In Vietnamese, we use này and đấy (or đó) to express “this” and “that”, respectively.
Structure
Place này or đấy after a noun to express “this” or “that”, respectively.
noun + này / đấy
measure word + noun + này / đấy
When the noun is understood from context, it’s acceptable to drop it and place này or đấy after the measure word of the noun (only works if it has a measure word). This is like “this one” or “that one” in English.
measure word + này / đấy
In the Southern dialect, đó is used instead of đấy.
Examples
- cái bàn này
this table - con mèo đấy
that cat - cái đó
that one - cuốn này
this one (book) - ngôn ngữ này
this language - ý tưởng đấy
that idea
Usage notes
If a noun doesn’t have a measure word, then the first structure is the only option, of course. Otherwise, we have two options: either adding a measure word or not. However, there is a subtle difference between them: adding a measure word refers to each instance while omitting it refers to the general type of things.
- quả táo này
this apple - táo này
this variety/cultivar of apples
- cuốn sách đấy
that book - sách đấy
that genre of books