B1 Vietnamese Grammar

The phrase nói cho dễ hiểu is used to simplify or clarify a statement.

đồng thời indicates that two things happen or exist at the same time.

bên cạnh đó is used to add another related point, meaning "in addition."

ngoài việc is used to indicate that besides one action or thing, there is also something else.

'kể cả' means to include something, often with the sense of 'even' or 'including'.

'bao gồm' is used to formally list included items.

'chẳng hạn' is used to give examples, similar to 'for example' or 'such as'.

nói chung is used to make a general summary or overview.

'mà' is frequently used to express mild contrast ('but', 'though') or as a sentence-final particle indicating reminder, explanation, or emphasis, essential for learners.

Thì là is used after a topic to give a judgment, definition, or explanation.

Besides meaning "to be," là is used in emphasis structures to highlight the focus.

Mà connects additional explanations or restrictions and is not always equivalent to "but."

Mà at the end or middle of a sentence can convey a tone similar to "you know" or "since."

'có ... mà' is used in spoken Vietnamese to confirm or contradict, similar to saying 'Yes, there is' or 'Clearly there is'.

'ra' can be a directional or result complement, and appears in 'ngoài ... ra' meaning 'besides' or 'except'.

The particle qua can mean 'to pass by' or 'to go through'; note it is different from quá with a tone mark, which means 'too' or 'very'.

Mất indicates losing something, doing something away, or spending time or money.

Được can indicate successful completion of an action or obtaining a result.

'lấy' means to take or get something, and in fixed structures can mean to use something as a basis or for a purpose.

mà thôi limits the scope of a statement, meaning "only that" or "just that."

mà lại indicates an unexpected or surprising contrast, often translated as "yet" or "but still."

mãi expresses a long duration of time, often implying "only after a long time" or "continuously until."

'cơ à' at the end of a sentence expresses surprise, newly learned information, or a slightly questioning confirmation.

'cơ nhé' is used to remind or emphasize that something is true or worth noting.

'đâu' at the end of a sentence is used to negate or correct someone's assumption, similar to 'not at all' or 'no way'.

'thôi mà' softens the tone, expresses coaxing, reassurance, or means 'it's just... after all'.

đấy nhé is used at the end of a sentence to emphasize and remind the listener of what was just said.

Both đấy and đó mean "that". They can be used as demonstratives or sentence-final particles, but đấy often adds emphasis, reminder, or a Northern dialect flavor.

Thì thôi expresses acceptance of a result without further insistence.

'từ trước đến nay' means something has been the case continuously from the past until now.

'đang định' indicates that someone is currently planning or preparing to do something.

'đang còn' indicates that a state currently continues to exist, often with the sense of 'still' or 'there is still'.

'mỗi khi' indicates that whenever one situation occurs, another usually happens as well.

'cho đến khi' indicates that a state or action continues up to a certain time or event.

Both chớ and đừng mean 'do not'; chớ is more formal or used in warnings, while đừng is more common in daily speech.

'không gì' means 'nothing' or 'not anything', negating things or content.

'không đâu' is a colloquial negation used to soften a denial or refusal, similar to 'no, not at all' or 'that's not true'.

'chẳng' is a more colloquial or emotive negation often conveying 'not at all' or 'absolutely not'.

không hề is used to strongly emphasize the complete absence of an action, feeling, or state. It is similar to 'completely not' or 'not at all' in English.

chả is a casual way to say 'not' or 'not at all,' often with a tone of indifference or emphasis.

chưa hề emphasizes that something has never happened up to now.

không mấy expresses a low degree, meaning 'not very' or 'not much.'

'có gì đâu' is used to downplay a situation, meaning 'it's nothing.'

'có phải đâu' is used in spoken Vietnamese to strongly deny or refute something, similar to 'definitely not' or 'not at all' in English.

chẳng còn expresses that a state no longer exists, with a stronger and more colloquial tone than không còn.

The pattern không ... đâu mà is used in spoken Vietnamese to refute or reassure, indicating that something is not as the other person thinks.

không phải lúc nào cũng indicates that something does not happen in all cases or every time.

'vì sao' also means "why" but is slightly more formal or literary than 'tại sao'.

'tại sao lại' is used to ask for reasons while emphasizing that something is unexpected.

'thế nào là' is used to ask for definitions, criteria, or concepts.

'bao nhiêu ... bấy nhiêu' commonly expresses 'as much ... as much', a structure important for learners to master.

'kém' means 'worse', 'inferior', or 'less effective', often used in comparisons of ability, quality, or level.

'thua' means 'to lose to' or 'not as good as', often used in contexts of competition, ability, or degree.

'ngang bằng' means two things are equivalent in degree, level, or status, similar to 'on par with' or 'equivalent' in English.

'tương tự như' means 'similar to', and is often used in formal or analytical explanations.

'so với' introduces the comparison standard, similar to English 'compared with' or 'in comparison to'.

'gấp ... lần' expresses multiplicative comparison, similar to English '... times as much/many'.

