
Explanation: Vietnamese question words often remain in their original grammatical position, especially words like ai, gì, đâu, bao lâu.
Correction
Correct this sentence: Bạn đi làm mấy giờ lúc?
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Correction
Correct this sentence: Bạn đi làm mấy giờ lúc?
Answer: Bạn đi làm lúc mấy giờ?
Explanation: The phrase 'lúc mấy giờ' is the standard word order.