Cái (Em)

Situations

S1: Nam asked Hùng to get the mathematics book for him. Hùng didn't know which one. Nam said:

Cái quyển sách ở trên bàn ấy.
(It is the book on the table.)

S2: Hùng and Lan recall the first days when they started going to the university. Lan exclaims:

Mình làm sao quên được cái ngày đầu tiên chúng mình vào đại học.
(How could I forget the very first days when we started going to university!)

In both of the above situations, cái is used freely in front of noun phrases which have a restrictive / determinative attribute that aim to point out, bring up a thing which distinguishes it from the rest / remaining ones.

S3: Hùng and Lan are talking to each other about a classmate. Lan praises that person because he studies well and is intelligent. Hùng doesn't agree and says:

Cái thằng ấy mà học giỏi gì!
(Someone like him couldn't study well!)

S4: Mr. Hòa has a pet dog. This dog doesn't obey him. He says to his wife:

Cái con chó này ngu lắm.
(This dog is so stupid.)

In S3 and S4, cái is used in front of nouns which refer to people or animals having distinctive attributes in order to express a despising or critical idea.

Definition

Cái, as an emphasizer, is used in front of nouns which have restrictive / determinative attributes that aim to point out, bring up a thing which distinguishes it from the rest / remaining ones or expresses a despising or critical idea.

  • Cái1 and cái2: Although it has the same origin as the classifying noun cái1, the emphasizer cái2 differs from cái1 in that cái2 only has an emphatic function. It points out a certain thing but doesn't aim to individualize that thing, as does the classifying noun cái1 and other unit nouns such as con, quyển, chiếc....

Combinations

  • cái2 + classifying noun / substantive noun: Cái2 can be placed in front of unit nouns such as con, chiếc, tờ, bức..., or in front of nouns that indicate materials / substances such as nước (water), sắt (iron), đất (earth)..., or in front of abstract nouns such as ý kiến (idea), kết luận (conclusion), chính sách (policy)....