Nước thấm vào tường.

A simple word-by-word breakdown is:

• nước = water
• thấm = to seep, soak, penetrate
• vào = into
• tường = wall

So the structure is basically:

• Nước = subject
• thấm vào = verb phrase, seeps into
• tường = object/location target, the wall

English often uses is seeping into, but Vietnamese does not need a separate word for is here.

Vietnamese usually does not use articles like English a/an/the.

So tường can mean:

• a wall
• the wall
• sometimes just wall in a general sense

The exact meaning depends on context.

Likewise, nước can mean water in a general sense, or the water if the context already makes it clear.

If you want to be more specific, Vietnamese can add other words, but in a basic sentence like this, leaving them out is perfectly normal.

Not quite. Thấm vào suggests that something gradually penetrates or soaks into something else.

So nước thấm vào tường is not just water goes into the wall in a neutral movement sense. It specifically suggests:

• seeping
• soaking
• penetrating
• being absorbed little by little

That is why thấm is a good choice for water, moisture, rain, etc.

Vào means into, and it shows the direction or target of the seepage.

So:

• thấm = seep / soak / penetrate
• thấm vào = seep into

Without vào, the sentence may sound less complete in this meaning. With vào, it is very clear that the water is penetrating into the wall.

Compare:

• Nước thấm vào tường = Water seeps into the wall.
• Nước thấm qua tường = Water seeps through the wall.

So vào and qua give different spatial meanings.

Yes, nước can mean both water and country/state/nation.

This is very common in Vietnamese, and context tells you which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, because of thấm vào tường (seeps into the wall), nước clearly means water.

Examples:

• uống nước = drink water
• đất nước = country / nation

So this is one of those words where context matters a lot.

Vietnamese verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So thấm by itself does not tell you whether the action is:

• present
• past
• future

The sentence Nước thấm vào tường could mean:

• Water seeps into the wall.
• Water is seeping into the wall.
• Water seeped into the wall.

The exact time is understood from context, or from extra time words or aspect markers.

For example:

• Nước đang thấm vào tường. = Water is seeping into the wall.
• Nước đã thấm vào tường. = Water has seeped / seeped into the wall.
• Nước sẽ thấm vào tường. = Water will seep into the wall.

Both are possible, but they are used a little differently.

• tường = wall
• bức tường = a wall / the wall, with a classifier-like noun that makes it sound more concrete or specific

In many everyday sentences, tường alone is completely natural:

• Nước thấm vào tường.

If you say bức tường, it can sound a bit more specific, descriptive, or formal:

• Nước thấm vào bức tường.

Both are grammatical. The version without bức is shorter and very common.

These are two words English speakers often want help with.

• thấm

  • starts with th, which is an aspirated sound in Vietnamese, not the English th in think or this
  • has the ấ vowel, which is short and tense
  • has the sắc tone, so the pitch rises
  • final m closes the syllable

• tường

  • starts with t, an unvoiced Vietnamese t
  • ường is a tricky vowel combination for learners
  • it has the huyền tone, so the pitch falls

A rough learner-friendly guide might be:

• thấm ≈ thum with a rising tone
• tường ≈ something like tuong with a falling tone

But it is best not to rely too much on English spelling approximations, because Vietnamese vowels and tones are very important.

Yes, sometimes, but there is a nuance.

Both thấm and ngấm can relate to soaking or penetrating, but they are not always identical.

Very roughly:

• thấm often focuses on the action of seeping/penetrating into something
• ngấm often suggests soaking in more deeply, being absorbed, or having an effect over time

So:

• Nước thấm vào tường = Water seeps into the wall.
• Nước ngấm vào tường = Water soaks into the wall / is absorbed into the wall.

In many everyday situations, both could work, but thấm vào tường is a very natural way to describe water seepage in a wall.

Yes, very naturally.

Even though the literal structure is Water seeps into the wall, the real-world implication is often:

• the wall is damp
• the wall has water damage
• moisture is penetrating the wall

So this sentence is often used in practical situations like construction, maintenance, leaks, or mold problems.

If you wanted to make the result more explicit, you could also say something else, but Nước thấm vào tường already strongly suggests a dampness problem.

It is a complete and natural sentence.

Vietnamese often allows short, direct statements like this, especially when describing a problem or observation.

For example, someone might say it when noticing leakage:

• Nước thấm vào tường rồi. = Water has seeped into the wall already.
• Mưa làm nước thấm vào tường. = Rain caused water to seep into the wall.

But even by itself, Nước thấm vào tường sounds normal and understandable.