Stage 1 — Foundation
The engine. Memorize the anchor phrase, the ten core verbs, and the 15 patterns. Everything later in the kit is just vocabulary plugged into these shapes.
1. Greetings & partings
2. Apologies & courtesy
3. Yes, no, okay
4. The anchor phrase
The Language-Expectation Anchor — memorize whole
This is your first move in any interaction. It signals I’m making an effort, I don’t speak much, please be patient. It buys you goodwill before you say a single other word:
5. Global verbs (wave 1 — the critical ten)
The good news: verbs never change
Vietnamese verbs have no conjugation, no tense markers on the verb, no gender. “I eat / you eat / they eat” is the same word ăn. Time comes from a small word added around it (hôm nay = today, ngày mai = tomorrow, rồi = already/done). So you learn a verb once and it works for everyone, every tense. The table shows each with the “I” frame Tôi … — swap in any other pronoun and the verb stays identical.
| Verb | Vietnamese | Says | “I” frame | Travel function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| to be | — | (no copula) | I’m tired → Tôi mệt | State, identity, location — see the “no am/is/are” note below |
| to have | có | koh | Tôi có… (I have… / do you have…?) | Possession, “Do you have…?” |
| to go | đi | dee | Tôi đi… (I go…) | Direction, travel |
| to eat | ăn | an | Tôi ăn… (I eat…) | Ordering food |
| to drink | uống | oong | Tôi uống… (I drink…) | Ordering drinks |
| to want | muốn | mwen | Tôi muốn… (I want…) | Direct request |
| to need | cần | ken | Tôi cần… (I need…) | Urgency |
| to must | phải | phay | Tôi phải… (I have to…) | “I have to leave” |
| to understand | hiểu | hyew | Tôi (không) hiểu (I (don’t) understand) | Communication |
| to speak | nói | noy | Tôi nói… (I speak/say…) | “Do you speak English?” |
6. Patterns — the core engine
The Core Engine — 15 skeletons
These are the shapes you actually memorize. The italic pattern line under each is the reusable skeleton; the example is just one fill. Because there’s no conjugation or agreement, the skeleton never changes — you only ever swap the noun or adjective. That’s the whole trick of this kit.
7. Four words that unlock multi-sentence speech
8. Questions (pruned)
Pruned questions — the ones worth keeping
Only questions whose answer is a number, direction, yes/no, or single word make the cut. “Who is that?” and “Why is it closed?” are dropped — their answers need you to understand a name or a reason. Here are the kept question-words and frames:
| Question | Vietnamese | Says | Answer type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where…? | ở đâu | oh dow | direction / place |
| What…? | gì | zhee | a thing / a time |
| How much…? | bao nhiêu tiền | baw nyew tyen | a number |
| How many…? | bao nhiêu | baw nyew | a number |
| How long…? | bao lâu | baw law | a duration |
| When…? | khi nào | khee naw | a time |
| Which…? | cái nào | kay naw | a choice (this/that one) |
| Do you have…? | có … không? | koh … kong? | yes/no |
| Is it…? | có … không? | koh … kong? | yes/no |
| Can you…? | … được không? | … duoc kong? | yes/no |
Tone marks in 30 seconds
Six tones, marked on the vowel. You don’t need to master all six — just don’t flatten them:
| Mark | Tone | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| — (none) | ngang | flat, neutral | chào (hello) |
| ` | huyền | low, falling slightly | mê (to like) |
| ´ | sắc | rising, crisp | cảm (feel/thank) |
| ? | hỏi | dip down-up | nước (water) |
| ~ | ngã | wobbly, nasal | giá (price) |
| .` | nặng | short, low, heavy | nặng (heavy) |
Read the italic phonetic line out loud and let your pitch follow it. That’s the practice that matters before the trip.
Where the rest lives
Numbers, the full pronoun set, time words, and the remaining ~30 verbs (waves 2–4) are on the Stage 1 reference tables page. Drill the ten verbs and the 15 patterns here first — that’s the real memorization work.