as: trong lúc, vì (as (time / reason))
as + chủ ngữ + động từ có hai nghĩa chính. (1) “trong lúc, đồng thời”: hai việc xảy ra cùng lúc (We waved goodbye to Liz as she drove away), hoặc một việc xảy ra giữa chừng một việc khác (Kate slipped as she was getting off the bus). (2) “vì” (= because): As I was hungry, I decided to find somewhere to eat. Nếu việc này xảy ra SAU việc kia thì dùng when chứ không dùng as.
as = cùng lúc ⇄ when = nối tiếp
| as (cùng lúc) | when (nối tiếp) |
|---|---|
| As I drove home, I listened to music. | When I got home, I had something to eat. (không nói as I got home) |
| Kate slipped as she was getting off the bus. | David lost his passport when he was on holiday. (trong thời gian anh ấy đi nghỉ) |
as = cùng lúc với
Dùng as khi hai việc xảy ra cùng lúc: We all waved goodbye to Liz as she drove away. As I walked along the street, I looked in the shop windows. Can you turn off the light as you go out, please?
- We all waved goodbye to Liz as she drove away. — Chúng tôi vẫy chào Liz khi cô ấy lái xe đi.
- Can you turn off the light as you go out, please? — Bạn tắt đèn khi đi ra giúp tôi nhé?
as + quá khứ tiếp diễn; just as = đúng lúc
Có thể nói một việc xảy ra giữa chừng một việc khác (as you were doing …): Kate slipped as she was getting off the bus. We met Paul as we were leaving the hotel. just as nghĩa là “đúng vào lúc đó”: Just as I sat down, the doorbell rang. I had to leave just as the conversation was getting interesting.
- Kate slipped as she was getting off the bus. — Kate bị trượt chân khi đang xuống xe buýt.
- Just as I sat down, the doorbell rang. — Tôi vừa ngồi xuống thì chuông cửa reo.
as cho hai việc diễn ra song song trong một khoảng thời gian dài
as cũng dùng cho hai việc cùng thay đổi dần: As the day went on, the weather got worse. I began to enjoy the job more as I got used to it.
- As the day went on, the weather got worse. — Ngày càng trôi qua, thời tiết càng xấu đi.
as chỉ dùng khi cùng lúc; việc nối tiếp thì dùng when
We use as only if two things happen at the same time: As I drove home, I listened to music. Dùng when (không dùng as) nếu việc này xảy ra sau việc kia: When I got home, I had something to eat (không nói as I got home).
- As I drove home, I listened to music. — Trên đường lái xe về, tôi nghe nhạc.
- When I got home, I had something to eat. — Về đến nhà, tôi ăn gì đó.
as = because (vì); since cũng được
as cũng nghĩa là “vì”: As I was hungry, I decided to find somewhere to eat. As it’s late and we’re tired, let’s get a taxi home. We watched TV all evening as we didn’t have anything better to do. As I don’t watch TV any more, I gave my television to a friend of mine. Có thể dùng since: Since it’s late and we’re tired, let’s get a taxi home.
- As I was hungry, I decided to find somewhere to eat. — Vì đói nên tôi quyết định tìm chỗ ăn.
- Since it’s late and we’re tired, let’s get a taxi home. — Vì đã muộn và chúng ta mệt nên mình bắt taxi về nhé.
as (vì) ⇄ when (lúc)
David wasn’t in the office as he was on holiday (= vì anh ấy đang đi nghỉ) ⇄ David lost his passport when he was on holiday (= trong lúc anh ấy đi nghỉ). As they lived near us, we used to see them quite often (= vì họ sống gần) ⇄ When they lived near us, we used to see them quite often (= lúc họ còn sống gần).
- David wasn’t in the office as he was on holiday. — David không ở văn phòng vì anh ấy đang đi nghỉ.
- David lost his passport when he was on holiday. — David bị mất hộ chiếu khi đang đi nghỉ.
Lưu ý
- Cùng một câu có as đôi khi hiểu được hai nghĩa; ngữ cảnh sẽ cho biết đó là “vì” hay “trong lúc”.