In this lesson, we will study the Vietnamese interrogative sentence structure using “có～không?”.
In everyday conversations, questions in the form of “～có～không?” are commonly used. In Lesson 9, we introduced how to use “có～không?” questions to ask about someone’s condition or feelings. In this lesson, we will explore other ways to use this structure in detail.
Basic Structure
The word “có” before the Predicates can be omitted.
Example Sentences:
① Thức ăn có ngon không? (Is the food delicious?)
② Anh có hiểu không? (Do you understand?)
③ Anh có nghe được không? (Can you hear?)
④ Chị có biết không? (Do you know?)
⑤ Mẹ của chị có khỏe không? (Is your mother healthy?)
Adding Complementary Meaning to Sentences
To provide more specific meaning to a sentence, a complement is placed immediately after the predicate (verb or adjective).
Example Sentences:
① Ông có thích món ăn Việt Nam không? (Do you like Vietnamese food?)
② Bạn có nói tiếng Pháp không? (Do you speak French?)
③ Ngày mai, chị có tham gia buổi tiệc không? (Will you attend the party tomorrow?)
Answering Questions
✅ Vâng, + (Affirmative sentence)
❌ Không, + (Negative sentence)
Example Conversation:
| (Man in his 30s): | Chào em. Em có khỏe không? Hello. Are you well? |
| (Woman in her 20s): | Chào anh. Vâng, em khỏe. Anh có khỏe không? Hello. Yes, I’m well. How about you? |
| (Man in his 30s): | Anh không khỏe lắm. I’m not feeling very well. |
| (Woman in her 20s): | Anh có sao không? What’s wrong? |
| (Man in his 30s): | Không, anh không sao. No, I’m okay. Anh chỉ cảm nhẹ. I just have a slight cold. |
| (Woman in her 20s): | Anh giữ sức khỏe nhé! Take care! |
Grammar Note:
không + adjective/verb + lắm → “Not very…”
Ex: không hiểu lắm = “Not understand very well”