'càng ngày càng' also means 'more and more', with a more colloquial or stronger emphasis on gradual change than 'ngày càng'.

'so với ... thì' is used to introduce the basis for comparison, then state the result.

'gấp đôi' means double or twice as much, and is commonly used for expressing multiples.

'chẳng bằng' is a colloquial way to say 'not as good as' or 'cannot compare to'.

hơn hẳn expresses a clearly noticeable difference, stronger than just 'more.'

bằng được is often used in negative sentences to express not yet reaching a standard or comparison target.

không kém indicates a degree not lower than another, often used in comparisons and additional evaluations.

Hơn cả indicates exceeding a high standard or expectation.

Kém gì is a rhetorical comparative question meaning 'not worse at all than' the other.

'khác hẳn' expresses a very obvious or complete difference.

'gần như' indicates a degree very close to a certain state but not 100%.

'hầu như' indicates that most cases or situations are like this, close to all.

'hễ ... là' is commonly used to express 'whenever... then', an important structure for English speakers learning Vietnamese.

'miễn là' is commonly used to express 'as long as', an important structure for English speakers learning Vietnamese.

'giả sử' is commonly used to express 'suppose' or 'if', an important structure for English speakers learning Vietnamese.

'trong trường hợp' is commonly used to express 'in the case of', an important structure for English speakers learning Vietnamese.

'kể cả khi' expresses a concessive condition, meaning 'even when' or 'even if'.

'dù có' introduces a concessive condition, meaning 'even if there is...' or 'even if...'.

'một khi' means 'once' or 'as soon as' a condition is met, the result will happen or should be followed.

'bằng không' means 'otherwise' or 'if not', introducing a consequence if the advice or command is not followed.

'giá mà' expresses a wishful or hypothetical regret, often meaning 'If only it were so...'

'lỡ như' expresses a worried or precautionary 'what if' scenario.

'cho dù là' emphasizes that even if a certain condition holds, the following statement remains true.

The phrase kiểu gì cũng expresses that regardless of the method or way, the result will definitely occur.

Thế nào cũng expresses the speaker’s strong certainty that a result will happen.

'giá như' expresses wishes or regrets, similar to 'if only...' in English.

'lỡ' expresses accidental occurrence or worry about 'in case', commonly used in spoken language.

'phòng khi' indicates preventive action against a possible situation, similar to 'in case' in English.

'trừ khi' means 'unless', introducing the only exception condition.

'dù có ... cũng' expresses concessive condition, similar to 'even if there is' or 'even if ... still' in English.

do ... nên is commonly used to express 'because ... therefore', essential for learners.

nhờ ... nên is commonly used to express 'thanks to ... therefore', essential for learners.

tại ... nên is commonly used to express 'because ... therefore', essential for learners.

là vì is used in the second clause to explain the true reason, meaning "is because."

vì thế is used to connect the previous reason, meaning "therefore" or "so."

do vậy is a more formal way to say "therefore," often used in explanations, reports, or arguments.

chính vì vậy emphasizes that the previous reason is the key cause of the following result.

vì lý do đó explicitly refers to the previously mentioned reason, meaning "because of that reason."

'nguyên nhân là' is used to clearly state the cause of something.

The phrase là do is used to place the reason after the result, explaining "this is due to...".

Chính vì emphasizes the reason, meaning "precisely because..."

'thảo nào' expresses sudden understanding after learning a reason, similar to English 'no wonder'.

'hèn chi' is a colloquial expression meaning 'no wonder' with a regional flavor.

'bảo sao' is a colloquial expression meaning 'no wonder,' often used as a reaction after revealing a reason.

'thay vì' is commonly used to express 'instead of' or 'rather than', an important structure for learners.

'trái lại' is commonly used to express 'on the contrary', an essential structure for learners.

'ngược lại' is commonly used to express 'conversely' or 'on the other hand', an important structure for learners.

Nói vậy thôi is used to retract, soften, or add to the previous statement.

'dù sao thì' is used to return to the main point, indicating that no matter what happened before, the following statement still holds.

'dù gì thì' indicates that regardless of other factors, the speaker returns to a certain fact.

'tuy là' is used to acknowledge a certain identity, state, or fact, then introduce a contrast.

thế nhưng connects to the previous context and introduces a contrast, similar to 'but' or 'however'.

tuy vậy connects to the previous context to introduce a contrast or concession, meaning 'nevertheless' or 'however'.

'mặc dù vậy' acknowledges the previous situation but introduces a contrasting or unexpected result.

'dù vậy' means 'even so', indicating that despite the previous unfavorable condition, the following still happens.

'trong khi đó' can indicate simultaneous actions or contrast between two situations.

'ngược lại thì' is used in spoken or explanatory contexts to introduce an opposite situation.

'trái lại thì' introduces a statement opposite to the previous one, common in spoken explanations.

'dù thế nào' means that no matter the situation, the attitude or result in the following clause remains true.

'không phải vậy' is used to deny the previous understanding and then provide a correction.

'khác ở chỗ' is used to point out the specific difference, meaning 'the difference is that'.

