Expressing “this” and “that” with “này” and “đấy”

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
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