làm ơn

Vietnamese

Etymology

làm (“to do”) + ơn (恩, “favour; grace”).

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [laːm˨˩ ʔəːn˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [laːm˦˩ ʔəːŋ˧˧]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [laːm˨˩ ʔəːŋ˧˧]

Verb

to do (someone else) a favour; to do a good turn

Usage notes

Làm ơn is a common (and usually awkward) translation of English please. However, the English please is usually expressed by the use of xin, vui lòng or clause-final particles (nhé, nha, đi) in Vietnamese, even in formal context. Làm ơn is most of the time sentence-initial and only used when the speaker begging the listener urgently.

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