How many words are in this list?

This page gives 100 Vietnamese words on “Function words”. The full topic holds 120 in the KoKo app: 48 at the easy level, 42 at the medium level and 30 at the hard level.

Which words should I start with?

With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.

How can I remember this Vietnamese vocabulary?

By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Vietnamese vocabulary: function words

Pronouns, articles, demonstratives, possessives: the small words of Vietnamese grammar you cannot build a sentence without.

Here are 100 Vietnamese words on “Function words”, translated into English and sorted from easiest to hardest.

Level 1: easy 40 words

Vietnamese	English
một	aIndefinite article, masculine singular
một	aIndefinite article, feminine singular
một chút	a little
tất cả	allDeterminer or pronoun, masculine plural
liệu	doQuestion marker, no literal equivalent
chính cô ấy	herselfReflexive pronoun, feminine singular
anh ấy	himObject pronoun, to him or to her
của anh ấy	hisSingular possessor, belonging to him or her
tôi	ISubject pronoun, first person singular
tôi	meStressed form, after a preposition or on its own
hơn	more than
của tôi	myPossessive determiner, before the noun
không	noNegative answer
không còn	no longer
không có gì	nothingPronoun used on its own
của nó	of it
người ta	one
chỉ	only
khác	other
cùng một	same
cô ấy	sheSubject pronoun, feminine singular
một ít	somePartitive article, feminine singular
một ít	somePartitive article, masculine singular
cái	theDefinite article, feminine singular
cái	theDefinite article, masculine singular
của họ	theirPlural possessor, belonging to them
có	there isExistence
này	theseDemonstrative determiner, plural
họ	theySubject pronoun
này	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
này	thisDemonstrative determiner, feminine singular
chúng tôi	weSubject pronoun, first person plural
gì	whatQuestion word, object
cái gì	whatQuestion word, subject
gì	whatBefore a verb
khi nào	when
có chứ	yesYes, contradicting a negative statement
bạn	youObject pronoun, informal address
bạn	youSubject, informal address
quý vị	youSubject, formal or plural address

Level 2: medium 35 words

Vietnamese	English
nhiều	a lot of
cả	allDeterminer, feminine singular
tất cả	allDeterminer, feminine plural
bất kì ai	anyone
nhiều như	as much as
mỗi	eachDeterminer, before the noun
lẫn nhau	each otherMutual action between two people
đủ	enough of
mọi người	everybodyPeople in general, everyone together
chính anh ấy	himselfReflexive pronoun, masculine singular
như thế nào	how
chính tôi	myself
không bao giờ	never
không ai	nobodyEveryday use
không cái nào	nonePronoun, used on its own
không một	not anyDeterminer, in a negative sentence
không gì	nothingNegation used with the verb
của chúng tôi	ourPossessive determiner, belonging to us
một số	several
vài	someIndefinite determiner, a small number
cái gì đó	somethingIndefinite pronoun, an unspecified thing
cái đó	thatDemonstrative pronoun, refers to something far away or already mentioned
cái ấy	that oneDemonstrative pronoun, masculine singular
họ	themStressed pronoun after a preposition
đó là	there isPointing out, presenting
này	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a vowel
những cái ấy	thoseDemonstrative pronoun, masculine plural
quá nhiều	too much
cái gì	whatOn its own or after a preposition
nào	whichInterrogative determiner, before the noun
mà	whose
tại sao	why
tại sao không	why not
bạn	youStressed form, after a preposition
chính bạn	yourself

Level 3: hard 25 words

Vietnamese	English
thế nào cũng được	any which way
bất cứ thứ gì	anything
bất cứ lúc nào	anytime
bất cứ đâu	anywhere
y nguyên	as it is
nào đó	certain
mỗi người	each onePronoun, masculine singular
mỗi người	each onePronoun, feminine singular
cái của anh ấy	his ownPossessive pronoun, used on its own
bao xa	how far
bao nhiêu	how manyFollowed by a noun, to ask about a number
cái của tôi	minePossessive pronoun, used on its own
phần lớn	most
cả hai đều không	neither nor
không một ai	no oneFormal or legal register
chính mình	oneselfEmphatic form, stresses the subject
chính chúng tôi	ourselves
như thế	such
như vậy	such a
chính họ	themselvesReflexive pronoun, masculine plural
cái này	this oneDemonstrative pronoun, refers to something close
những cái ấy	thoseDemonstrative pronoun, feminine plural
cái nào	which oneInterrogative pronoun, used on its own
hễ ai	whoever
cái của bạn	yoursPossessive pronoun, used on its own

Mini quiz

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Frequently asked questions

How many words are in this list?: This page gives 100 Vietnamese words on “Function words”. The full topic holds 120 in the KoKo app: 48 at the easy level, 42 at the medium level and 30 at the hard level.
Which words should I start with?: With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.
How can I remember this Vietnamese vocabulary?: By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.