Lesson 12: Question words and placement

In Vietnamese, question words generally stay in the exact same spot where the answer would go. You don't need to move words to the front of the sentence.

Static Question Words

Common question words include ai (who), gì (what), đâu (where), and khi nào (when). Notice how they sit in the sentence exactly where the information is missing.

Replacing with "ai" or "gì"

To ask "who" or "what," simply swap the person or thing with the question word.

Anh ấy là Nam. (He is Nam.)
Anh ấy là ai? (He is who?)

Bạn ăn phở. (You eat pho.)
Bạn ăn gì? (You eat what?)

Placement for "Where" and "When"

The words đâu (where) and bao giờ (when) also stay in their logical positions.

Chị đi đâu?
"You are going where?"

Bao giờ anh về?
"When are you returning?"

No Inversion

Unlike English, which rearranges sentences to form questions ("What are you doing?"), Vietnamese never inverts the order.

Bạn làm nghề gì?
"You do what profession?"

Examples

Cái nào đẹp?
"Which one (is) beautiful?"

Ai nấu cơm?
"Who cooks?"

Sách của tôi ở đâu?
"My book is where?"

Note on nuance

Because question words stay in place, Vietnamese grammar feels very consistent. You don't have to "gear up" for a question by changing the start of the sentence. Just speak the sentence as a fact, but insert the "unknown" word where the answer belongs.