In Vietnamese, we use đừng to form negative imperative sentences, like “don’t” in English.
Structure
Place đừng before a verb to negate it in an imperative sentence.
đừng + verb
Usage note
In Vietnamese, it’s common to include the subject (“you”, “we”, etc.) to sound polite or show respect to seniors, but it’s also common to omit the subject if it’s not really necessary. When the subject is “we”, it’s equivalent to “let’s not” in English.
Examples
- Đừng đi.Don’t go / don’t leave.
- Đừng vội.Don’t hurry.
- Đừng giận.Don’t be angry.
- Đừng uống quá nhiều rượu.Don’t drink too much.
- Anh đừng nói sự thật.Don’t tell the truth.