"Hết giờ chơi": how to say "playtime's over" in Vietnamese

"Hết giờ chơi" means "playtime's over" in Vietnamese. Hết means "finished" or "run out", giờ means "time" or "hour", and chơi means "to play", so it's literally "play time has run out".

It's what a parent might say to call kids inside, and it's also a fun, slightly dramatic way to say "okay, time to get serious".

What does each word mean?

• hết: finished, used up, all gone, over
• giờ: hour, o'clock, time
• chơi: to play, to hang out, to have fun

"Hết" is a powerful little word. Put it before a noun and it means that thing has run out: hết tiền (out of money), hết pin (battery's dead), hết giờ (time's up).

How do you pronounce it?

• hết: rising tone (sắc), short and clipped, like "het" with the pitch going up
• giờ: falling tone (huyền). Northern "zuh", Southern "yuh", sliding down
• chơi: level tone, "chuh-ee" in one syllable

Together: Northern "HET zuh chuh-ee", Southern "HET yuh chuh-ee". The rising-then-falling start gives it a firm, final sound.

Related phrases with "hết giờ"

• Hết giờ! "Time's up!" Heard at exams, in games and on quiz shows.
• Giờ ra chơi: recess, break time at school, literally "time to go out and play".
• Hết giờ ra chơi: "recess is over".
• Giờ làm việc: working hours.
• Hết giờ làm: "work is over for the day", clocking-out time.

So "hết giờ chơi" sits between the school phrase and a general "fun's over". In everyday speech it can be said to kids, to pets, or jokingly to friends.

When would you say it?

• Calling children in: "Hết giờ chơi rồi, vào ăn cơm nào!" ("Playtime's over, come in and eat!")
• Ending a game: when the timer runs out
• Getting back to work: a joking way to end a break with coworkers or friends
• Teasing: telling someone their goofing around is over

Adding rồi ("already") makes it sound like the moment has arrived: "Hết giờ chơi rồi!" ("Playtime is over now!")

"Hết giờ chơi." in a cartoon

In Duma Meow, my Vietnamese cartoon about four cats, "Hết giờ chơi." ("Playtime's over.") is one of the skit lines. Said flatly, it sounds like a cat announcing that the fun is officially canceled, which is funny precisely because cats are famously the ones who decide when play happens. The series is on the Voiceover with jimwest405 channel.

If you know the phrase ham chơi ("loves to play too much"), "hết giờ chơi" is its natural opposite. Read about that phrase and the four-cat voice test in what "ham chơi" means.

Other useful "chơi" phrases

• đi chơi: to go out, hang out, go on an outing
• chơi game: to play video games
• đồ chơi: toys
• bạn chơi: playmate, a friend you hang out with
• nói chơi: to joke, to say something not seriously ("Tôi nói chơi thôi" means "I'm just kidding")

"Đi chơi" is especially common. "Cuối tuần đi chơi không?" means "Want to hang out this weekend?"

Other useful "hết" phrases

• hết rồi: "all gone" or "sold out"
• hết sức: extremely, with all one's strength
• hết hạn: expired
• tất cả vs hết: both can mean "all", as in "ăn hết" ("eat it all")

In a shop or restaurant, "Hết rồi" is what you'll hear if an item is sold out.

Polite versions

On its own, "hết giờ chơi" is casual. A teacher or parent might soften it with particles:

• Hết giờ chơi rồi các con ơi! "Playtime's over, kids!" (warm, from a parent or teacher)
• Hết giờ rồi ạ. "Time's up," said politely to someone older.

Practice it

Set a timer for your next break and, when it rings, say "Hết giờ chơi!" Then try "hết giờ!" during a game with friends. For starting things instead of ending them, see bắt đầu, "let's begin", and for another short command, nhảy đi, "dance!".

"Hết" before almost any noun means it's run out, so once you know it, you'll hear it everywhere.