"Rơi rồi": talking about dropping things in Vietnamese

"Rơi rồi" means "it fell" or "it's dropped" in Vietnamese. Rơi means "to fall" (for objects), and rồi marks that it has already happened. Say "Ối. Rơi rồi." and you've got the Vietnamese "Oops. It fell."

Talking about dropping things is surprisingly useful, and Vietnamese has a few precise ways to do it, plus a Southern alternative.

What do the words mean?

• rơi: to fall, to drop (things falling down, rain falling, leaves falling)
• rồi: already; at the end of a sentence it shows a change or completed action

So "rơi rồi" is "(it) has fallen". Vietnamese often drops the subject when it's obvious, so you don't need to say "it".

How do you pronounce it?

• rơi: level tone. In the North, "r" sounds like "z", so it's roughly "zuh-ee". In the South, it's closer to an English "r", "ruh-ee".
• rồi: falling tone (huyền). Northern "zoy", Southern "roy", sliding down.

Together: Northern "zuh-ee zoy", Southern "ruh-ee roy". The two words sound similar, which is part of their charm, but listen for the difference: "rơi" is level, "rồi" falls.

"Rơi" vs "làm rơi" vs "đánh rơi"

The verb changes depending on whether something just fell or someone dropped it:

• rơi: something falls on its own. "Lá rơi" means "leaves fall".
• làm rơi: to cause something to fall, to drop it. "Em làm rơi điện thoại" means "I dropped my phone".
• đánh rơi: to drop or lose something by accident, often with a sense of losing it. "Anh đánh rơi ví" can mean "He dropped/lost his wallet."

If you knocked a cup off the table, "làm rơi" is the natural choice. If your keys fell out of your pocket somewhere and you can't find them, "đánh rơi" fits.

Southern "rớt"

In the South, you'll often hear rớt instead of "rơi":

• Rớt rồi! "It fell!"
• Làm rớt = to drop something

"Rớt" also has other meanings, especially "to fail" an exam: rớt in the South, while Northern speakers more often say trượt. Both regions understand "rơi", which is the standard written form.

How "rồi" works

"Rồi" is one of the most useful words in Vietnamese. At the end of a sentence, it signals that something has happened or changed:

• Xong rồi. "Done." / "It's finished."
• Đói rồi. "I'm hungry now."
• Muộn rồi. "It's late now." (Northern "muộn"; Southern often "trễ")
• Hiểu rồi. "Got it." / "I understand now."

On its own, "Rồi!" can also mean "Okay!" or "Alright!", and "rồi" in the middle of a sentence can mean "then", as in "Ăn rồi đi" ("Eat, then go").

"Ối. Rơi rồi." and "Đừng để rơi!"

In Duma Meow, the Vietnamese cartoon I make about four cats, there's a balloon skit built on two lines: "Đừng để rơi!" ("Don't let it drop!") and, inevitably, "Ối. Rơi rồi." ("Oops. It fell."). The first is a warning, the second is the deadpan aftermath. The series is on the Voiceover with jimwest405 channel.

Đừng để rơi breaks down nicely:

• đừng: don't
• để: let, allow
• rơi: fall

So it's "don't let (it) fall". You can swap other verbs into the same pattern: "Đừng để nguội" means "Don't let it get cold." For more on "để", see để tao vs để mình.

Reactions when something drops

• Ối! "Oops!" or "Oh!"
• Chết! literally "dead!", used like "Oh no!" in casual speech
• Thôi xong. "Well, that's that." (a resigned "it's over")
• Không sao đâu. "It's okay." (see không sao đâu)

"Chết rồi!" ("Oh no!") sounds dramatic to English ears, but it's a common everyday exclamation, not a literal statement.

Example sentences

• Cẩn thận, sắp rơi rồi! "Careful, it's about to fall!"
• Ai làm rơi cái này? "Who dropped this?"
• Mưa rơi cả ngày. "Rain fell all day."

Practice it

Next time something slips out of your hand, say "Ối, rơi rồi!" instead of "oops". Then practice "Đừng để rơi!" when you hand someone something fragile. For the cat voice test that started this series, see what "ham chơi" means.

If you remember only one thing, use "làm rơi" when you dropped it and "rơi" when it just fell.