Tôi rất mệt nên tôi muốn ngủ sớm.

I am very tired so I want to sleep early.

Breakdown of Tôi rất mệt nên tôi muốn ngủ sớm.

• tôi: I
• rất: very
• muốn: to want
• mệt: tired
• nên: so
• ngủ: to sleep
• sớm: early

Questions & Answers about Tôi rất mệt nên tôi muốn ngủ sớm.

Why is rất used in this sentence, and what does it mean?

rất is an adverb meaning very. It goes directly before an adjective or adverb to intensify it.
Examples:

• rất mệt = very tired
• rất đẹp = very beautiful
• rất nhanh = very fast

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What function does nên serve here, and how is it different from vì or vì vậy?

nên means so or therefore, marking the result or consequence of the previous clause. In your sentence:

• Clause 1 (cause): Tôi rất mệt
• Connector: nên (so)
• Clause 2 (result): tôi muốn ngủ sớm

By contrast:

• vì introduces a reason: “Vì tôi rất mệt, tôi muốn ngủ sớm.”
• vì vậy also means “therefore,” but is a two-word phrase and slightly more formal: “Tôi rất mệt, vì vậy tôi muốn ngủ sớm.”

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Why is Tôi repeated twice? Can I drop the second Tôi?

Vietnamese often repeats the subject for clarity and flow, but dropping it is common in speech when the subject is obvious.
So you can say:

• Tôi rất mệt nên muốn ngủ sớm.

Both forms are correct; the shorter one feels more casual.

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What’s the difference between ngủ sớm and đi ngủ sớm?

• ngủ sớm literally means “sleep early,” focusing on the act of sleeping.
• đi ngủ sớm literally means “go to sleep early,” emphasizing the action of heading to bed.

Both are used interchangeably, though đi ngủ sớm is slightly more common when talking about bedtime.

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How do I pronounce the tones in mệt, rất, nên, and sớm?

Vietnamese has six tones; here are these words:

• mệt (hỏi tone): a dipping-rising tone, like a question “meh‽”
• rất (nặng tone): a heavy, glottal-stop tone, “zuht!”
• nên (huyền tone): a low-falling tone, “nè̄n”
• sớm (hỏi tone): same hỏi as mệt, “sơ̋m”

Listening and mimicking native speakers helps solidify these tones.

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How do I type those Vietnamese accents on a standard keyboard?

You can use a Vietnamese input method (like Telex or VNI) on your computer or phone. For Telex:

• Type m e j t to get mệt
• Type r a s t to get rất
• Type n e f n to get nên
• Type s o s m to get sớm

Install a Vietnamese keyboard layout in your OS settings, choose Telex or VNI, and you’re all set!