VN Translation Help

Mr & Mrs

Budman
It is correct translation. However, normally one only uses Ong and Ba for Mr and Mrs.

"ong gia" and "ba gia" means Old man and Old lady, literally.

They are often used derisively. Ong Gia Howie can mean that old fart Howie.

Why would anyone sign after "Ong Gia" like anyone signs their name after "Old Fart"?

Another unlikely scenario:
Gia can also be a Vietnamese first name (meaning: house, home).
So Ông Gia can also mean Mr. Gia. However, it is unlikely that anyone will sign his name after this, since it should state the full name not only the first name, just like no one, in English, will sign their name after Mr. John

Helpful information Anatta, thanks. Here's another one that I can't get from Google translations. What's the name of the agency that enforces  court orders in civil cases. When it's pronounced in Vietnamese  it's sounds like "cnn". They wear different uniforms than the police and have different rank and insigne's also.

You mean:  "Cục thi hành án dân sự" translated "Dept of enforcement of civil judgments"?
http://moj.gov.vn/thihanhan/Pages/Default.aspx

The applicable law is "LUẬT THI HÀNH ÁN DÂN SỰ" -
Law on enforcement of civil judgments 2008

http://youbiz.vn/van-ban-phap-luat/viet … etnam.html


I don't know about the uniform thing.

Yep that's them Anatta, thanks again. They got some power, and know who to use it. Baddddd dudes I say with much respect.

Hope that you were not the one on the receiving end?
I hope that Howie has been, if not, soon to be

Oh hell no, they were here on our behalf. They had came twice in civilian close and quietly tried to get the guys attention. Yesterday they were in uniform and there wasn't a whole lot of talking going on, just action. They closed the chapter for us on a long running property dispute. You do not want to be on the wrong side of these guys. As most Vietnamese on this site know and understand

Good to see that power has been used for the right purposes, for once!! It has been far and few in between for me to witness (since I have been here).

Hi all,

Thank you all for your responses.  The reason why I asked was that my VN bf and his ex have used the nicknames "ong gia" and "ba gia" when talking to each other as friends which I realize is a carry over of nicknames from when they used to date.  So I looked up the literal translation it said "father in law" and "mother in law" -- which seemed to me like it didn't mean simply old lady/man but it seemed like these were more terms of endearment.  That is why I turned to this forum to see what people fluent in VN can explain about their meaning...

PK

Ah
You are right. "Ong/Ba Gia" also meant "parent-in-law", but it is often used in the combination "Ong/Ba sui gia", or "Ong/Ba thông gia" or just "Ong/Ba sui", seldom on its own, i.e., "Ong/Ba Gia" (at least in the South).

Ok... So you think the most likely use in that setting was as "old man/lady"?

yep, most likely, think it like the term "GrandPa"

Hmmmm, I used the phase along time ago and my wife said I shouldn't say it about somebody because it meant "dirty old man".

Budman1 wrote:

Hmmmm, I used the phase along time ago and my wife said I shouldn't say it about somebody because it meant "dirty old man".

and you ain't..?

Hey guy, that's a AVATAR....

yep, I am the man.

I think when your bf was in love, they got " Ong Gia and Ba gia" and call eachother that for lovely nickname, that same means as " Honey, Sweet heart or Darling" That it mean. They would love to get owner nickname and prove the lovely love to eachother. (that is my opinion)

When I talk to my mom I refer to my dad as ong gia. Though when I talk to my dad I call him ba.

It's more an intimate way of calling people close to you with hidden emotions.

I like Budman's translation. If my fiance called me ong gia I think I will know what she wants.