Family matters

(mate; noun)

Example: He has been my best mate since we were at school together.

(bạn bè) – A friend.

Synonyms: friend, companion

Antonyms: enemy, foe

(flatmate; noun)

Example: I share the kitchen and bathroom with my flatmate.

(bạn cùng căn hộ) – A person that you share a flat with.

Synonyms: roommate, housemate

(partner; noun)

Example: She lives with her partner and their two children.

(vợ/chồng/người yêu) – The person you are married to or having a sexual relationship with.

Synonyms: spouse, significant other

(business partner; noun)

Example: He is my business partner; we started the company together ten years ago.

(đối tác kinh doanh) – A person that you own a business with.

Synonyms: associate, collaborator

(sister-in-law; noun)

Example: My brother’s wife is my sister-in-law.

(chị/em dâu; chị/em vợ; chị/em chồng) – The sister of your husband or wife; your brother's wife; or the wife of your husband or wife's brother.

(acquaintance; noun)

Example: He's just a business acquaintance, not a close friend.

(người quen) – A person that you know but who is not a close friend.

Synonyms: contact, associate

Antonyms: stranger, best friend

(great-aunt; noun)

Example: My grandmother’s sister is my great-aunt.

(bà dì, bà thím, bà cô) – The aunt of your father or mother.

(step-sister; noun)

Example: After my dad remarried, I gained a step-sister.

(chị kế) – The daughter of your stepmother or stepfather.

(half-sister; noun)
Example: We share the same mother but have different fathers, so she is my half-sister.

(chị, em cùng cha khác mẹ hoặc cùng mẹ khác cha) – A sister who is the daughter of only one of your parents.

(apart; adverb)

Example: We agreed to live apart for a while to think about our marriage.

(riêng biệt) – Separated by a distance, or into pieces.

Synonyms: separated, distant

Antonyms: together, united

(identical; adjective)

Example: The two sisters are identical twins and it is hard to tell them apart.

(giống hệt nhau) – Exactly the same, or very similar.

Synonyms: indistinguishable, duplicate

Antonyms: different, dissimilar

(lifelong; adjective)

Example: They formed a lifelong friendship that lasted until they passed away.

(suốt đời) – Lasting or existing all through your life.

Synonyms: enduring, permanent

Antonyms: temporary, brief

(adulthood; noun)

Example: People generally take on more responsibility when they reach adulthood.

(tuổi trưởng thành) – The state of being an adult.

Synonyms: maturity

Antonyms: childhood, adolescence

(envy; noun)

Example: She felt a pang of envy when she saw her sister's new house.

(sự ghen tị) – The feeling of wanting to be in the same situation as somebody else; the feeling of wanting something that somebody else has.

Synonyms: jealousy, covetousness

(bond; noun)

Example: The bond between a mother and child is very strong.

(mối liên kết) – A strong connection between people or feelings of friendship and shared experiences.

Synonyms: connection, tie, link

(alike; adjective)

Example: My sister and I look very alike.

(giống nhau) – Very similar.

Synonyms: similar, identical

Antonyms: different, dissimilar

(questionnaire; noun)

Example: We asked participants to fill out a questionnaire about their family history.

(bảng câu hỏi) – A written list of questions that are answered by a number of people so that information can be collected from the answers.

Synonyms: survey, poll

(psychic; adjective)

Example: Twins are sometimes said to have a psychic connection.

(tâm linh, ngoại cảm) – Connected with strange powers of the mind and not explained by natural laws.

Synonyms: supernatural, paranormal

(telepathy; noun)

Example: They seemed to communicate by telepathy, knowing exactly what the other was thinking.

(thần giao cách cảm) – The direct communication of thoughts or feelings from one person to another without using speech, writing, or any other normal method.

(dominant; adjective)

Example: The dominant gene determines the eye color of the child.

(trội, lấn át) – More important, powerful or easy to notice than other things.

Synonyms: controlling, commanding

Antonyms: submissive, recessive

(pass away; phrasal verb)

Example: He passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 90.

(qua đời) – To die.

Synonyms: die, expire

Antonyms: live, be born

(will; noun)

Example: In her will, she left all her money to her children.

(di chúc) – A legal document in which a person states who they want to have their money and property when they die.

