Demonstratives in Vietnamese

In Brief

Vietnamese demonstratives normally come after the noun: cái bàn này means “this table,” literally “classifier + table + this.” Use này for something near the speaker, đó for “that” or something already mentioned, and kia for something farther away; đây and đấy/đó point to places: “here” and “there.”

Overview

A demonstrative is a pointing word: a word such as “this,” “that,” “here,” or “there.” Vietnamese demonstratives help you identify a person, object, place, time, or idea by showing where it is in relation to the conversation. At A1, the essential set is này (“this/these”), đó (“that/those”), kia (“that/those over there”), đây (“here”), and đấy/đó (“there”).

The first major difference from English is word order. English puts this and that before a noun, but Vietnamese normally puts the demonstrative after it: bàn này (“this table”), người đó (“that person”), nhà kia (“that house over there”). When a classifier is present—a short word that groups or counts a noun—the usual pattern is classifier + noun + demonstrative: cái bàn này. This topic therefore builds directly on Vietnamese classifiers.

Vietnamese does not change a demonstrative for singular and plural in the way English contrasts “this/these” and “that/those.” Context or a plural marker supplies the number: người này may mean “this person,” while những người này means “these people.”

How It Works

The core pointing system

Form	Core meaning	Typical use	Example
này	this, these	near the speaker; current or immediate	cuốn sách này — this book
đó	that, those	away from the speaker, neutral distance, or already mentioned	người đó — that person
kia	that/those over there	visibly farther away or deliberately contrasted	ngôi nhà kia — that house over there
đây	here	the speaker’s location; sometimes “this/here is”	ở đây — here
đấy	there; that	location away from the speaker, especially common in northern usage	ở đấy — there
đó	there; that	location away from the speaker; widely used	ở đó — there

These meanings are useful guides, not measurements of exact distance. A speaker chooses a form according to how they mentally present something. Đó is the everyday neutral choice for “that,” whereas kia more strongly directs the listener’s attention to something farther away: “that one over there.”

Demonstratives after nouns

A noun is a word for a person, object, place, or idea. With an identified noun, Vietnamese normally follows this order:

(plural/quantity) + classifier + noun + demonstrative

Structure	Vietnamese	Meaning
noun + demonstrative	hôm đó	that day
classifier + noun + demonstrative	cái bàn này	this table
number + classifier + noun + demonstrative	hai cuốn sách đó	those two books
plural marker + classifier + noun + demonstrative	những người này	these people

Not every noun phrase needs an audible classifier. Time words commonly take the demonstrative directly: hôm nay (“today,” historically “this day”), hôm đó (“that day”), lúc này (“at this moment”), and lúc đó (“at that time”). Names and kinship terms can also be followed directly by a demonstrative when context allows.

Using a classifier without repeating the noun

When the noun is already clear, a classifier can stand before the demonstrative:

• cái này — this one (a general object)
• cái đó — that one
• con kia — that animal over there
• người này — this person
• cuốn này — this volume/book

English often says “this one,” but Vietnamese usually keeps the appropriate classifier rather than adding a separate equivalent of one. Compare Bạn thích cái nào? (“Which one do you like?”) and Tôi thích cái này (“I like this one”).

“Here” and “there” as places

For location, use đây, đấy, or đó, often after ở (“at/in”):

Vietnamese	Natural English	Comment
ở đây	here	at this place
ở đấy	there	at that place
ở đó	there	at that place
từ đây	from here	starting point
đến đó	to/until there	destination or endpoint

In a short answer, Đây or Ở đây can both work, depending on the question. With a stative location expression, Vietnamese often omits any direct equivalent of English “is”: Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? — Ở kia. (“Where is the restroom? — Over there.”)

Number: “this” and “these” use the same form

The demonstrative itself does not mark number:

• cuốn sách này — this book
• hai cuốn sách này — these two books
• những cuốn sách này — these books
• người đó — that person
• những người đó — those people

Do not look for separate Vietnamese words corresponding exactly to English these and those. Number comes from hai, ba, and other numbers, from plural markers such as những or các, or simply from context.

Referring back to something already mentioned

Pointing is not always physical. Đó can refer back to a time, event, statement, or person already introduced:

• Hôm đó trời mưa. — It rained that day.
• Lúc đó tôi chưa biết. — I did not know at that time.
• Đó là một ý hay. — That is a good idea.

This is similar to English “that” in “That is true”: the speaker points to an idea in the conversation rather than to an object in the room.

Examples in Context

Vietnamese	English	Note
Cái bàn này rất nặng.	This table is very heavy.	này follows the noun.
Người đó là ai?	Who is that person?	Neutral đó for an identified person.
Ngôi nhà kia màu trắng.	That house over there is white.	kia points farther away.
Tôi muốn mua cuốn sách này.	I want to buy this book.	Classifier + noun + demonstrative.
Hai cái áo đó bao nhiêu tiền?	How much are those two shirts?	The number appears before the classifier.
Những người này là đồng nghiệp của tôi.	These people are my colleagues.	những makes the group plural.
Bạn thích cái nào? — Tôi thích cái kia.	Which one do you like? — I like that one over there.	The noun is omitted after cái.
Điện thoại của tôi ở đây.	My phone is here.	ở đây marks the location.
Nhà vệ sinh ở đấy.	The restroom is there.	đấy points to a place away from the speaker.
Chúng ta gặp nhau ở đó nhé.	Let’s meet there.	ở đó refers to an understood place.
Hôm đó trời mưa.	It rained that day.	đó identifies a past day.
Lúc này tôi hơi bận.	I’m a little busy right now.	Literally “at this time.”
Lúc đó tôi đang sống ở Huế.	At that time, I was living in Huế.	Refers back to a period already under discussion.
Đây là bạn tôi, Lan.	This is my friend Lan.	đây là introduces someone nearby.
Đó là một ý kiến hay.	That is a good idea.	đó refers to an idea just expressed.