Để phục vụ indicates that an action is done to serve or support a certain audience or goal.

'miễn sao' expresses that as long as a certain result is achieved, other conditions do not matter.

'cố ý' indicates someone consciously does something, meaning 'deliberately'.

sao cho expresses arranging or adjusting something to achieve the state or standard in the following clause.

'để mà không' expresses doing something to avoid another action from happening.

'đến nỗi' is commonly used to express 'to the extent that', an important structure for English speakers learning Vietnamese.

khiến is commonly used to express 'to cause' or 'to lead to', a structure essential for learners to master.

làm cho is commonly used to express 'to make' or 'to let', an essential structure for learners.

'kết quả là' introduces the final outcome, similar to 'the result is' in English.

'rốt cuộc' expresses the final result after a process, often with a tone of 'after all' or 'finally'.

'thành ra' indicates that the preceding situation causes the following result; in spoken language, it is similar to 'so' or 'as a result'.

dẫn đến indicates that something causes a certain result, often used in formal or analytical contexts.

gây ra indicates causing a problem, impact, or result, similar to 'to cause' or 'to bring about' in English.

hóa ra indicates a later discovery of the truth or result, similar to 'it turns out' in English.

tới mức indicates a high degree causing the following result, similar to 'to the extent that' in English.

'vì thế' connects a cause to its result, indicating 'because of this, therefore...'.

'bởi vậy' means 'because of that, so...', often used in more formal contexts to connect cause and result.

'dẫn tới' indicates that a cause leads to a particular result, similar in meaning to 'dẫn đến'.

'cuối cùng thì' indicates that after a process, a certain result has occurred.

Khiến cho indicates that something causes a person or thing to have a certain result.

'không phải ... mà là' is commonly used to express 'not ... but rather ...', a structure essential for learners to master.

The particle thì is commonly used to mean "then", "so", or as a topic marker. It is an essential structure for learners to master early on.

'chính' is used to emphasize the focus element, meaning 'exactly' or 'precisely'.

nói thật là introduces a frank, direct opinion.

Thì ra là expresses the speaker's sudden realization of the truth or reason.

Thì cũng is used to acknowledge that a point is somewhat valid or acceptable.

Gọi là is used for naming or calling something, and can also mean 'considered as.'

The structure đối với ... thì introduces a topic first, then comments on it.

về phần is used to single out a person or part, similar to 'as for' in English.

riêng is used to single out a subject for emphasis or distinction.

còn ... thì is used to switch to another topic and comment on it.

chính là is used to emphasize the subject of a statement, meaning 'exactly is' or 'precisely is.'

"cái mà" nominalizes the following content, often introducing "the thing that..."

"điều mà" nominalizes abstract content or matters, with a more formal tone than "cái mà".

"người mà" refers to a person described by an action or characteristic.

"vấn đề là" points out the real problem, meaning "the problem is."

"quan trọng là" introduces the most important focus.

bị is commonly used to express passive or adverse experiences, essential for learners.

'cần phải' expresses necessity with a stronger sense of obligation than 'cần' alone.

'buộc phải' expresses being forced by external pressure to do something.

'được phép' indicates formal permission or authority.

'có quyền' indicates having the legal or rightful authority to do something.

'có khả năng' can express ability or possibility.

muốn được expresses hoping to do something or to get an opportunity.

'bắt buộc phải' expresses an external rule or situation that forces someone to do something.

'không nhất thiết' indicates that something is not a necessary condition.

'chưa chắc' expresses the speaker's uncertainty about a judgment.

When placed at the end of a sentence, thì phải expresses the speaker's uncertain guess or assumption.

'việc' can nominalize verbs and also mean 'a matter' or 'a task'.

Topic + thì + comment means the topic comes first, followed by an explanation introduced by 'thì'.

Vietnamese can introduce a topic first, then state the real subject in the comment part.

vô cùng is a more formal adverb of degree meaning "very" or "extremely."

'hết sức' can express a high degree ('very') or indicate doing something with full effort ('to the utmost').

'cực kỳ' expresses a very strong degree, similar to 'extremely' or 'super' in English.

'đặc biệt là' is used to highlight a particularly important item from a group or list.

nhất là is used to highlight the most notable item, similar to "especially" in English.

Quá chừng is a colloquial intensifier indicating a very high degree, often meaning "very" or "super."

'ngay cả' means 'even', used to emphasize an unexpected or surprising inclusion.

'đến cả' also means 'even', often with a stronger or more colloquial tone than 'ngay cả'.

'cả ... cũng' expresses 'even' or 'also', emphasizing inclusion of a particular person or thing.

'mỗi' can mean 'each' or, in some colloquial contexts, express limitation similar to 'only' or 'just'.

'tận' emphasizes a great distance, long time, or large quantity, similar to English expressions like 'as far as', 'as many as', or 'even up to'.

'không ngờ là' expresses surprise or an unexpected result, meaning 'did not expect that'.

The phrase tôi nói thật đấy is used to emphasize that what you say is true.

Nghĩ mà xem is used to ask the listener to think, strengthening the speaker's persuasion.