hôm qua

Vietnamese

Etymology

hôm (“day”) +‎ qua (“past”).

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hom˧˧ kwaː˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [hom˧˧ kwaː˧˧]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [hom˧˧ waː˧˧]
(quick, colloquial speech) IPA^(key): [(m̩˧).kwaː˧˧ ~ (m̩˧).waː˧˧]

Noun

yesterday
- (Can we date this quote?), “Đi học [Going to School]”, Hoàng Minh Chính (lyrics), Bùi Đình Thảo (music):
  Hôm qua em tới trường,
  Mẹ dắt tay từng bước ớ ơ.
  Hôm nay mẹ lên nương,
  Một mình em đến lớp.
  Yesterday, as I was on my way to school
  Mom was holding my hand the whole time.
  Today, Mom goes to work on the terrace,
  I go to school on my own.

Usage notes

In fast and informal speech, hôm is often reduced to a barely audible syllabic nasal or completely elided, so that only qua can be heard. Similar phenomenon can also be seen with hôm nay (“today”).