Morning English Lesson: Talking About APIs Like a Developer

Good morning! It’s Monday, so today’s lesson is Technical English. We’re talking about APIs — the thing every backend developer describes in standups, PRs, and Slack threads, often in English even on an all-Vietnamese team. Let’s fix the one word almost everyone mispronounces first.

Word of the Day: Endpoint

endpoint (noun) — IPA: /ˈend.pɔɪnt/
Vietnamese: điểm cuối (của API) — địa chỉ URL cụ thể mà một ứng dụng gọi để lấy hoặc gửi dữ liệu.

• The /users endpoint returns a list of all registered accounts.
• Our mobile app calls three different endpoints just to load the home screen.
• This endpoint is deprecated — use /v2/users instead.

Check it: Cambridge Dictionary — endpoint · hear native speakers say it: YouGlish — endpoint

Vocabulary Table: Describing API Calls

Phrase	Vietnamese	Example
API endpoint	điểm cuối API	“The user endpoint returns JSON data.”
send a request	gửi một yêu cầu	“We send a GET request to fetch the profile.”
response payload	nội dung phản hồi	“Check the response payload for the error message.”
rate limit	giới hạn tốc độ gọi	“We hit the rate limit after 100 calls in a minute.”
authentication token	token xác thực	“Include the authentication token in the request header.”

How a Request Actually Flows

Here’s the whole trip in one picture: a client attaches an auth header, the endpoint receives it, the server checks the token, the database runs the query, and a JSON response comes back. Say each step out loud as you read it — that’s the vocabulary from the table above, in order.

Pronunciation Guide

endpoint splits into two parts: END + POINT. Two syllables, stress on the first one: ENd-point, not end-POINT. The “oi” in “point” is the same diphthong as in “coin” or “join” — /ɔɪ/. Vietnamese speakers often soften the final “t” until it disappears; keep it short but audible.

Practice sentence — read it aloud 3 times:

“The new endpoint returns a 404 error when the authentication token expires.”

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank

Before you can call the API, you need to authenticate with a valid ___.

Show answer

token — “Before you can call the API, you need to authenticate with a valid token.”

Exercise 2: Translate

Translate into English: “Chúng tôi đã gửi một yêu cầu GET đến endpoint người dùng, nhưng phản hồi trả về lỗi 404.”

Show answer

“We sent a GET request to the user endpoint, but the response came back with a 404 error.”

Idiom of the Day: Iron Out the Bugs

to iron out the bugs — giải quyết hết các lỗi nhỏ còn sót lại trước khi hoàn thiện. Giống như dùng bàn ủi để làm phẳng từng nếp nhăn — bạn xử lý từng vấn đề nhỏ cho đến khi mọi thứ chạy mượt.

• “We spent the whole afternoon ironing out the bugs before the release.”
• “The new endpoint works now — it just took two days to iron out the bugs.”

Recommended Watching

• freeCodeCamp.org — search “APIs for Beginners” for a full walkthrough of REST concepts in plain English.
• Fireship — fast, dense explainer videos; search “API” or “REST vs GraphQL” for quick vocabulary exposure.
• Traversy Media — search “REST API crash course” for longer-form tutorials with a developer narrating in clear English.

Today’s Challenge

Next time you open Postman, your browser’s dev tools, or a curl command, say the request out loud in English before you run it — “I’m sending a GET request to the user endpoint with an authentication token.” One sentence, out loud, every time today.