Personal pronouns as kinship terms: tôi, bạn, anh, chị, em, ông, bà
Can use appropriate Vietnamese pronouns based on age and social relationship in basic conversations
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Anh ơi, anh tên là gì?
Excuse me (older brother), what is your name?
Em là sinh viên. Còn chị?
I am a student. And you (older sister)?
Chúng ta đi ăn nhé!
Let's go eat! (including you)
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Vietnamese pronouns are NOT like European pronouns. Instead of simple I/you/he/she, Vietnamese uses kinship terms that encode age, gender, and social relationship. Choosing the wrong pronoun is a social mistake, not just a grammar one!
| Pronoun | Meaning | Use when... |
|---|---|---|
| tôi | I (neutral) | Formal, default for foreigners |
| bạn | you (friend) | Same age, casual (also means 'friend') |
| anh | older brother / you (to older male) | Speaking to/about a man slightly older |
| chị | older sister / you (to older female) | Speaking to/about a woman slightly older |
| em | younger sibling / you (to younger person) | Speaking to/about someone younger |
| ông | grandfather / you (to elderly man) | Speaking to/about an older gentleman |
| bà | grandmother / you (to elderly woman) | Speaking to/about an older lady |
| cô | aunt / you (to young woman) / she | Speaking to/about a woman (father's sister age) |
| chú | uncle / you (to man) | Speaking to/about a man (father's brother age) |
Key insight: The SAME word is used for 'I', 'you', AND 'he/she' depending on perspective! If you call someone anh, you become em to them.
Plural: Add chúng before: chúng tôi (we, exclusive), chúng ta (we, inclusive), các bạn (you all), họ (they — this one IS a real pronoun).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesUsed tôi/bạn when anh/chị/em would be more natural
tôi/bạn is safe but sounds robotic. Use anh (to older man), chị (to older woman), em (to younger person) for natural Vietnamese.
Confused chúng ta (inclusive we) and chúng tôi (exclusive we)
chúng ta = we (you + me + maybe others). chúng tôi = we (me + others, but NOT you).
Anh ơi, anh tên là gì?
Excuse me (older brother), what is your name?
Using anh (older brother) shows respect to a man slightly older than you. You don't need a separate word for 'your' — anh IS 'you' here.
Em là sinh viên. Còn chị?
I am a student. And you (older sister)?
Here em = 'I' (because the speaker is younger), and chị = 'you' (addressing an older woman). The same em means 'you' when an older person addresses a younger one!
Chúng ta đi ăn nhé!
Let's go eat! (including you)
chúng ta = we (inclusive — includes the listener). chúng tôi = we (exclusive — does NOT include the listener). This distinction doesn't exist in European languages!
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises