In Vietnamese, we use ai to ask “who”.
Structure
Place ai before or after a verb to ask “who”. The position of ai depends on its function: as the subject or the object. The logic behind this is explained in placement of question words.
As the subject:
ai + verb
As the object (“whom”):
verb + ai
To ask about possession (“whose”), use the structure of expressing possession with của.
noun + của + 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? - Đây là điện thoại của ai?
Whose phone is this?
Usage notes
When the verb is là (“to be”), ai can come before or after là. However, if the other word is a pronoun, then normally ai comes after là.
- Anh là ai? ✅
Who are you?
If we swap the two of them, the new sentence will mean a different thing.
- Ai là anh? ⚠
Who is the elder/eldest (brother)?
Of course, ai, in theory, can come before là, but there must be some hidden connotation.
Other than that, it doesn’t matter if ai comes before or after là:
- Người giàu nhất thế giới là ai? ✅
- Ai là người giàu nhất thế giới? ✅
Who is the richest person in the world?