mấy

See also: Appendix:Variations of "may"

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

  • (Internet slang, text messaging) mí

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *ɓǝlʔ.

Pronunciation

  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [məj˧˦]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [məj˨˩˦]
  • (Saigon) IPA(key): [məj˦˥]
  • Audio (Hà Nội):(file)

Determiner

mấy • (𠇍)

  1. some, an indefinite quantity greater than one
    • 1986, Anh Đức, Đứa con của đất, 2nd edition, Ho Chi Minh City: Nhà xuất bản Văn Nghệ, published 1987, page 311:
      Mấy anh ơi, cứu tụi em !
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

  • Colloquially, mấy often replaces những and các as plural marker in many situations, but in formal writing, it rarely ever takes that role.
  • Plural marking is not always grammatically required in Vietnamese like in many Indo-European languages and can be omitted in many situations.
  • Sometimes deliberately spelled mí to convey informality on the Internet although the word is rarely (if ever) pronounced as such in real life.

Adverb

mấy • (𠇍)

  1. how much, how many
    Mấy giờ rồi?
    What time is it now?

See also

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