toàn is used when speakers want to describe something as 100% in the same state or quality, with no exception inside the group.
Speakers use toàn to highlight that every part of something shares the same property.
The focus is not on counting items, but on uniformity.
Speakers use toàn before a noun when all members share the same feature.
[1] – Lớp này toàn học sinh giỏi. This class is made up entirely of good students.
[2] – Quán đó toàn người quen. That shop is full of people I know.
toàn often carries the speaker’s attitude (surprise, complaint, praise).
[3] – Trong túi toàn tiền lẻ. There’s nothing but small change in the bag.
[4] – Bài này toàn lỗi. This exercise is full of mistakes.
Speakers use toàn to describe situations made up entirely of one kind of thing.
[5] – Câu chuyện này toàn rắc rối. This story is nothing but trouble.
[6] – Hôm nay toàn việc khó. Today is full of difficult tasks.
toàn vs tất cả
– toàn: stresses that everything is of the same type or quality – tất cả: stresses complete inclusion, regardless of quality
[7a] – Lớp này toàn sinh viên nước ngoài. This class consists entirely of foreign students.
[7b] – Tất cả sinh viên đều có thẻ. All students have cards.
toàn vs chỉ
– toàn: descriptive, often emotional or evaluative – chỉ: neutral restriction (“only”)
[8a] – Trong tủ toàn áo đen. The closet is full of black clothes.
[8b] – Trong tủ chỉ có áo đen. There are only black clothes in the closet.
• toàn comes before the noun it modifies.
• Often used in spoken Vietnamese.
• Frequently carries speaker attitude (complaint, irony, admiration).
• Cannot be used for simple counting; it describes composition, not quantity.
• toàn + noun
– Toàn chuyện buồn. Nothing but sad stories.
• toàn là + noun
– Trong phòng toàn là người lạ. The room is full of strangers.
• toàn + adjective-like noun
– Toàn rắc rối. All trouble.
toàn paints a picture: when you look inside, every part looks the same.