Common Mistakes

Putting the demonstrative before the noun

• Wrong: này cái bàn
• Right: cái bàn này
• Why: Unlike English “this table,” Vietnamese normally places này, đó, and kia after the noun. If a classifier is used, it comes before the noun.

Treating đây as the normal modifier for “this”

• Wrong: cuốn sách đây (for ordinary “this book”)
• Right: cuốn sách này
• Why: Này normally identifies a nearby noun. Đây primarily means “here” and also appears in presentational patterns such as Đây là… (“This is…”).

Using kia for every English “that”

• Awkward: Hôm kia trời mưa when you simply mean “It rained that day.”
• Right: Hôm đó trời mưa.
• Why: Kia usually points to something more distant or strongly contrasted. With time words, combinations can also have fixed meanings: notably, hôm kia commonly means “the day before yesterday,” not just any distant “that day.”

Inventing separate plural demonstratives

• Wrong idea: changing này because “this” becomes “these” in English
• Right: cái áo này → những cái áo này
• Why: Vietnamese demonstratives do not change for number. Add a number or an appropriate plural marker when plurality must be explicit.

Dropping the classifier in a “one” expression

• Incomplete: Tôi thích này.
• Right: Tôi thích cái này.
• Why: When referring to “this one,” Vietnamese commonly retains the classifier that fits the understood noun. Cái is the usual general classifier for objects, but people, animals, and books may require another form.

Assuming đó always points to a visible object

• Misreading: taking Đó là một vấn đề only as pointing at a physical thing
• Right interpretation: “That is a problem.”
• Why: Đó can point back to an entire situation, statement, or idea. Context determines what “that” refers to.

Usage Notes

Đó and đấy

Both đó and đấy can correspond to “there” or “that.” Regional preference and conversational style affect the choice: đấy is especially frequent in northern speech, while đó is widely used and is particularly common in southern speech. Learners can safely use đó as a broad neutral form and learn to recognize both.

Đấy also occurs as a sentence-final conversational particle, where it no longer simply means “there.” In Đẹp đấy! it adds a tone such as “That’s pretty nice!” This pragmatic use depends heavily on tone and context, so it is better learned from whole expressions rather than translated word for word.

Distance is partly a matter of viewpoint

The contrast between này, đó, and kia is often described as near–farther–far away. That is a good beginner model, but speakers also use demonstratives to manage attention. Something physically nearby may take đó if it is near the listener or has already been mentioned. Kia can create a stronger contrast between one item and another, even when exact distances are unimportant.

Demonstratives and politeness

The forms themselves are not polite or impolite, but pointing at people can sound abrupt in any language. Người đó is grammatically correct, yet in direct social interaction Vietnamese speakers often prefer a kinship or address term—such as anh, chị, cô, or chú—when the relationship is known. Choosing the right form of address is a separate topic from demonstrative grammar.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to produce all of the following at A1, but you will meet these extensions in conversation and writing.

Ấy and nọ

Vietnamese has additional demonstrative forms. Ấy can mean “that” or “the aforementioned,” and appears in combinations such as lúc ấy (“at that time”), người ấy (“that person”), and cô ấy (“she”). Some uses feel more literary or are lexicalized in common pronouns and time expressions.

Nọ can indicate something removed in time, indefinite, or recalled from an earlier context. In một hôm nọ, it gives the storytelling sense “one day.” It is not simply an everyday substitute for every use of kia or đó.

Paired contrasts

Demonstratives can organize alternatives:

• người này, người kia — this person and that person; one person and another
• cái này hay cái đó? — this one or that one?
• bên này / bên kia — this side / the other side

In such pairs, kia may mean “the other” rather than emphasizing literal long distance. The construction người này người kia can also generalize over several people, roughly “various people” or “one person after another,” depending on context.

Demonstratives as discourse tools

A discourse tool helps speakers connect parts of a conversation. Này can attract attention when used independently, similar to “hey” or “look,” while đó/đấy can reinforce a conclusion or warning. These uses are highly sensitive to intonation—the rise and fall of the voice—and social relationship. They should not be derived mechanically from the basic meanings “this” and “that.”

Demonstratives also combine with common place and direction words:

Expression	Meaning
bên này	this side; over here
bên kia	the other side; over there
chỗ này	this place/spot
chỗ đó	that place/spot
từ đó	from there; from then on
đến lúc đó	until/by that time

These combinations show why direct one-word translation is unreliable. For example, từ đó may describe physical movement from a place, or it may connect events in a story: “from then on.”

Practice Tips

1. Point and build the full phrase. Choose five objects around you and say cái bàn này, cái ghế kia, or cuốn sách đó. Keep the order classifier + noun + demonstrative.
2. Practice three distances. Put three objects near you, near a partner, and farther away. Contrast cái này, cái đó, and cái kia while pointing. The physical setup makes the basic distinction memorable.
3. Tell a short timeline. Use lúc này for now and lúc đó or hôm đó for an earlier moment. This trains the important nonphysical use of demonstratives, not only classroom pointing.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Classifiers — explains why phrases such as cái bàn này, cuốn sách đó, and con kia contain a classifier.