Điện thoại truyền tín hiệu.

• điện thoại = telephone / phone
• truyền = to transmit / send / convey
• tín hiệu = signal

So the structure is basically:

điện thoại + truyền + tín hiệu
phone + transmits + signal

Vietnamese does not normally use articles like a, an, or the.

So điện thoại can mean:

• a phone
• the phone
• phones
• telephone(s)

The exact meaning depends on context. In an isolated sentence like this, English often has to add an article, but Vietnamese does not need one.

By itself, điện thoại does not clearly mark singular or plural.

It could mean:

• a phone
• the phone
• phones

If the speaker wants to be more specific, they can add words such as:

• một điện thoại = one phone / a phone
• những điện thoại = phones
• các điện thoại = the phones / phones

But in many cases, Vietnamese simply leaves number unspecified unless it matters.

Yes, the basic word order here is very similar to English:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Điện thoại = subject
• truyền = verb
• tín hiệu = object

So it matches English quite closely: The phone transmits signals.

truyền is a common verb meaning to transmit, pass on, relay, convey, spread, depending on context.

Examples:

• truyền tín hiệu = transmit signals
• truyền dữ liệu = transmit data
• truyền hình = television broadcasting or literally transmit images
• truyền điện = transmit electricity

So in this sentence, truyền has the technical meaning transmit.

Vietnamese verbs do not conjugate for person or number the way English verbs do.

In English:

• I transmit
• he transmits
• phones transmit

In Vietnamese, the verb stays the same:

• tôi truyền
• nó truyền
• điện thoại truyền

So truyền never changes to match the subject.

It can mean either signal or signals, depending on context.

Vietnamese nouns usually do not have a separate plural ending like English -s. So:

• tín hiệu = signal / signals

If needed, Vietnamese can make plurality clearer:

• một tín hiệu = one signal
• các tín hiệu = signals
• những tín hiệu = signals

Yes, it is grammatically complete and understandable.

It sounds like a short, general, technical statement, similar to:

• Phones transmit signals
• A phone transmits signal(s)

In real-world Vietnamese, people might often say something a bit fuller depending on context, such as:

• Điện thoại truyền tín hiệu qua sóng vô tuyến. = Phones transmit signals via radio waves.
• Điện thoại dùng để truyền tín hiệu. = A phone is used to transmit signals.

But the original sentence is still fine.

Usually điện thoại means telephone / phone as a device.

In some contexts, especially in everyday speech, it can also refer to the act of phoning, but that is less likely here. In this sentence, because it is followed by truyền tín hiệu, the meaning is clearly the device: phone / telephone.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• điện ≈ dee-en with a dipping then rising tone
• thoại ≈ thw-eye / tw-eye with a heavy falling-glottal tone

More carefully:

• đ is like English d
• th is an aspirated t, not like English th in think
• ại is a vowel combination somewhat like the end of eye, but shorter and shaped by the tone

The tones are important:

• điện has the nặng tone
• thoại has the nặng tone

So both syllables are pronounced with a heavy, low, stopped quality.

A rough guide:

• truyền ≈ chwee-en / tree-en depending on accent
• tín ≈ teen with a rising tone
• hiệu ≈ something like hee-uh with a falling-glottal tone

A few useful notes:

• tr in Vietnamese is not exactly English tr
• uyê in truyền is a vowel cluster that takes practice
• hiệu is two-part in spelling but forms one syllable

Tones:

• truyền = huyền tone
• tín = sắc tone
• hiệu = nặng tone

Classifiers are used in Vietnamese mainly when counting or specifying nouns.

For example:

• một cái điện thoại = one phone
• hai cái điện thoại = two phones

But when speaking generally, especially in a simple statement, you usually do not need a classifier:

• Điện thoại truyền tín hiệu.

So the absence of a classifier here is completely normal.

Not exactly. The sentence literally says:

Điện thoại truyền tín hiệu
= Phones transmit signals / A phone transmits signals

If you want are used to transmit, Vietnamese would more naturally say:

• Điện thoại được dùng để truyền tín hiệu.

So the original sentence describes what phones do, not explicitly their purpose or use.

No, not in this sentence.

là is often used like to be in sentences such as:

• Đây là điện thoại. = This is a phone.

But in Điện thoại truyền tín hiệu, the verb is already truyền = transmit. You do not add là between the subject and the verb.

So:

• Điện thoại truyền tín hiệu. = correct
• Điện thoại là truyền tín hiệu. = incorrect

They could, but it sounds more like a textbook, science, or technical sentence than casual everyday speech.

In everyday conversation, people are more likely to say something more specific, such as:

• Điện thoại gửi tín hiệu đi.
• Điện thoại phát tín hiệu.
• Điện thoại nhận tín hiệu.

Still, Điện thoại truyền tín hiệu is perfectly understandable and useful for learning basic structure and vocabulary.