Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Vietnamese vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
You will start with everyday Vietnamese words like the food (thức ăn), the drink (đồ uống), the cup (cái cốc) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Vietnamese | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | thức ăn | The food is delicious. Thức ăn rất ngon. |
| the drink | đồ uống | I want a drink. Tôi muốn một đồ uống. |
| the cup | cái cốc | The cup is full. Cái cốc đã đầy. |
| the bottle | chai nước | The bottle is empty. Cái chai đang trống rỗng. |
| the plate | cái đĩa | The plate is clean. Cái đĩa rất sạch. |
| the spoon | cái thìa | I use a spoon. Tôi dùng một cái thìa. |
| the fork | cái nĩa | I eat with a fork. Tôi ăn bằng nĩa. |
| the knife | con dao | The knife is sharp. Con dao rất sắc. |
| the breakfast | bữa sáng | I eat breakfast. Tôi ăn sáng. |
| the lunch | bữa trưa | We have lunch at noon. Chúng tôi ăn trưa vào buổi trưa. |
| the dinner | bữa tối | They eat dinner together. Họ ăn tối cùng nhau. |
| the bread | bánh mì | I buy bread. Tôi mua bánh mì. |
| the butter | bơ | I put butter on the bread. Tôi phết bơ lên bánh mì. |
| the cheese | pho mát | I eat cheese. Tôi ăn pho mát. |
| the milk | sữa | I drink milk. Tôi uống sữa. |
| the coffee | cà phê | I drink coffee in the morning. Tôi uống cà phê vào buổi sáng. |
| the tea | trà | I like tea. Tôi thích trà. |
| the juice | nước ép | I drink juice. Tôi uống nước ép. |
| the soda | nước ngọt | I drink soda. Tôi uống nước ngọt. |
| the rice | cơm | I eat rice. Tôi ăn cơm. |
The 100 most important Vietnamese words →
The 100 most important Vietnamese verbs →
| to borrow | mượn |
| to buy | mua |
| to clean | lau dọn |
| to close | đóng |
| to cook | nấu ăn |
| to do | làm |
| to drink | uống |
| to eat | ăn |
| to find | tìm |
| to get | nhận |
| She is my friend | Cô ấy là bạn của tôi |
| They have fun together | Họ vui vẻ cùng nhau |
| We eat lunch together | Chúng tôi ăn trưa cùng nhau |
| She smiles a lot | Cô ấy cười rất nhiều |
| He tells funny jokes | Anh ấy kể chuyện cười |
| I visit my friends | Tôi thăm bạn bè |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Vietnamese vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.