Synonyms: testament

(payout; noun)

Example: The insurance payout helped the family after the accident.

(khoản tiền chi trả) – A large amount of money that is paid to somebody, for example by an insurance company or as a prize.

Synonyms: payment, settlement

(be separated; verb)

Example: My parents are separated and live in different houses now.

(ly thân) – To stop living together as a couple.

(be divorced; verb)

Example: They were married for ten years before they decided to be divorced.

(ly hôn) – To be no longer married because the marriage has been legally ended.

(mislead; verb)

Example: He tried to mislead the police about his whereabouts on the night of the crime.

(làm lạc lối, lừa dối) – To give somebody the wrong idea or impression and make them believe something that is not true.

Synonyms: deceive, delude

Antonyms: guide, enlighten

(entitle; verb)

Example: This ticket does not entitle you to travel first class.

(cho quyền) – To give somebody the right to have or to do something.

Synonyms: authorize, empower

Antonyms: ban, prohibit

(oblige; verb)

Example: Parents are obliged by law to send their children to school.

(bắt buộc) – To force somebody to do something, by law, because it is a duty, etc.

Synonyms: compel, force

(adequately; adverb)

Example: Make sure you are adequately prepared for the interview.

(đầy đủ, tương xứng) – In a way that is enough in quantity, or good enough in quality, for a particular purpose or need.

Synonyms: sufficiently, suitably

Antonyms: inadequately, insufficiently

(estate; noun)

Example: He left an estate valued at over one million dollars.

(di sản, tài sản) – All the money and property that a person owns, especially everything that is left when they die.

Synonyms: property, assets

(circumstance; noun)

Example: In normal circumstances, I would not agree to this.

(hoàn cảnh) – The conditions and facts that are connected with and affect a situation, an event or an action.

Synonyms: situation, condition

(possession; noun)

Example: The ring is one of her most prized possessions.

(tài sản, vật sở hữu) – Something that you own or have with you at a particular time.

Synonyms: belonging, property

(register; verb)

Example: You must register the birth of your child within 42 days.

(đăng ký) – To record your/somebody’s/something’s name on an official list.

Synonyms: enroll, record

(invalidate; verb)

Example: This new evidence could invalidate the will.

(làm mất hiệu lực) – To make a document, contract, ticket, etc. no longer legally or officially valid.

Synonyms: nullify, void

Antonyms: validate, legalize

(widow; noun)

Example: She became a widow when her husband died in the war.

(góa phụ) – A woman whose husband has died and who has not married again.

(widower; noun)

Example: He has been a widower for five years since his wife passed away.

(người góa vợ) – A man whose wife has died and who has not married again.

(spouse; noun)

Example: Employees and their spouses are invited to the company party.

(vợ, chồng) – A husband or wife.

Synonyms: partner, mate

(inheritance; noun)

Example: She spent all her inheritance on travel.

(tài sản thừa kế) – Money or property that is given to you by somebody when they die.

Synonyms: legacy, heritage

(ex-partner; noun)

Example: He still maintains a friendly relationship with his ex-partner for the sake of their children.

(người yêu cũ/vợ chồng cũ) – A former partner (husband, wife, or romantic partner).

Synonyms: ex

(deceased; noun)

Example: The family of the deceased expressed their gratitude for the support.

(người đã khuất) – A person who has recently died.

Synonyms: dead, departed

Antonyms: living, survivor

(resist; verb)

Example: She could not resist the temptation to buy the dress.

(kháng cự, cưỡng lại) – To stop yourself from having something you like or doing something you very much want to do.

Synonyms: withstand, oppose

Antonyms: submit, yield

(control over; phrase)

Example: Parents cannot have complete control over their adult children's lives.

(quyền kiểm soát đối với) – The power to make decisions about how something is managed or done.

Synonyms: authority over, command over

(sort; noun)

Example: What sort of music do you like?

(loại, hạng) – A group or type of people or things that are similar in a particular way.

Synonyms: type, kind

(refer; verb)

Example: The term 'nuclear family' refers to a couple and their dependent children.

(ám chỉ, nhắc đến) – To mention or speak about somebody/something.

Synonyms: mention, allude

(prior to; preposition)

Example: Prior to the wedding, the couple met with the priest.

(trước khi) – Before something.

