Breakdown of Tôi đã nghe bài hát đó nhiều lần vì nó rất thú vị.
tôi
I
rất
very
vì
because
nhiều
many
đã
already
nghe
to listen
bài hát
the song
thú vị
interesting
đó
that
lần
the time
nó
it
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Questions & Answers about Tôi đã nghe bài hát đó nhiều lần vì nó rất thú vị.
Why is đã used before nghe? Do I always need it to talk about the past?
In Vietnamese, đã marks a completed action (perfective aspect). Saying Tôi đã nghe means “I listened” or “I have listened.” Without đã, Tôi nghe can be present or habitual (“I listen” / “I’m listening”). Use đã whenever you want to emphasize that the action is finished (past).
What’s the difference between Tôi đã nghe and Tôi đã từng nghe?
Both talk about past listening, but:
- Tôi đã nghe simply states the action was done (I have listened).
- Tôi đã từng nghe adds the nuance “I once have the experience of listening” (at least once). Từng highlights that you’ve had that experience at some point.
Why is bài placed before hát? Can I drop it?
In Vietnamese you need classifiers for certain nouns. Bài is the classifier for songs, lessons, poems, etc. So bài hát literally means “piece-song” = “song.” You cannot say just hát to mean “song”; that would be incorrect.
What does đó do after bài hát?
Đó is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” Bài hát đó = “that song.” If you wanted “this song” you’d use này instead: bài hát này.
Why is nhiều lần placed after nghe? Are there other positions?
Nhiều lần means “many times” (frequency adverb). In Vietnamese, adverbial phrases normally follow the verb: nghe nhiều lần. You could also say Tôi đã nhiều lần nghe bài hát đó, but that fronting of nhiều lần is more formal or poetic.
Can I omit Tôi at the beginning?
Yes. Vietnamese often drops the subject pronoun if it’s clear from context. In speech you might say Đã nghe bài hát đó nhiều lần…, though including Tôi is fine for clarity and emphasis.
Is vì the only way to say “because”? Could I use something else?
Vì is a subordinating conjunction meaning “because” (reason → result). Another common form is bởi vì, which is slightly more emphatic: bởi vì nó rất thú vị. You cannot start a clause with vì vậy here, because vì vậy means “therefore” (result), not “because.”
Why does the sentence use nó to refer to bài hát?
Nó is the neutral third-person pronoun for inanimate objects (and animals). Since a song isn’t a person, you use nó. Pronouns like anh ấy or cô ấy are reserved for people (male/female).