thì có

Vietnamese

Etymology

thì (“reluctantly”) +‎ có (“to have”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰi˨˩ kɔ˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰɪj˦˩ kɔ˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tʰɪj˨˩ kɔ˦˥]

Adverb

thì có

1. (literal) Used to indicate acknowledgement, yet with somewhat negative notion: maybe

   Học thì có học đấy, mà bị cái chơi lấn át rồi. ― You maybe indeed catch on what your teacher said, yet you'll soon forget when you're playing a lot like that.

2. (colloquial) Used to express one's denial of others' statements: otherwise

   Giàu gì đâu, có mà nghèo rớt mùng tơi thì có ― I'm not rich, and I'm very much broke otherwise.