cả ... lẫn ...

Both ... and ...

Level 4

The pattern cả ... lẫn ... means 'both ... and ...' or 'not only ... but also ...'. It links two grammatically parallel elements to emphasize that they are grouped together into one sweeping whole.

How It Works

The structure cả A lẫn B is highly versatile and standard in both formal writing and casual speech.

1. Grammatical Parallelism
The two elements (A and B) must be grammatically parallel. This means you can link Noun + Noun, Verb + Verb, Adjective + Adjective, or Prepositional Phrase + Prepositional Phrase.

2. The 'Noun-Only' Myth
Because it translates to 'both... and...', learners often assume it only joins nouns or pronouns. This is inaccurate. It is perfectly natural to use it with verbs and adjectives to show inclusive scope (e.g., cả học lẫn chơi — both studying and playing).

3. Subject and Object Roles
This pattern can act as both the subject and the object of a sentence. When cả A lẫn B acts as the subject, it is highly recommended to add the adverb đều (all/equally) before the verb or adjective to reflect the plural, inclusive nature of the subject. This applies even when using the copula là or auxiliary tense markers (e.g., Cả A lẫn B đều là...). When acting as an object, it simply follows the verb (e.g., Tôi thích cả A lẫn B).

4. Nuance vs. Similar Patterns

  • Compared to và (and), this pattern is much more emphatic about grouping the items into a single scope.
  • Compared to vừa ... vừa ..., which emphasizes simultaneity (happening at the exact same time or dual identity), cả ... lẫn ... is broader and emphasizes sweeping inclusion.

5. Formality and Spoken Variations
The structure cả ... lẫn ... is considered slightly more formal and is the preferred structure for written Vietnamese. In casual spoken Vietnamese, lẫn is frequently replaced by cả or và, resulting in cả A cả B or cả A và B.

6. Neither... Nor...
When combined with a negative word like không, this pattern translates to 'neither... nor...' (e.g., không thích cả A lẫn B — like neither A nor B). When acting as a subject, use the structure Cả A lẫn B đều không + [Verb/Adjective] (e.g., Cả tiếng Việt lẫn tiếng Anh đều không khó — Neither Vietnamese nor English is difficult).

Examples (5)

  1. Cả tiếng Việt lẫn tiếng Anh đều không khó.

    Neither Vietnamese nor English is difficult.

    Word by Word: Including Vietnamese mix English all not difficult.

    Notice the use of 'đều' before the adjective phrase, which is typically used when the pattern acts as the subject.

  2. Tôi đọc cả báo tiếng Việt lẫn báo tiếng Anh.

    I read both Vietnamese and English newspapers.

    Word by Word: I read including newspaper Vietnamese mix newspaper English.

    Here, the pattern links two parallel noun phrases acting as the object of the verb.

  3. Dự án thất bại, mất cả tiền lẫn thời gian.

    The project failed, losing both money and time.

    Word by Word: Project fail, lose including money mix time.

    A common usage showing the exhaustive inclusion of two negative consequences.

  4. Trẻ em cần cả học lẫn chơi.

    Children need both studying and playing.

    Word by Word: Child need including study mix play.

    This demonstrates that the pattern can perfectly link two verbs, dispelling the myth that it is only for nouns.

  5. Anh ấy mất cả chì lẫn chài.

    He lost both the lead sinker and the net. (Idiom: He lost everything.)

    Word by Word: He lose including lead mix net.

    A common idiom demonstrating how deeply ingrained this pattern is in the language for expressing total inclusion.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting 'đều' when the pattern is the subject of the sentence.

    Cả anh lẫn tôi đi.
    Cả anh lẫn tôi đều đi.

    When 'Cả A lẫn B' acts as the subject, English speakers often translate directly and forget to add the adverb 'đều' (all/equally) before the verb. Vietnamese usually adds 'đều' here to support the inclusive plural subject, even when using the copula 'là' or auxiliary tense markers.

  • Assuming 'lẫn' means 'and' by itself.

    Tôi mua táo lẫn cam.
    Tôi mua cả táo lẫn cam.

    Learners sometimes extract 'lẫn' and use it as a standalone conjunction for 'and'. It does link a few fixed pairs on its own (like 'trong lẫn ngoài'), but in general it is part of the correlative pattern 'cả ... lẫn ...', so a plain list like 'táo lẫn cam' sounds incomplete.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

cả ... lẫn ...Level 4Both ... and ...

Learn This First

To understand 'cả... lẫn...', learners should first be comfortable with basic conjunctions like 'và' and the concept of 'cả' meaning 'the whole' or 'all'. This pattern functions as a more emphatic way to group two items together compared to a simple 'and'.

Words in This Pattern