Synonyms: before, preceding

Antonyms: after, subsequent

(staircase; noun)

Example: They walked up the grand staircase to the second floor.

(cầu thang) – A set of stairs inside a building including the posts and rails (bannisters) that are held onto.

Synonyms: stairs, stairway

(rebuild; verb)

Example: It took a long time to rebuild their relationship after the argument.

(xây dựng lại) – To build something again that has been damaged or destroyed.

Synonyms: reconstruct, restore

Antonyms: destroy, demolish

(buggy; noun)

Example: She pushed her baby in a buggy through the park.

(xe đẩy trẻ em) – A light folding chair on wheels that you push small children in.

Synonyms: stroller, pushchair

(pram; noun)

Example: The baby was sleeping peacefully in the pram.

(xe nôi) – A small vehicle on four wheels for a baby to go out in, pushed by a person on foot.

Synonyms: baby carriage

(forbidden; adjective)

Example: Smoking is strictly forbidden in the hospital.

(bị cấm) – Not allowed.

Synonyms: prohibited, banned

Antonyms: allowed, permitted

(state; noun)

Example: The house was in a poor state of repair.

(tình trạng, trạng thái) – The mental, emotional or physical condition that a person or thing is in.

Synonyms: condition, situation

(tremendous; adjective)

Example: It was a tremendous experience for the whole family.

(to lớn, ghê gớm) – Very great.

Synonyms: huge, enormous

Antonyms: tiny, small

(rewarding; adjective)

Example: Raising children can be hard work but it is also very rewarding.

(đáng làm, bổ ích) – Worth doing; that makes you be happy because you think it is useful or important.

Synonyms: satisfying, gratifying

Antonyms: unrewarding, fruitless

(abuse; noun)

Example: The charity provides support for victims of domestic abuse.

(sự ngược đãi, lạm dụng) – Unfair, cruel or violent treatment of somebody.

Synonyms: mistreatment, maltreatment

Antonyms: care, protection

(commitment; noun)

Example: Marriage is a lifelong commitment.

(sự cam kết) – A promise to do something or to behave in a particular way.

Synonyms: pledge, promise

(intimacy; noun)
Example: Emotional intimacy is important in a healthy relationship.

(sự thân mật) – The state of having a close personal relationship with somebody.

Synonyms: closeness, familiarity

Antonyms: distance, aloofness

(regard; noun)

Example: He has no regard for other people's feelings.

(sự quan tâm, tôn trọng) – Attention to or thought and care for somebody/something.

Synonyms: respect, consideration

Antonyms: disregard, contempt

(cornerstone; noun)

Example: Trust is the cornerstone of a good relationship.

(nền tảng) – The most important part of something that the rest depends on.

Synonyms: foundation, basis

(modernity; noun)

Example: They struggled to balance tradition with the demands of modernity.

(tính hiện đại) – The quality of being modern.

(demand; noun)

Example: The demands of work often conflict with family life.

(yêu cầu, nhu cầu) – A very strong request for something; something that somebody needs.

Synonyms: requirement, request; need, exigency

(assumption; noun)

Example: We made the assumption that they were married, but they were actually brother and sister.

(giả định) – A belief or feeling that something is true or that something will happen, although there is no proof.

Synonyms: supposition, belief

Antonyms: fact, proof

(cohabitation; noun)

Example: Cohabitation before marriage has become more common in recent years.

(sống thử, sống chung) – The state of living with another person and having a sexual relationship with them without being married.

(outmoded; adjective)

Example: Many people consider traditional gender roles to be outmoded.

(lỗi thời) – No longer fashionable or useful.

Synonyms: old-fashioned, obsolete

Antonyms: modern, fashionable

(willing; adjective)

Example: He is willing to do anything to help his family.

(sẵn lòng) – Not objecting to doing something; having no reason for not doing something.

Synonyms: ready, prepared

Antonyms: unwilling, reluctant

(likelihood; noun)

Example: There is little likelihood that they will reconcile.

(khả năng xảy ra) – The chance of something happening; how likely something is to happen.

Synonyms: probability, possibility

Antonyms: impossibility

(outing; noun)

Example: We went on a family outing to the beach.

(chuyến đi chơi, cuộc đi chơi) – A short journey that you take for enjoyment.

Synonyms: excursion, trip