hôm qua
Vietnamese
Etymology
hôm (“day”) + qua (“past”).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [hom˧˧ kwaː˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [hom˧˧ kwaː˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [hom˧˧ waː˧˧]
- (quick, colloquial speech) IPA(key): [(m̩˧).kwaː˧˧ ~ (m̩˧).waː˧˧]
Noun
hôm qua
- yesterday
- (Can we date this quote?), Hoàng Minh Chính (lyrics), Bùi Đình Thảo (music), “Đi học [Going to School]”:
- 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.
- Yesterday, as I was on my way to school
-
Usage notes
- In fast and informal speech, hôm is often reduced to a barely audible syllablic nasal or completely eclipsed, so that only qua can be heard. Similar phenomenon can also be seen with hôm nay (“today”).