thì

• thời

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰi˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰɪj˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tʰɪj˨˩]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 時 (“time”). Doublet of thời and giờ.

thì

1. Alternative form of thời (“time; period”)

   dăm thì mười hoạ ― seldom

2. the prime time in terms of physical development

   đến thì/dậy thì

   to hit puberty

3. (grammar) a tense

   thì quá khứ ― past tense

Most likely from etymology 1.

thì

1. (after noun or pronoun or nominalized utterances) as for ..., it is/does/will ...

   tham thì thâm ― Greed will lead to one's downfall (literally, “As for [the fact that one is] greedy, [it will lead to their] bruises”)

   Hỏi nó thử xem. Tao thì sao cũng được.

   Try asking him about it. I'm all for it.

   (literally, “Try asking him. As for me, anything is good.”)

   Có chí thì nên.

   So long as you have your will, you will achieve greatness.

   (literally, “As for [the fact that one] has willpower, [they will turn out] great.”)

   Thôi đi cha nội! Mày thì biết cái gì!

   Just shaddap! The hell do ya know?

   (literally, “Stop it, paternal father! As for you, [you] know what?”)

   Chồng thì gia trưởng, con thì hư đốn. Thôi tôi chết quách cho rồi!

   My husband is a damn patriarch, my children are a spoiled bunch. Just grant me death already!

   (literally, “As for [my] husband, [he is] patriarchal, as for [my] children, [they are] naughty. Forget it, I'll die!”)

   Làm thì lười, thấy lòng lợn thì gắp lia lịa.

   You always goof off, and yet when you see food you take more bites than you can swallow.

   (literally, “As for when you work, you are lazy, as for when you see pig guts, you grab them non-stop.”)

2. (informal) in that case, then ...; well, then ...

   Nếu ổng hỏi thì làm sao?
   Thì cứ vờ như không biết chứ sao!

   What if he asks?
   Just pretend you didn't know then!

   (literally, “If he asks, what [should I do]?
   In that case, just pretend you didn't know!”)

   Ổng mà hỏi là chết tao!
   Thì mày cứ vờ như không biết!

   Man, if he asks me, I'm so dead!
   Just pretend you didn't know then!

   (literally, “He asks, [that will] doom me!
   In that case, just pretend you didn't know!”)

• Used quite similarly to the Japanese topic particle は (wa) to mark the topic of a sentence. However, unlike the Japanese counterpart, it doesn't need to accompany words for time or place to specify contrast; in those cases, such words may be simply treated as adverbials like their English equivalents. For example:

  Hôm nay (thì) để tao đãi.

  Today, I'll treat.

  (literally, “As for today (as opposed to other days), let me treat.”)

• Can accompany nếu (“if”) and be translated as "then". In that case, the whole preceding "nếu-clause" functions like a noun.

  Nếu mày biết lỗi thì được.

  If you're sorry, then it'll be fine.

  (literally, “As for the fact that you're sorry, it's okay then.”)