và

And

Level 1

Và means "and." It connects two or more items of the same type, such as two nouns, two verbs, or two adjectives.

How It Works

1. Connecting Equal Items
You can use và to link nouns (apples and oranges), verbs (singing and dancing), or adjectives (tall and smart). For lists of three or more items, the standard written rule is to place và only before the final item (A, B, và C). However, in spoken Vietnamese, people frequently drop the conjunction entirely (A, B, C). While và can technically link full independent clauses in formal writing, native speakers heavily favor placing clauses side-by-side without a conjunction or using specific logical connectors. Using và to connect long sentences often sounds clunky and translated.

2. Written vs. Spoken Vietnamese
Và is the standard, neutral connector in written and formal Vietnamese. In everyday conversation, native speakers often just pause between items or use với (with), cùng, or cùng với when connecting nouns. This is overwhelmingly preferred when connecting people or pronouns; for example, anh với em or anh cùng em (you and I) sounds much more natural in speech than anh và em. However, do not use với to connect verbs or clauses (e.g., Tôi ăn với ngủ sounds like "I eat with sleep"). To say "and also" or "plus", you will often hear với lại or vả lại.

3. When NOT to use it
English speakers often overuse và. Avoid it in these cases:
- Numbers: Do not use và in general numbers (e.g., "one hundred and five"). Instead, use lẻ (Southern/General) or linh (Northern) to represent the "and/zero" (e.g., 105 is một trăm lẻ năm or một trăm linh năm, NOT một trăm và năm). The exception is mixed fractions, where và is standard (e.g., 2 ½ is read as hai và một phần hai).
- Adjectives: While using và to connect adjectives is perfectly grammatical and common, Vietnamese also highly encourages the vừa... vừa... structure for assigning two traits to a subject.
- Verb chaining: Và is fine for independent coordinate verbs (e.g., singing and dancing), but to say "go and buy" (sequential or purposeful actions), just place the verbs together without a connector (see serial verb construction).
- Sequential actions: If you mean "and then", use rồi.
- Contrasting topics: If you mean "and as for...", use còn.

Examples (4)

  1. Tôi thích đọc sách và nghe nhạc.

    I like reading books and listening to music.

    Word by Word: I like read book and listen music.

    Here, và connects two verb phrases of equal weight.

  2. Cô ấy cao và xinh đẹp.

    She is tall and pretty.

    Word by Word: She tall and pretty.

    Và is used to connect two adjectives describing the same person.

  3. Mẹ và bố đi chợ sáng nay.

    Mom and dad went to the market this morning.

    Word by Word: Mother and father go market morning this.

    Và connects two nouns. In casual speech, native speakers might replace this with với or simply say "Bố mẹ".

  4. Tôi ăn cơm và anh ấy uống nước.

    I eat rice and he drinks water.

    Word by Word: I eat rice and he drink water.

    Và can also connect two full, independent clauses.

Common Mistakes

  • Using "và" to connect verbs in a sequence of purpose or motion ("go and do").

    Tôi đi và mua cà phê.
    Tôi đi mua cà phê.

    In Vietnamese, when verbs happen together as part of one fluid action (like going somewhere to do something), you just string the verbs together directly. Using "và" here sounds unnatural.

  • Using "và" when you want to stress "and then".

    Tôi ăn tối và đi ngủ.
    Tôi ăn tối rồi đi ngủ.

    'Tôi ăn tối và đi ngủ' is natural and correct: "và" simply lists the two actions. When you want to stress that one action happens right after the other, use "rồi" (and then).

  • Using "và" when you want to contrast two subjects ("as for").

    Tôi là bác sĩ, và anh ấy là giáo viên.
    Tôi là bác sĩ, còn anh ấy là giáo viên.

    'Tôi là bác sĩ, và anh ấy là giáo viên' is correct, but "và" only adds. If "and" introduces a contrast or pivots to a new subject, "còn" (as for) shows that more clearly and is the more natural choice.

How It Connects

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vàLevel 1And

Learn This First

The conjunction 'và' is a foundational particle in Vietnamese used to join nouns or clauses. To use it effectively, a learner needs to understand basic word order and have a small vocabulary of nouns or pronouns to connect.

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