# bà meaning in Vietnamese: you or I (A1)

> bà means “you or I” in Vietnamese. It can also mean grandmother, you (friends). Examples with audio, in Northern and Southern wording.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/ba-grandmother/ · Updated 2026-10-31

**bà**: you or I · grandmother · you (friends)

Level: A1 (our estimate)

Typed without accents: ba

## 1. you or I (pronoun)

A woman your grandparents' age: you call her *bà* and yourself *con* (in Hà Nội *cháu*), and she calls herself *bà*.

Before a name, *bà* is also Mrs. or Ms.: *bà Lan*.

- Saigon: Dạ, con chào bà. | Hà Nội: Cháu chào bà ạ. — Hello. (to a woman your grandmother's age)
- Saigon: Bà nấu cơm cho con ăn nha. | Hà Nội: Bà nấu cơm cho cháu ăn nhé. — I'll cook you some rice. (a grandmother to a child)

Level: A1

Grammar: [You and I are family words: anh, chị, em, cô, chú, ba / mẹ and con, thầy / cô and em](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/address-kinship/)

## 2. grandmother (noun)

Your father's mother is *bà nội*, your mother's mother *bà ngoại*.

- Bà tôi năm nay tám mươi tuổi. — My grandmother is eighty this year.
- Cuối tuần tôi về thăm bà. — On the weekend I'm going to visit my grandma.

Level: A1

## 3. you (friends) (pronoun)

you

Saigon friends of the same age say *tui* for I, *bà* to a woman and *ông* to a man. Familiar, but not rude.

- Saigon: Bà đi đâu vậy? | Hà Nội: Cậu đi đâu thế? — Where are you off to? (to a female friend)
- Saigon: Áo này bà mua ở đâu vậy? | Hà Nội: Áo này cậu mua ở đâu thế? — Where did you buy this top? (to a female friend)

In Hà Nội you say [cậu](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/cau-you-friends/#s_cau_you_friends).

Also: [ông](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/ong-you-or-i/#s_ong_you_friends).

Level: A1 · Saigon only · casual · familiar · to recognize

Grammar: [Casual I and you between friends: tui – ông / bà, tao – mày, tớ – cậu](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tao-may/)

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