Vietnamese rất + adjective / adjective + quá/lắm word order (degree adverb position)
rất + adjective / adjective + quá/lắm shows degree. rất comes before the adjective, quá and lắm usually come after.
Quick explanation
Quick explanation
rất + adjective / adjective + quá/lắm shows degree. rất comes before the adjective, quá and lắm usually come after.
English meanings
- Degree adverb position
Grammar pattern
Examples
1
Món này rất ngon.
This dish is very delicious.
2
Trời nóng quá.
The weather is so hot.
How to use it
Vietnamese degree adverbs have specific positions: rất đẹp ('very beautiful'), đẹp quá ('so beautiful!'), đẹp lắm ('very beautiful'). In English, degree adverbs usually come before the adjective, but in Vietnamese, some (quá, lắm) come after.
- rất comes before the adjective.
- quá and lắm usually come after the adjective.
- quá is more emphatic, lắm is more colloquial.
Compared with English
Compared with English
In English, 'very' comes before the adjective: 'very good'. In Vietnamese, rất comes before, but quá and lắm come after the adjective.
Common mistakes
Món này ngon rất.
Món này rất ngon.
rất should be before the adjective ngon.
Trời quá nóng.
Trời nóng quá.
For exclamations like 'so hot', nóng quá is more natural.
Commonly confused grammar
Practice
Multiple choice
Which sentence means 'This dish is very delicious'?
Show answer
Multiple choice
Which sentence means 'This dish is very delicious'?
- Món này rất ngon.
- Món này ngon rất.
- Rất món này ngon.
Answer: Món này rất ngon.
Explanation: rất comes before the adjective ngon.
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: Món này ____ ngon.
Show answer
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: Món này ____ ngon.
Answer: Món này rất ngon.
Explanation: rất comes before the adjective.
English to Vietnamese
Translate "This dish is very delicious." into Vietnamese.
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English to Vietnamese
Translate "This dish is very delicious." into Vietnamese.
Answer: Món này rất ngon.
Explanation: Use rất + Adj / Adj + quá/lắm in the same structure as the example.
True or false
Vietnamese degree adverbs can always follow English word order.
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True or false
Vietnamese degree adverbs can always follow English word order.
Answer: False
Explanation: Vietnamese has its own word order for degree adverbs, often different from English.
Correction
Correct this sentence: Món này ngon rất.
Show answer
Correction
Correct this sentence: Món này ngon rất.
Answer: Món này rất ngon.
Explanation: rất should be before the adjective.