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ngoài

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: ngoái, ngoải, and ngoại

Vietnamese

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Etymology

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Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese (external, foreign, SV: ngoại). Doublet of ngoại.

Pronunciation

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Preposition

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ngoài

  1. outside (of an interior or enclosed space)
    ngoài nhà/phòngoutside the house/room
    ngoài vòng trònoutside the circle
  2. out (through an opening)
    ngoài cửa (sổ)out the door/window
  3. in/at (an outdoor or external location)
    ngoài sânoutside in the yard
    ngoài bãi biểnat the beach
    bệnh ngoài daexternal (medical) conditions, as opposed to internal conditions (literally, “illnesses on the outside, on the skin”)
  4. in (a place in northern Vietnam)
    ngoài bắcsomeplace in northern Vietnam; "the north"
    ngoài Hà Nộiin Hanoi, which is to the north of where we are
  5. outside (of); except (for); other than
    Ngoài tôi ra thì không ai biết làm cả.
    I'm the only one who can do it.
    (literally, “Other than me, nobody knows how to do it.”)

Adjective

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ngoài

  1. outside; external
    bên ngoàithe outside
    người ngoàian outsider

Adverb

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ngoài

  1. out; outside
    ăn ngoàito eat out

Usage notes

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The word can carry the meaning of "outside the space that the subject is/was in", so be aware of subtle nuances in meaning when using the word. For example,

  • Họ đi ra ngoài quán rồi.

can mean either "They went to the restaurant." (if, for example, they were at home) or "They went outside the restaurant." (if, for example, they were inside the restaurant).

Derived terms

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Antonyms

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