nhờ + Person + Verb
Ask Someone to Do It
In Vietnamese, when you want to ask someone to do something for you as a favor, you use the verb nhờ. It is a polite, soft causative verb that implies you are relying on their kindness rather than giving an order.
How It Works
Nhờ is highly versatile and can be used laterally (with friends), bottom-up (asking an elder or superior), or even top-down (from a boss or parent) to soften a direct command into a collaborative favor.
Key Nuances:
- Polite requests: Nhờ literally means 'to rely on' or 'to depend on' and is frequently used as a polite request marker ('Could you please...'), even in transactional situations for specialized help, like asking a mechanic. Because it implies relying on someone for a personal favor, it is unnatural for basic service requests like ordering from a waiter. When asking bottom-up (to an elder or superior), nhờ does not establish politeness on its own; adding the respect particle ạ at the end of the sentence is the standard and safest way to show absolute respect, though polite kinship pronouns and helper words also contribute.
- Kinship Pronouns: The 'Person' in this structure is usually a kinship pronoun (like anh, chị, em, bác) which you can review in kinship pronoun basics. However, in modern Vietnamese, especially among young adults and colleagues, using the generic word bạn is extremely common and natural for lateral/peer requests. In highly casual, lateral speech, the 'Person' can even be dropped entirely if the context is obvious (e.g., Nhờ xíu nha! - Need a quick favor!).
- Asking for a favor with a noun: Native speakers frequently ask for a favor using a noun instead of a verb, using the pattern Nhờ + Person + Noun (e.g., Nhờ anh việc này một chút - I need your help with this one thing).
- Optional helpers: Native speakers often add helper words like giúp, giùm, or hộ (e.g., V + giúp / hộ / giùm). This creates common 'bookend' formulas: Nhờ + [Person] + [Verb] + giúp/giùm/hộ + [tôi/mình] + [Object] and Nhờ + [Person] + [Verb] + [Object] + giúp/giùm/hộ + [tôi/mình]. These helper words can go immediately after the verb and before the object, or they can appear at the end of the sentence. Note the regional distinctions: giúp is universal and standard, giùm (or dùm) is distinctly Southern and is the standard polite request marker in spoken Southern Vietnamese, and hộ is distinctly Northern.
- Other meanings & Nhờ vả: Beyond asking someone to do something, nhờ can also mean 'thanks to' (as seen in nhờ ... mà ...). It is also used as nhờ vào to mean 'to rely on' or 'depend on' (e.g., Chúng tôi nhờ vào sự giúp đỡ của cộng đồng - We depend on the community's help). It also appears in common collocations like đi nhờ (to hitch a ride), ở nhờ (to stay temporarily), sống nhờ (to live off of / depend on someone financially or for housing), and the compound verb nhờ vả (to ask for favors / rely on someone's network). Note that nhờ vả carries a heavier weight of dependency than a simple nhờ and can sometimes carry a slightly negative or burdensome connotation if someone is overly reliant on others.
- No conjugation: As with all Vietnamese verbs, nhờ never changes form, which you can review in no verb conjugation.
Examples (4)
- Tôi nhờ anh ấy sửa xe.
I asked him to fix the bike.
Word by Word: I rely on he fix vehicle.
A standard, polite request. This sentence is perfectly natural and polite to use whether he is doing it as a personal favor or as a paid mechanic.
- Mình nhờ bạn chở mình ra sân bay được không?
Can I ask you to drive me to the airport?
Word by Word: I rely on friend transport I go out airport okay no?
A natural way to ask a peer for a favor. Notice how adding 'được không' at the end softens the request even further.
- Nhờ anh chuyển lời nhắn cho cô ấy.
Please pass on this message to her.
Word by Word: Rely on older brother transfer message give she.
The subject 'tôi' is dropped, which is very common in conversational Vietnamese when the context is clear.
- Con nhờ mẹ mua sách giùm con ạ.
I asked mom to buy a book for me.
Word by Word: Child rely on mother buy book help child respect_particle.
Used bottom-up (child to parent) to politely ask for help. The word 'giùm' is added for extra naturalness, and the respect particle 'ạ' is the standard and safest way to show absolute respect to an elder.
Common Mistakes
Using 'hỏi' (to ask a question) instead of 'nhờ' (to ask for a favor).
Tôi hỏi anh ấy giúp tôi.Tôi nhờ anh ấy giúp tôi.English speakers often use 'hỏi' because it translates to 'ask'. However, 'hỏi' is for asking a question to get information. To ask someone to do something for you, use a request verb such as 'nhờ'.
Adding 'làm ơn' (please) to make the request more polite.
Làm ơn nhờ anh mở cửa.Nhờ anh mở cửa.'Nhờ' is already a polite, soft causative verb that implies a favor. Adding 'làm ơn' before it is redundant and sounds unnatural to native speakers.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use the 'nhờ + Person + Verb' pattern, you need to understand how to address people correctly using kinship pronouns and how Vietnamese strings verbs together in a sequence. Since 'nhờ' is a polite way to delegate a task, a basic grasp of Vietnamese politeness is also helpful.
- Pronouns Come From Kinship
The 'Person' in this pattern is typically addressed using kinship pronouns, which are essential for forming natural Vietnamese requests.
Foundations - Stringing Verbs Together
This pattern is a specific type of serial verb construction where the first verb (nhờ) sets the relationship for the second action.
Level 2 - Politeness Basics
Understanding how to frame requests politely is necessary to use 'nhờ' correctly, as it is a polite way to ask for a favor.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- bảo + Person + VerbTell Someone to Do It
While 'nhờ' is a soft, polite request, 'bảo' is used to tell or instruct someone to do something. It is generally used top-down (from an older or higher-status person to a younger or lower-status person) and can sound bossy if used inappropriately.
Level 3 - Verb + giúp / hộ / giùmDo It for Me
These words mean 'to help' or 'for me' and are very frequently paired with 'nhờ' (often placed immediately after the verb) to sound even more natural. They carry regional distinctions: giúp is universal, giùm is Southern, and hộ is Northern.
Level 2 - bắt + Person + VerbMake Someone Do It
The strongest causative verb, meaning 'to force' or 'make' someone do something against their will, which is the exact opposite of the voluntary favor implied by 'nhờ'.
Level 3 - khiến + Person + VerbCause Someone to
Another causative verb, but 'khiến' means 'to cause' someone to do or feel something, usually involuntarily or as a natural reaction.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice nhờ + Person + Verb in Bubblegum
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