nghe nói

I Hear That

Level 3

Nghe nói means "I heard that" or "word is." It is used to share information you learned from someone else, acting as a hedge so you don't sound like the original source.

How It Works

Nghe nói is an incredibly common and versatile pattern in everyday Vietnamese. By using it, you soften your statement and signal that you aren't fully committing to the absolute truth of the information.

Structure:
([Subject]) + nghe nói + (là/rằng) + [Clause]

Fixed Phrases:
The phrase Nghe nói vậy thôi or Nghe nói thế thôi (That's just what I heard / So I've been told) is highly common to distance the speaker from the truthfulness of the statement. To express agreement with hearsay, you can use the core conversational response Tôi cũng nghe nói vậy or Tôi cũng nghe nói thế (I heard so too).

Synonyms and Negation:

  • Nghe bảo: A very common colloquial synonym for nghe nói used in casual, everyday speech, though it leans slightly more Northern. Nghe nói itself is universally used across Northern, Central, and Southern dialects.
  • Nghe đâu: I heard somewhere that... / Word is...
  • Nghe người ta nói: Hear people say.
  • Chưa nghe nói vs. Không nghe nói: To say you haven't heard something yet or before, use chưa (not yet). If you mean you didn't hear about a specific instance or weren't told, use không (not).

Using with Nouns:
To say you heard about someone or something, add the prepositions về or đến before the noun phrase (e.g., nghe nói về or nghe nói đến).

Key Distinctions:

  • Nghe nói vs. Nghe đồn: Nghe nói is neutral hearsay. Nghe đồn implies unverified gossip or rumors.
  • Nghe nói vs. Nghe thấy: Nghe thấy means you physically heard a sound with your own ears. Nghe nói means you received news or information.
  • Nghe nói vs. hình như: Hình như (it seems) is a personal guess based on observation, while nghe nói relies entirely on what others have told you.

Register and Tone:
In casual speech, use the bare phrase nghe nói or nghe nói là. In formal, literary, or journalistic contexts, adding rằng (nghe nói rằng) elevates the tone.

Literal Meaning:
While primarily used for hearsay, nghe nói is also the literal term for "listening and speaking" in educational contexts. For example, you might see kỹ năng nghe nói (listening and speaking skills) or lớp nghe nói (listening and speaking class).

Examples (5)

  1. Nghe nói quán cà phê mới ngon lắm.

    I heard the new coffee shop is really good.

    Word by Word: Hear speak shop coffee new delicious very.

    Placed at the absolute beginning of the sentence, this is the most common way to introduce hearsay.

  2. Tôi nghe nói anh ấy sắp chuyển đi thành phố khác.

    I heard that he is about to move to another city.

    Word by Word: I hear speak older brother that about to move go city other.

    Placed immediately after the subject 'tôi' (I).

  3. Nghe nói là cô ấy làm mười sáu tiếng một ngày.

    I heard she works sixteen hours a day.

    Word by Word: Hear speak that aunt that do sixteen hour one day.

    Using the complementizer 'là' makes the transition into the reported clause smooth and natural for everyday speech.

  4. Giám đốc nghe nói rằng dự án đã bị hủy.

    The director heard that the project was cancelled.

    Word by Word: Director hear speak that project already suffer cancel.

    Using 'rằng' elevates the register, making it suitable for formal or professional contexts.

  5. Tôi có nghe nói về chuyện đó.

    I have heard about that matter.

    Word by Word: I have hear speak about matter that.

    When the object is a noun phrase rather than a full clause, use 'về' or 'đến' to mean 'heard about'.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting 'nói' and just using 'nghe' to mean 'I heard that [clause]'.

    Tôi nghe anh ấy chuyển nhà.
    Tôi nghe nói anh ấy chuyển nhà.

    English speakers often translate 'I heard' literally using only the verb nghe (to listen/perceive sound). To report news or hearsay, the usual phrase is nghe nói (also nghe bảo or nghe đồn).

  • Adding 'đã' when it is not needed.

    Tôi đã nghe nói quán này ngon.
    Tôi nghe nói quán này ngon.

    'Tôi đã nghe nói quán này ngon' is natural. The bare form nghe nói already conveys 'I heard' by itself, so đã is optional. It adds emphasis that the hearing happened before now.

  • Confusing the hearsay pattern 'nghe nói' with the literal action of listening to someone speak.

    Hãy nghe nói tôi!
    Hãy nghe tôi nói!

    To say 'listen to me speak', you must separate the verbs with the object: nghe [Object] nói. The unbroken phrase nghe nói is strictly used for reporting hearsay ('I heard that').

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

nghe nóiLevel 3I Hear That

Learn This First

To understand 'nghe nói', learners need to be comfortable with how Vietnamese handles reported speech and hearsay. It involves combining the verbs for 'hear' and 'speak' to introduce a clause, often without a specific subject, to report information the speaker has gathered from others.

Words in This Pattern

nói