The word for "you" changes with the person, so you add the one that fits who you're thanking.
| Vietnamese | English | Say it to |
|---|---|---|
| Cảm ơn bạn. | Thank you. | Someone about your age |
| Cảm ơn anh. | Thank you. | A man your age or a little older |
| Dạ, cảm ơn chị nhiều nhé. | Thank you so much. | A woman a little older, like a server |
| Cảm ơn em nhiều nha, lúc nào quán cũng chu đáo hết sức. | Thank you so much, the café is always incredibly thoughtful. | Someone younger than you |
Nhiều means "a lot", so cảm ơn chị nhiều is a bigger thank you.
| Word | Where it goes | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Dạ | At the start | A polite, respectful opener, heard often in the south |
| ạ | At the end | Shows respect to someone older, a customer or a boss |
| nhé | At the end | Makes the sentence sound warm and friendly |
| nha | At the end | The southern form of nhé |
A server in a Hanoi cafe thanks a customer with Em cảm ơn chị ạ. Em is the word the younger speaker uses for himself, and ạ adds the respect.
A Real Vietnamese Lesson
Ordering Coffee at a Cafe
Minh walked into the coffee shop.
Hello.
Hello. What would you like to drink?
Please get me a black coffee.
Certainly. Would you like ice?
No, no ice and no sugar, please.
Thảo made the coffee very quickly.
Here is your coffee, it is ready.
Thank you so much.
Level 1 of the same guide has Cảm ơn bạn and the answer Không sao, "No problem". Listen to the Hanoi server in Level 3 of our northern Vietnamese greetings guide. The best way to learn Vietnamese helps you plan what to study next.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Vietnamese. You learn from Vietnamese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes the lessons.
- The Quốc Ngữ course teaches the Vietnamese letters and tone marks from the first letter, with Northern, Central, and Southern audio.
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- Read and listen to news and stories in Vietnamese about things you care about.
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- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki as flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- A Vietnamese novel you own can't be made into a lesson. Take a photo of a page, and Poppy explains each sentence on it.
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- Regenerative Review™
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Mobile
Is Cảm Ơn the Same in the North and the South?
Mostly. Cảm ơn is the standard spelling, but many people, especially in the south, say cám ơn, with a different tone mark. Southerners also use nha, their own form of nhé, though you hear nhé in the south too.
Which Vietnamese App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Vietnamese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Vietnamese app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Bubblegum guide: Ordering Coffee and Daily Greetings in Southern Vietnamese (Levels 1, 2 and 6, with lesson notes)
- Bubblegum guide: Essential Greetings, Polite Phrases, and Ordering Food and Drinks (Northern Vietnamese, Levels 1 and 3, with lesson notes)
- Wiktionary: cảm ơn (Vietnamese)
- Wiktionary: em (Vietnamese)
