In Vietnamese, the verb gọi is used to express “to call”.
“To call”
The structure is basically the same as in English.
Structure
gọi + obj.
Examples
- Anh vừa gọi tôi à?You just called me, right?
- Gọi nó dậy đi.Wake him up. (lit. Call him awake.)
- Tôi đã gọi xe cứu thương.I called an ambulance.
“To be called”
In addition to “to call”, gọi can also express “to be called” without having to use the passive voice, similar to “to sell” as in “The book sells well.” in English.
Structure
Add the verb là (“to be”) after gọi.
subj. + gọi là + obj.
Examples
- Anh trai của cha gọi là bác.Father’s brothers are called uncles.
- Tại sao gọi là chuột (máy tính)?Why is it called a (computer) mouse?
- Không tồn tại cái gọi là “giải pháp hoàn hảo”.The so-called “perfect solution” doesn’t exist.
- Đây gọi là “một mũi tên trúng hai đích”.This is called “killing two birds with one stone”.