nhấn mạnh

Stress (Reporting Verb)

Level 6

Nhấn mạnh is a common verb meaning "to emphasize" or "to stress." It is widely used in everyday spoken communication, as well as formal, academic, and journalistic contexts, to ensure the audience does not overlook a critical detail. It is also the standard verb used for visual highlighting and applying phonetic stress (though the noun for phonetic stress is trọng âm).

How It Works

While its literal meaning is physical ("to press strongly"), it is primarily used figuratively to indicate emphasis in speech, writing, or reporting (e.g., dùng chữ in nghiêng để nhấn mạnh - use italics to emphasize). It is also the verb used to describe applying phonetic stress (e.g., nhấn mạnh âm tiết thứ hai - stress the second syllable), though the noun for phonetic stress itself is trọng âm.

Key Structures:

  • Nhấn mạnh + [Noun Phrase]: nhấn mạnh tầm quan trọng (emphasize the importance)
  • Nhấn mạnh (vào / đến / về) + [Noun Phrase]: nhấn mạnh (vào / đến / về) vấn đề này (put emphasis on this issue). These prepositions are optional. Dropping the preposition is slightly more direct and common in formal writing, while using vào, đến, or về is incredibly natural in both speech and writing. Note: Some learners avoid these prepositions due to English interference ("emphasize on/to/about" is wrong in English), but they are perfectly standard and interchangeable in Vietnamese.
  • Nhấn mạnh rằng / là + [Clause]: nhấn mạnh rằng/là đây là... (emphasize that this is...). Both rằng and là are correct, with là being highly frequent even in everyday speech.
  • Cần nhấn mạnh rằng / là + [Clause]: cần nhấn mạnh rằng... (it should/must be emphasized that...). This is a highly frequent fixed phrase used as a core rhetorical chunk in presentations and essays.
  • Sự nhấn mạnh (vào / đến / về) + [Noun Phrase]: sự nhấn mạnh vào chất lượng (the emphasis on quality). English speakers frequently use the noun form, which is created by adding sự before the verb.

Nuance & Comparisons:

  • Unlike khẳng định (to affirm/assert truth), nhấn mạnh simply draws special attention to a point without necessarily defending its absolute truth.
  • Unlike tập trung (to focus effort/attention), nhấn mạnh is an act of highlighting importance in speech, text, or visual design.
  • Unlike đề cao (to highly value/praise), nhấn mạnh is neutral regarding praise.

Examples (4)

  1. Ông nhấn mạnh vai trò của giáo dục trong việc phát triển đất nước.

    He stressed the role of education in developing the country.

    Word by Word: He emphasize role of education in act develop country.

    Demonstrates 'nhấn mạnh' attaching directly to a noun phrase.

  2. Tôi muốn nhấn mạnh rằng đây là quy định bắt buộc.

    I want to emphasize that this is a mandatory rule.

    Word by Word: I want emphasize that this is regulation mandatory.

    Demonstrates 'nhấn mạnh' followed by the formal complementizer 'rằng' and a clause.

  3. Giáo viên nhấn mạnh vào tầm quan trọng của việc làm bài tập đầy đủ.

    The teacher emphasized the importance of doing homework fully.

    Word by Word: Teacher emphasize into reach importance of act do exercise full.

    Demonstrates the highly natural collocation 'nhấn mạnh vào' (emphasize on/into).

  4. Thủ tướng nhấn mạnh là chúng ta cần hành động ngay lập tức.

    The Prime Minister emphasized that we need to act immediately.

    Word by Word: Prime Minister emphasize that we need act right immediately.

    Demonstrates 'nhấn mạnh' followed by 'là', which is equally correct and very common in spoken formal Vietnamese.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the verb 'nhấn mạnh' with the noun phrase 'sự nhấn mạnh' (the emphasis).

    Tác giả tạo nhấn mạnh ở đoạn cuối.
    Tác giả tạo sự nhấn mạnh ở đoạn cuối.

    'Nhấn mạnh' is a verb. To say 'create emphasis' or 'put emphasis,' you must use the noun form 'sự nhấn mạnh' (the emphasis) after verbs like 'tạo' (create).

How It Connects

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

nhấn mạnhLevel 6Stress (Reporting Verb)

Learn This First

To understand 'nhấn mạnh' (to stress/emphasize), learners need to be familiar with how Vietnamese introduces reported speech or statements using complementisers like 'rằng'. Since this is a Level 6 pattern, it assumes a grasp of formal reporting structures used in news and professional contexts.

Words in This Pattern

nhấn mạnh