Summary: Only the two English pronouns "I" and "You" can be translated into many different pronouns in Vietnamese conversations. Pronouns are determined by the context of the conversation. However, let's start with the most common pronouns first.
In English, you use "I/we" to refer to yourself/yourselves and "you" to refer to the person/people you're talking to in a conversation. Additionally, "it/he/she/they" are used to refer to someone you're talking about. However, when you learn Vietnamese, one English pronoun can be translated into many different words depending on:
- The age gap between you and the person you’re talking to/about.
- The relationship between you and that person.
- The context of the conversation.
- The social class of that person.
- Your attitude/emotions towards that person.
You don’t have to remember and learn all of them. The most common and neutral way to identify pronouns is based on the age gap. You are the first person, and all pronouns are identified by your age gap with the people you're talking to or about.
1. Singular pronouns
1.1. Pronouns between you (first person) and the person you’re talking to (second person)
You can always ask or guess the age of the person you're talking to in order to use the correct pronouns. If you can't guess their age, it's normal to ask about it in Vietnam.
Table 01: Vietnamese singular pronouns - First and second person
| AGE GAP | FIRST PERSON (I) | SECOND PERSON (YOU) |
|---|---|---|
| Small/no age gap. This is also used when you're unsure about the age of the person you're talking to or to keep the conversation neutral. |
Tôi | Bạn (Bạn also means friend in Vietnamese) |
| You’re 5 to 20 years younger than the person you’re talking to. | Em | Anh (for male) Chị (for female) |
| You’re 5 to 20 years older than the person you’re talking to. | Anh (for male) Chị (for female) |
Em |
| You’re 20 to 40 years old younger than the person you’re talking to. | Con | Chú (for male) Cô (for female) |
| You’re 20 to 40 years older than the person you’re talking to. | Chú (for male) Cô (for female) |
Con |
| You’re 40+ years younger than the person you’re talking to. | Con | Ông (for male) Bà (for female) |
| You’re 40+ years old older than the person you’re talking to. | Ông (for male) Bà (for female) |
Con |
| You’re the teacher of the person you’re talking to. | Thầy (for male) Cô (for female) |
Em |
Do you notice that all pronouns in the table above are family members that we learned in the previous lesson? Now you know why we should learn about family members in Vietnamese first.
Note:
- Pronouns for the first and second person usually go in pair.
- Pronouns in Vietnamese don’t change in a sentence like pronouns in English. Example: “I love you” and “You love me” (in English) but “Tôi yêu bạn” and “Bạn yêu tôi” (in Vietnamese).
1.2. Pronouns between you (first person) and the person you’re talking about (third person)
When you talk to a person about someone else.
- You refer yourself based on the age gap between you and the person you’re talking to (as in table 01), and
- You refer to the third person based on the age gap between you and the person you’re talking about (as in table 02 below).
Table 02: Vietnamese singular pronouns - Third person
| AGE GAP | THIRD PERSON (HE/SHE) |
|---|---|
| Small/no age gap. Also used when you’re not sure about the age of the person you're talking about; |
Bạn ấy |
| You’re 5 to 20 years younger than the person you’re talking about. | Anh ấy (for male) Chị ấy (for female) |
| You’re 5 to 20 years older than the person you’re talking about. | Em ấy |
| You’re 20 to 40 years younger than the person you’re talking about. | Chú ấy (for male) Cô ấy (for female) |
| You’re 20 to 40 years older than the person you’re talking about. | Cháu ấy |
| You’re 40+ years younger than the person you’re talking about. | Ông ấy (for male) Bà ấy (for female) |
| You’re 40+ years older than the person you’re talking about. | Cháu ấy |
| You’re the teacher of the person you’re talking about. | Em ấy |
Note:
- Table 02 is Table 01’s The second person column + “ấy”, except “Con”.
- Vietnamese has one pronoun for an animal/object you’re talking about: “Nó”.
2. Exercise
Quiz 01: Which is the most suitable pair of pronouns between Andy and Min?
(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)
Quiz 02: Which is the most suitable pair of pronouns between Suki and Phong?
(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)
Quiz 03: Ms. Suki is Phong’s teacher, which is the most suitable pair of pronouns between Suki and Phong?
(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)
Quiz 04: Which is the most suitable pair of pronouns between Nam and Mrs. Vân?
(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)
Quiz 05: Which is the most suitable pair of pronouns between Vy and Mrs. Vân?
(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)
Quiz 06: Which is the most suitable pair of pronouns between Vy and Nam?
(Note: Correct answer button will turn green.)
Don’t forget to practice how to use pronouns in Vietnamese, because we’re going to use them in the next lesson and start the first conversation in the journey of Learn Vietnamese 30 Days.
Thank you and see you next time!
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