In Vietnamese, adjectives are postpositive, i.e., they come after the nouns they modify. This contrasts with English, where adjectives are prepositive.
Structure
Place an adjective after a noun to modify it.
noun + adjective
Examples
- nhà lớn big house
- người tốt good person
- áo mới new shirt
Usage notes
In some compound adjectives, the constituent adjective can come before the constituent noun (usually referring to a body part):
| Vietnamese | English | Literal translation |
|---|---|---|
| tốt bụng | kind-hearted | good belly |
| xấu bụng | unkind, mean | bad belly |
| sáng dạ | sharp-witted | bright belly |
| tối dạ | dull-witted | dark belly |
| nóng lòng | eager | hot gut |
| đau lòng | heart-rending | painful gut |
| to gan | bold, daring | big liver |
| cả gan | ||
| cứng đầu | stubborn | hard head |
| to mồm | loudmouthed | big mouth |
| dẻo mồm | smooth-talking | ductile mouth |
| dẻo miệng | ||
| dẻo mỏ | ||
| khéo tay | dexterous | skillful hand |