In Vietnamese, ai is used to express “who”.
Vietnamese is a wh-in-situ language, which means, in Vietnamese, the question words aren’t moved to the beginning of sentences, but rather stay in their original positions.
Structure
The position of ai depends on its function: as subject or object.
ai + verb
verb + ai
Examples
- Anh là ai?Who are you?
- Ai là huấn luyện viên?Who is the coach?
- Anh muốn gặp ai?Who do you want to see?
- Hôm qua ai trả tiền?Who paid the bill yesterday?
- Tôi đang nói chuyện với ai?With whom am I speaking?