Những (Quan 1)

Situations

S1: Tân tells his son about his past.

Tân thường kể cho con nghe những kỷ niệm thời trẻ của mình.
(Tân often tells his son about his memories of youth.)

His memories are the group of things being spoken about.

S2: A friend asks Tom about his travels in Vietnam.

Anh đã đi du lịch những đâu, và những gì làm anh chú ý hơn cả?
(What places did you travel to? What things fascinated you the most?)

The speaker knows Tom visited many places but doesn't know which ones, so he uses những đâu and những gì to ask about the indefinite group.

Definition

Những, as an indefinite quantifier referring to a group, is used to distinguish that group from another or to refer to an indefinite group.

  • những and các: Những is a plural indefinite quantifier, while các is a plural definite quantifier. Những can be combined with indefinite pronouns like gì, đâu, ai to indicate an indefinite whole. The indefinite quantifier usually requires a modifier following it (except in questions). Cf. các (p. 25).