"Bắt đầu": how to say "let's begin" in Vietnamese

"Bắt đầu" means "to begin" or "to start" in Vietnamese. To say "let's begin!", add a friendly particle: "Bắt đầu thôi!" or "Bắt đầu nào!" On its own, a sharp "Bắt đầu!" works like "Begin!" or "Go!"

It's one of the most useful verbs in the language, because you can start almost anything with it: a class, a meal, a game, a job or a new chapter of life.

What do the two words mean?

• bắt: to catch, to grab, to seize
• đầu: head, beginning, front

Literally it's something like "catch the head" of something, grabbing the beginning. In practice, nobody thinks about the parts; "bắt đầu" just means "start".

How do you pronounce it?

• bắt: rising tone (sắc), and it's a short, clipped syllable. Roughly "bat" with a quick upward pitch, the "ă" short like the "u" in "but".
• đầu: falling tone (huyền). Roughly "dow" (rhymes with "now"), sliding down. The "đ" is a normal English "d".

Together: "BUT dow", up then down. The contrast between a short rising word and a long falling word gives it a crisp rhythm.

Ways to say "let's begin"

• Bắt đầu thôi! "Let's get started!" ("thôi" here means "let's just do it", a friendly nudge)
• Bắt đầu nào! "Here we go!" or "Let's begin!" ("nào" is an encouraging particle)
• Chúng ta bắt đầu nhé. "Let's begin, shall we?" (Northern "nhé"; polite, good for a teacher or host)
• Mình bắt đầu nha. "Let's start, okay?" (Southern "nha"; friendly)
• Bắt đầu! "Begin!" or "Go!" (a command, like a referee or a game host)

How to use "bắt đầu" in sentences

The structure is simple: subject + bắt đầu + verb or noun.

• Tôi bắt đầu học tiếng Việt. "I started learning Vietnamese."
• Phim bắt đầu lúc tám giờ. "The movie starts at eight."
• Trời bắt đầu mưa. "It's starting to rain."
• Khi nào bắt đầu? "When does it start?"

To say something has already started, add rồi: "Phim bắt đầu rồi!" ("The movie has started!"). To ask if it's started yet, use chưa: "Bắt đầu chưa?" ("Has it started yet?")

"Bắt đầu" vs similar words

• khởi đầu: a beginning, a start, more formal or literary. "Một khởi đầu mới" means "a new beginning".
• mở đầu: an opening or introduction, like the opening of a speech, a book or a ceremony. "Lời mở đầu" is a preface.
• khởi động: to start up (an engine or computer) or to warm up before exercise.
• bắt tay vào: to set to work on something, literally "put your hands into it".

In everyday speech, "bắt đầu" is the default. The others show up in more specific contexts.

The opposite: ending things

• kết thúc: to end, to finish (neutral)
• xong: done, finished (casual, very common)
• hết: over, used up, as in "hết giờ" (time's up)

For a fun example of "hết", see hết giờ chơi, "playtime's over".

"Bắt đầu!" as a cartoon starting gun

In Duma Meow, the Vietnamese cartoon I make about four cats, "Bắt đầu!" ("Begin!") is the line that kicks off a challenge, like a cartoon slap-off or a balloon game. It's a perfect opening beat for a short vertical video: one word, instantly clear, and everyone springs into action. You can find the series on the Voiceover with jimwest405 channel.

Classroom and game phrases

If you teach, host games or play with Vietnamese-speaking kids, these come up a lot:

• Sẵn sàng chưa? "Ready?"
• Một, hai, ba, bắt đầu! "One, two, three, go!"
• Bắt đầu lại. "Start again." / "Start over."
• Ai bắt đầu trước? "Who goes first?"

"Bắt đầu lại" is especially handy; "lại" means "again".

Common mistakes

• Flattening the tones. Without the rise and fall, "bắt đầu" can be hard to recognize. Exaggerate the pitch change at first.
• Adding "để" unnecessarily. You don't need extra words: "Tôi bắt đầu làm" ("I started working") is complete.
• Using "khởi đầu" for everyday starts. It sounds bookish for "the movie starts at eight".

Practice it

Count yourself into your next task: "Một, hai, ba, bắt đầu!" Then try "bắt đầu thôi" when you start a meal or a workout with friends. For more short lines, see nhảy đi, "dance!" and the cat voice test in what "ham chơi" means.

"Bắt đầu thôi" is a friendly, natural way to start almost anything with Vietnamese speakers.