You are learning daily courtesy phrases: you will read the scene it happens in, take apart the pattern behind them (daily courtesy vocabulary), hear them in a conversation, rehearse them, and finish by saying one thing out loud to be graded.
The small phrases that make Hanoi feel like home: asking permission, navigating crowded spaces, daily transactions, and the courtesy expressions that transform interactions from transactional to warm.
Seven small interactions on one Hanoi afternoon:
At the crowded pho shop: 「Xin phép! Chỗ này có người không?」 — 「Không có, ngồi đây đi!」
At the gallery in a restored colonial villa: 「Không phiền bạn chụp ảnh cho tôi không?」 — 「Không sao đâu! Đứng đó, ánh sáng đẹp.」 (Stand there, the light is good.)
In the crowded Đồng Xuân market: 「Xin nhường đường!」 — people part.
At the bánh mì stall: 「Nhờ giúp tôi chọn loại ngon nhất nhé!」 — the baker animates immediately.
At the guesthouse door: 「Bạn đi trước đi!」 — the woman smiles and enters.
Leaving the shop: the owner says 「Đi cẩn thận nhé!」 (Go carefully!) — the stranger turns: 「Cảm ơn! Bảo trọng!」
In the taxi: the driver speaks fast. 「Xin lỗi, nói chậm hơn được không?」 He slows down. Everything continues.