Mà (Conj 5)

Situations

S1: Hà saw five girls talking and asked:

Cô gái mà xe đạp bị hư là ai thế?
(Who is the girl whose bicycle is broken down?)

Hà wants to ask about the girl, and "xe đạp bị hư" is a descriptive feature.

Definition

Mà, as a conjunction, is used to link a noun with a following clause to clarify or modify that noun.

NOTES:

• Mà links an adjective clause with a preceding noun (animate or inanimate).
• Mà can be omitted (it is optional).

Combinations

• may mà:

[1] Sáng nay có một tai nạn. May mà không ai bị thương.
    (An accident happened this morning. Fortunately, no one was injured.)

• khó mà:

[2] Bây giờ hàng giả rất là tinh vi. Khó mà phân biệt được với hàng thật.
    (Counterfeit goods are sophisticated. It is really difficult to distinguish them from the genuine ones.)

• dễ gì mà:

[3] Ừ, dễ gì mà phân biệt được với hàng thật.
    (Yes, it's not easy to distinguish them from the genuine ones.)

• tha hồ mà:

[4] Về Mỹ Tho, anh tha hồ mà ăn trái cây.
    (If you go to Mỹ Tho, you can eat as much fruit as you like.)

• Following an indefinite pronoun (gì, ai, đâu...), mà links the noun with its modifier to emphasize a quality the speaker finds unusual.

[5] Người gì mà kỳ cục quá!
    (What a strange person!)
[6] Anh mang cái gì mà nặng thế?
    (What is this heavy thing you are carrying?)

• ... mà ... thì ...: Used to raise a hypothesis and its resulting effect. Often expresses a wish.

[7] Bây giờ mà mưa thì tuyệt lắm nhỉ?
    (It would be wonderful if it rained now!)

It is similar to nếu... thì..., hễ... thì..., giá... thì.... It usually refers to a presumption or something that has not happened yet and is not likely to happen.