Lesson 40: Emphasis and fronting

To emphasize something, move it to the front.

Framing with "thì"

Pull a topic to the front and add thì to say "As for X..."

Cá thì tôi thích.
"Fish, (topic marker) I like."

Topic Displacement

You can freely move an object to the start to make it the focus.

Việc đó tôi biết.
"That matter, I know."

Precision with "chính"

Chính means "exactly" or "the very one."

Chính là anh ấy!
"It is exactly him!"

Inclusion with "cả"

Cả means "even" (including the extreme).

Quên cả tên.
"Forgot even the name."

Examples

Hôm nay thì bận.
"As for today, (I am) busy."

Note on nuance

Fronting makes your Vietnamese sound very natural. Instead of "I don't like meat," try "Meat, I don't like" (Thịt thì tôi không thích). It sets the context immediately.