Ngồi yên.

Sit still.

Breakdown of Ngồi yên.

• ngồi: to sit
• yên: still; undisturbed

Questions & Answers about Ngồi yên.

What does each word in Ngồi yên mean?

• ngồi = to sit
• yên = still, calm, settled, quiet

Together, ngồi yên means sit still or stay seated and keep still.

In this sentence, yên describes the state you should be in while sitting.

Why is there no word for you in the sentence?

Vietnamese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context, especially in commands.

So Ngồi yên. naturally means:

• Sit still.
• You, sit still.

This is very common in everyday Vietnamese. If needed, you can add a pronoun or name:

• Con ngồi yên. = Sit still, said to a child
• Em ngồi yên. = You sit still, to someone younger
• Anh ngồi yên. = You sit still, to an older male or husband/boyfriend in some contexts

Is Ngồi yên. a command?

Yes. It is a short imperative sentence.

It sounds direct and natural, especially when:

• speaking to a child
• telling someone not to move
• giving an instruction quickly

By itself, it can sound firm or even a little sharp, depending on tone of voice. Vietnamese often changes how strong a command feels by adding small words or pronouns.

For example:

• Ngồi yên nhé. = softer, like Sit still, okay?
• Ngồi yên đi. = urging someone to do it
• Con ngồi yên nào. = gentle, often to a child