Cũng (Adv)

Situations

S1: Nam confides to a friend:

Mẹ tôi nói, năm nay, tôi phải lập gia đình. Tôi yêu Lan, anh biết rồi. Nhưng tôi cũng yêu Xuân. Thật tình, hiện giờ, tôi không biết phải làm sao?
(My mom said that this year I have to get married. As you know, I love Lan. But I also love Xuân. Truthfully, now, I don't know what to do?)

In this situation, there is the same action of a subject towards two different objects.

S2: At a party, Nam saw Bình, his friend, preparing to go home. Nam said to Bình:

Anh đi về, tôi cũng đi về.
(If you're going, I'll go too.)

In this situation, there is a similarity between an activity of the subject compared with the activity of another subject.

S3: Bình confides to a friend:

Tôi chỉ muốn mua hàng của cô Lan thôi. Bán mắc tôi cũng mua.
(I only want to buy goods from Miss Lan. Even if they are expensive, I'll still buy them.)

In this situation, the condition which is brought up isn't typical (selling at a high price), but everything still occurs normally.

S4: Thu and Lan talk to each other about little Hùng:

Chị nói là nó không hề giống ba nó à? Tôi thấy nó cũng giống đấy chứ!
(Did you say that he doesn't resemble his father at all? I think he is quite like him!)

In this situation, Thu thinks that little Hùng rather resembles his father.

S5: Lan is going to get married. She confides to a friend:

Sắp lập gia đình, mình thấy vui nhưng cũng thấy buồn.
(Being about to get married, I feel happy but also sad.)

In this situation, the state of happy and sad feelings of Lan occurs at the same time.

Definition

Cũng, as an adverb, indicates an action of a subject oriented towards many different objects that are identical (S1); indicates the similarity of an activity, state, property... of a subject compared with another subject (S2); indicates a normal action, even though the situation is not normal (S3); cũng also indicates the relative properties of a state / activity / ability (S4) or indicates the properties of different states / activities which occur at the same time (S5).

Combinations

• cũng vậy: Used to talk about the similarity in comparison with something which had been mentioned or known before. Ex.:

[1] Các bạn tôi ở đây đều thích bia. Tôi cũng vậy.
    (All my friends like beer. So do I.)

• cũng được: Used to express relative agreement. (It is not the first preference, but it is OK.) Ex.:

[2] A: Hôm nay đi Đà Lạt là tốt nhất nhưng tôi không thể thu xếp công việc được. Ngày mai chúng ta đi nhé!
    (It's best to go to Đà Lạt today but I can't arrange my work. We'll go tomorrow, right?)
    B: Ừ, ngày mai cũng được.
    (Yes, tomorrow is also alright.)

• cũng như... / cũng ... như ...: Used to talk about the similarity of something when comparing it with another thing. Ex.:

[3] Cô em dễ thương cũng như cô chị.
    (The younger sister is as lovely as the older sister is.)
[4] Cô em cũng dễ thương như cô chị.
    (The younger sister is lovely, as is the older sister.)

• cũng nên: Used to express a guess about something which could possibly happen.