Thế (Par)

Situations

S1: Nam sees a crowd and asks:

Có chuyện gì thế?
(What's happening?)

S2: Nam meets Bình on the street and asks:

Anh đi đâu thế?
(Where are you going?)

Definition

Thế, as a particle, is used to ask about something occurring at the moment of speaking or to ask for more information about what has happened.

  • thế and vậy: Thế can be replaced by vậy in almost all cases. However, thế is seldom used when conclusions are being drawn after observation or discussion (in such cases, vậy is preferred).
[1a] Tiền nhà bao nhiêu một tháng thế?
[1b] Tiền nhà bao nhiêu một tháng vậy?
[2b] Anh chờ em lâu chưa vậy? (Conclusion after seeing the person waiting.)

Cf. vậy2 (p. 407).