How many words are in this list?

This page gives 100 Vietnamese words on “Core verbs”. The full topic holds 246 in the KoKo app: 98 at the easy level, 86 at the medium level and 62 at the hard level.

Which words should I start with?

With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.

How can I remember this Vietnamese vocabulary?

By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Vietnamese vocabulary: basic verbs

To be, to have, to go, to do, to want: the basic Vietnamese verbs, the ones found in almost every sentence.

Here are 100 Vietnamese words on “Core verbs”, translated into English and sorted from easiest to hardest.

Level 1: easy 40 words

Vietnamese	English
thêm	to add
trả lời	to answer
quen biết	to be familiar withBe familiar with someone or something
trở thành	to becomeChange from one state to another
xây dựng	to build
mua	to buy
gọi	to call
mang	to carryHave on you, carry around
đến	to come
quay lại	to come back
tạo ra	to create
chết	to die
vào	to enter
giải thích	to explain
hoàn thành	to finish
về nhà	to go home
đi lên	to go up
tìm	to look for
đánh mất	to lose
gặp	to meet
mở	to open
đi qua	to pass
chơi	to play
ngăn cản	to prevent
bảo vệ	to protect
kéo	to pull
đọc	to read
nhận	to receive
nói	to say
phục vụ	to serve
chia sẻ	to share
mỉm cười	to smile
bắt đầu	to start
dừng	to stop
sử dụng	to use
chờ	to waitBe patient, let time pass
muốn	to want
tự hỏi	to wonder
làm việc	to work
viết	to write

Level 2: medium 35 words

Vietnamese	English
chấp nhận	to accept
tấn công	to attack
cần	to be necessary
làm vỡ	to break
mang đến	to bringBring something towards the speaker
thú nhận	to confess
băng qua	to cross
khóc	to cry
quyết định	to decide
phá huỷ	to destroy
biến mất	to disappear
cảm thấy	to feelPerceive a physical sensation or an emotion
đánh nhau	to fight
dậy	to get up
đi xuống	to go down
tưởng tượng	to imagine
nhảy	to jump
yêu	to love
cử động	to move
để ý	to notice
đề nghị	to offer
tổ chức	to organise
loại bỏ	to remove
sửa chữa	to repair
thay thế	to replace
nghỉ ngơi	to rest
chạy	to run
thành công	to succeed
ủng hộ	to support
kể	to tellNarrate, tell a story
vứt bỏ	to throw away
chạm	to touch
đi bộ	to walk
rút ra	to withdraw
ghi chép	to write down

Level 3: hard 25 words

Vietnamese	English
van xin	to beg
thuộc về	to belong
bắt	to catch
tán gẫu	to chat
làm sạch	to clean
chỉ trích	to criticise
đòi hỏi	to demand
phụ thuộc	to depend
chia	to divide
làm rỗng	to empty
ước tính	to estimate
thất bại	to fail
ép buộc	to force
tập hợp	to gather
mặc quần áo	to get dressed
ở	to live in
nhặt	to pick up
lên kế hoạch	to plan
thích hơn	to prefer
ngồi xuống	to sit down
siết chặt	to squeeze
bật	to switch on
dẫn theo	to take alongTake someone along with you
đe doạ	to threaten
thì thầm	to whisper

Mini quiz

5 words from this page, picked at random. Find their translation.

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in this list?: This page gives 100 Vietnamese words on “Core verbs”. The full topic holds 246 in the KoKo app: 98 at the easy level, 86 at the medium level and 62 at the hard level.
Which words should I start with?: With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.
How can I remember this Vietnamese vocabulary?: By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.