Last week I learned something interesting about this word "say". After I drunk a jar of beer, I told my girl that "anh say ruou roi" (I am drunk). Then, my girl corrected me. She said since you drank beer (bia) not wine (ruou), you should say "say bia" not "say ruou". It seems that in Tieng Viet you have to specify how you got drunk, either by beer or by wine.
Later that night I sent her home. When we were in the taxi, she looked sick and told me that "em bi say xe". I didn't know what "bi say xe" is and worried that maybe it is life-threatening. I thought "say xe" is asthma or something even worse, so I asked her "bi say xe co chet kg?" (this "bi say xe" will let you die or not?). Then, she laughed so hard that she almost laughed her head off. After I arrived home, I checked dictionary, and realized that "say xe" is just "motion sickness in car (暈車)". No wonder she laughed so hard. I felt so embarrassed.
