1000 Words

Learn Vietnamese – start with the 1000 most important words

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 native-speaker 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.

A taste: Vietnamese vocabulary with example sentences

EnglishVietnameseExample sentence
the applequả táoI eat the apple.
Tôi ăn quả táo.
the bookquyển sáchShe reads the book.
Cô ấy đọc quyển sách.
the catcon mèoThe cat is sleeping.
Con mèo đang ngủ.
the dogcon chóThe dog is barking.
Con chó đang sủa.
the carxe hơiHe drives the car.
Anh ấy lái xe hơi.
the housengôi nhàWe live in a house.
Chúng tôi sống trong một ngôi nhà.
the chaircái ghếShe sits on the chair.
Cô ấy ngồi trên ghế.
the tablecái bànPut the book on the table.
Đặt quyển sách lên bàn.
the windowcửa sổOpen the window.
Mở cửa sổ ra.
the doorcánh cửaClose the door.
Đóng cửa lại.
the pencilbút chìI write with the pencil.
Tôi viết bằng bút chì.
the papertờ giấyThe paper is on the table.
Tờ giấy ở trên bàn.
the schooltrường họcThe school is big.
Trường học rất lớn.
the teachergiáo viênThe teacher teaches math.
Giáo viên dạy môn toán.
the studenthọc sinhThe student is studying.
Học sinh đang học bài.
the boycậu béThe boy is playing.
Cậu bé đang chơi.
the girlcô béThe girl is singing.
Cô bé đang hát.
the adultngười lớnThe adult is working.
Người lớn đang làm việc.
the friendngười bạnMy friend is here.
Bạn của tôi ở đây.
the treecái câyThe tree is tall.
Cái cây rất cao.

The 100 most important Vietnamese words →

Essential Vietnamese verbs & adjectives

to acceptchấp nhận
to addthêm
to agreeđồng ý
to allowcho phép
to askhỏi
to believetin tưởng
to borrowmượn
to breaklàm vỡ
to bringmang theo
to buildxây dựng

Vietnamese sentences for beginners

I like applesTôi thích táo
She is my friendCô ấy là bạn của tôi
It is a sunny dayĐó là một ngày nắng
He runs fastAnh ấy chạy nhanh
We are happyChúng tôi hạnh phúc
They play soccerHọ chơi bóng đá

How you learn Vietnamese with 1000 Words

🎬 Learning videos

Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.

🎧 Audiobooks

All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for learning while you sleep.

📖 Ebooks & PDFs

All words and sentences to look up and read offline.

🧠 Vocabulary trainer

Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.

✨ AI stories

Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.

📴 Offline mode

Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.

Frequently asked questions

How many words do I need to understand Vietnamese?

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.

Does learning Vietnamese while sleeping really work?

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.

Is 1000 Words free?

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.

Who is 1000 Words for?

For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Vietnamese vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with native-speaker audio.

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