The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete — Page 3

Vocabulary

Tôi

First person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'

biết

To know or be aware of something

rằng

Conjunction meaning 'that', used in reported speech

đang

Progressive aspect marker indicating ongoing action

tích

To accumulate or gather over time

lũy

To amass or build up gradually

tội

Sin, guilt, or a wrongful act

lỗi

Fault, error, or mistake

và

Conjunction meaning 'and', linking words or phrases

đau

Pain, ache, or to feel hurt

khổ

Suffering, misery, or hardship

cho

To give; preposition meaning 'for' or 'to'

cả

Both, all, or the entirety of something

hai

The number two

chúng

Plural pronoun referring to a group, 'they' or 'us'

Nó

Third person pronoun 'it', 'he', or 'she'

đầy

Full of, filled with something

những

Plural marker for nouns indicating multiple items

trò

Trick, game, or mischievous act

quỷ quái

Devilish tricks, mischievous or wicked behavior

nhưng

Conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'

trời ơi

Exclamation expressing surprise or exasperation, 'oh my!'

là

Linking verb meaning 'to be'

con trai

A boy or son

của

Possessive particle meaning 'of' or 'belonging to'

người

Person, human being, or people

chị

Older sister or respectful term for older woman

đã

Past tense marker indicating completed action

khuất

Deceased, passed away, or out of sight

nghiệp

Karma, fate, or one's life burden

không nỡ

Unable to bring oneself to do something

đánh đòn

To spank or physically punish someone

mỗi

Each or every, referring to individual items

lần

Time, instance, or occurrence of an event

tha

To forgive, pardon, or let someone off

lương tâm

Conscience, one's inner moral sense

lại

Again, or directional particle meaning 'back'

cắn rứt

To feel gnawing guilt or remorse

trái tim

The heart, as a symbol of emotion

già nua

Old and worn out, aged

gần như

Almost, nearly, on the verge of something

tan vỡ

To shatter, break apart, or be destroyed

Thôi thì

Well then, an expression of resignation or acceptance

sinh ra

To be born into the world

từ

From, since, or originating at a point

đàn bà

Women collectively, or a woman

ngày tháng

Days and months; the passage of time

ngắn ngủi

Brief, fleeting, very short in duration

gian truân

Full of hardship, trials, and tribulations

Kinh Thánh

The Holy Bible, Christian sacred scripture

nói

To speak, say, or tell something

nghĩ

To think, consider, or reflect on something

điều

A matter, thing, or point of discussion

đúng

Correct, right, or accurate

thật

True, real, or genuinely so

Chiều

Afternoon or early evening time of day

nay

Today or now, referring to the present

sẽ

Future tense marker indicating something will happen

trốn học

To skip school, play truant

buộc phải

To be forced or obliged to do something

bắt

To catch, force, or compel someone

làm việc

To work or perform a task

vào

Into, on, or indicating entry or time

mai

Tomorrow, the day after today

để

To place; conjunction meaning 'in order to'

trừng phạt

To punish or penalize someone for wrongdoing

phương ngữ

Dialect, regional variety of a language

miền Tây Nam

The southwestern region of Vietnam

nghĩa

Meaning, definition, or significance of something

buổi chiều

The afternoon period of the day

Thật khó khăn

Truly difficult, very challenging indeed

lắm

Very, extremely, or a lot

khi

When, at the time that something occurs

thứ Bảy

Saturday, the seventh day of the week

tất cả

All, everything, or everyone together

bọn trẻ

The kids, a group of children

đều

All, each, uniformly applying to everyone

được nghỉ

To have a day off or holiday

ghét

To hate or strongly dislike something

hơn

More than, comparative particle

bất cứ

Any, whatever, used in negative or general context

gì khác

Anything else, something different

tròn

Round, complete, or fully rounded

một phần

A part or portion of something

bổn phận

Duty, obligation, or responsibility

mình

Oneself; informal first or second person pronoun

với

With, together with, or toward

hư hỏng

Spoiled, badly behaved, or corrupted

đứa

Classifier for children or young people

mất

To lose, be gone, or to pass away

quả

Indeed, truly; also classifier for round objects

cậu ta

He, that guy, informal third person male

có

To have; existence marker 'there is'

rất

Very, quite, intensifier for adjectives

vui vẻ

Cheerful, happy, in good spirits

Cậu

Informal pronoun for a young male, 'you' or 'he'

về

To return home; about, regarding something

đến

To arrive at or reach a place

nhà

House, home, or dwelling place

vừa kịp lúc

Just in time, arriving at the right moment

giúp

To help or assist someone

bé

Small, little, or young child

da màu

Person of color, non-white skin complexion

nhỏ tuổi

Young in age, of a young age

cưa

To saw wood or cut with a saw

củi

Firewood, wood used as fuel

hôm sau

The following day, the next day

chẻ

To split or chop wood

nhóm lửa

To start or kindle a fire

trước

Before, in front of, previously

bữa tối

Dinner, the evening meal

ít nhất

At least, the minimum amount or number

mặt

Face; aspect or surface of something

kể

To tell, narrate, or recount a story

cuộc phiêu lưu

An adventure, exciting journey or experience

nghe

To listen or hear something

trong

In, inside, within a space or time

ba

Three; also informal word for father

tư

Four; also means private or personal

công

Work, labor, or public/communal

Em

Younger sibling; humble first person pronoun

hay

Or; also means interesting or good

cha mẹ

Parents, father and mother together

hoàn thành

To complete or finish a task

xong

Done, finished, completed

nhặt

To pick up small objects from the ground

mảnh vụn

Scraps, fragments, or small broken pieces

vì

Because, for the reason that

trầm lặng

Quiet, reserved, introverted in nature

thói quen

Habit, routine, or regular practice

gây rắc rối

To cause trouble or create problems