Các (Art.)

Situations

S1: There are 15 students in a class. The teacher steps in and greets them:

Chào các bạn. Các bạn có khỏe không?
(Hello. How are you?)

In this situation, the female teacher says hello to all 15 students who are present in the class.

S2: Lâm has just graduated from a university. He went to apply for a job at all the companies in the town, but he hasn't found a job yet.

Lâm đi khắp các công ty ở thành phố để tìm việc làm.
(Lâm went to all the companies in the town to apply for a job.)

Definition

Các, as an article, is used to indicate the whole definite group.

  • Các and những: Các and những refer to plurality.
    • Những: indefinite article, always followed by a noun with (required) a determinative phrase.
    • Các: definite article, always followed by a noun with or without (not required) a determinative phrase. Cf:
[1a] Các sinh viên đều muốn đi Vũng Tàu.
(All the students want to go to Vũng Tàu.)
[1b] *Những sinh viên đều muốn đi Vũng Tàu.

A modifier must occur in [1b], for instance: foreign students, second-year students, good students ...

[2a] Các sinh viên này rất thông minh.
(These students are very intelligent.)
[2b] Những sinh viên học giỏi sẽ được lĩnh học bổng.
(Good students will receive scholarships.)

Các in [2a] refers to the definite group of students who are near to both the speaker and the listener. Những in [2b] refers to a group of good students. This group is indefinite (because we don't know exactly who are good students). Cf. những1 (p. 295).

  • Các and mấy (mấy is used in spoken language):
[3a] Mấy anh dùng gì?
(Lit. What will you (plural) have?)
[3b] Anh có biết mấy sinh viên đó không?
(Do you know those students?)

In [3b], mấy is used similarly to những.