Basic Questions
Question words: ai, gì, đâu, khi nào, thế nào, tại sao, bao nhiêu
Can ask and understand basic questions using Vietnamese question words in their correct position
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Bạn tên là gì?
What is your name?
Bạn ở đâu?
Where do you live?
Cái này bao nhiêu tiền?
How much does this cost?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Câu hỏi cơ bản — Basic Questions
Vietnamese question words stay in place — they don't move to the front like in English/German! The word order stays the same as a statement, you just replace the unknown with a question word.
| Question word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ai | who | Đây là ai? (This is who? = Who is this?) |
| gì / cái gì | what | Đây là cái gì? (This is what?) |
| đâu / ở đâu | where | Bạn ở đâu? (You at where?) |
| khi nào | when | Bạn đi khi nào? (You go when?) |
| thế nào | how | Bạn thế nào? (You how? = How are you?) |
| tại sao / vì sao | why | Tại sao bạn khóc? (Why you cry?) |
| bao nhiêu | how much/many (>10) | Bao nhiêu tiền? (How much money?) |
| mấy | how many (<10) | Bạn có mấy anh em? (You have how-many siblings?) |
Key insight: No inversion! English: 'Where do you live?' Vietnamese: 'Bạn ở đâu?' (You live where?). The question word simply replaces the unknown element.
bao nhiêu vs mấy: Both mean 'how many' but mấy expects a small number (under 10), bao nhiêu is for larger/unknown quantities.
Common Error Patterns
Moved question word to sentence front (English/German word order)
Vietnamese question words stay IN PLACE. Don't say *Đâu bạn ở? Say Bạn ở đâu? (You live where?)
Bạn tên là gì?
What is your name?
Literally: You name is what? The question word gì stays at the END where the answer would go: Tôi tên là Minh.
Bạn ở đâu?
Where do you live?
Literally: You at where? No fronting, no 'do'. Just replace the location with đâu: Tôi ở Hà Nội → Bạn ở đâu?
Cái này bao nhiêu tiền?
How much does this cost?
bao nhiêu = how much/many (for larger numbers). For small quantities under 10, use mấy: Bạn có mấy con mèo? (How many cats do you have?)
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises