In Vietnamese, we use mấy to express “several”. It indicates a quantity of “about five, more or less, but less than ten”.
Structure
Place mấy before the measure word of a noun to express “several”.
mấy + measure word + noun
When the noun is understood from context, it’s acceptable to drop it.
mấy + measure word
If the noun doesn’t have a measure word, place mấy before the noun.
mấy + noun
Examples
- mấy cái ghế
several chairs - mấy cái
several (instances of something) - mấy học sinh
several students - mấy chục
tens (of) - mấy trăm
hundreds (of) - mấy trăm thành viên
hundreds of members
Usage notes
The right word to express “tens (of)” is mấy chục, not mấy mươi.