Vietnamese 'không ai' Usage (No One / Nobody)
'không ai' means 'no one' and is often used as the subject or object to negate people.
Quick explanation
Quick explanation
'không ai' means 'no one' and is often used as the subject or object to negate people.
English meanings
- no one
- nobody
Grammar pattern
Examples
1
Không ai biết câu trả lời.
No one knows the answer.
2
Tôi không gặp ai ở đó.
I didn't meet anyone there.
How to use it
'không ai' is a negative indefinite pronoun meaning no person at all. It usually appears at the start of a sentence as the subject, e.g. 'Không ai biết.' English speakers often mistakenly say 'ai không', which usually forms a different question or unnatural structure.
- Use 'Không ai + verb' as subject.
- Use 'không + verb + ai' as object.
- Do not use 'ai không' to mean 'no one'.
Compared with English
Compared with English
In English, 'no one knows' places 'no one' at the front; Vietnamese also uses 'Không ai biết' but does not separate 'ai' and 'không' arbitrarily.
Common mistakes
Ai không biết câu trả lời.
Không ai biết câu trả lời.
'No one knows' uses 'Không ai' as subject.
Tôi không ai gặp ở đó.
Tôi không gặp ai ở đó.
As object, 'ai' follows the verb 'gặp'.
Commonly confused grammar
Practice
Multiple choice
Which sentence means 'No one knows the answer'?
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Multiple choice
Which sentence means 'No one knows the answer'?
- Không ai biết câu trả lời.
- Ai không biết câu trả lời.
- Không gì biết câu trả lời.
Answer: Không ai biết câu trả lời.
Explanation: 'Không ai' is used as subject for 'no one'.
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: ____ biết câu trả lời.
Show answer
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: ____ biết câu trả lời.
Answer: Không ai biết câu trả lời.
Explanation: Use 'Không ai + verb' as subject.
English to Vietnamese
Translate "No one knows the answer." into Vietnamese.
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English to Vietnamese
Translate "No one knows the answer." into Vietnamese.
Answer: Không ai biết câu trả lời.
Explanation: Use không ai in the same structure as the example.
True or false
'không ai' can be used exactly like the English 'not'.
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True or false
'không ai' can be used exactly like the English 'not'.
Answer: False
Explanation: Vietnamese negation depends on what is negated: action, identity, completion, ability, necessity, or command.
Correction
Correct this sentence: Ai không biết câu trả lời.
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Correction
Correct this sentence: Ai không biết câu trả lời.
Answer: Không ai biết câu trả lời.
Explanation: 'No one' is 'không ai', not 'ai không'.