hơn + Amount

By How Much

Level 2

To say 'older by two years' or 'taller by five centimeters', Vietnamese places the exact amount at the absolute end of a standard comparative sentence.

How It Works

When you want to specify exactly how much difference there is between two things, you simply take a standard comparison (which also works with verbs and adverbs) and attach the amount.

Key Rules:

  • Word Order: The amount goes after the direct object 'B'. If using so với to introduce 'B', the amount can go either before or after the so với phrase. Never put it before the adjective or verb.
  • Verbs and Adverbs: This pattern applies equally to verbs and adverbs, not just adjectives (e.g., Anh ấy chạy nhanh hơn tôi 10 phút. = He runs 10 minutes faster than me; Tôi ngủ hơn anh ấy 2 tiếng. = I slept 2 hours more than him).
  • No Prepositions: English often uses 'by' (e.g., taller by 5 cm). Vietnamese requires no preposition; the amount simply stacks at the end.
  • No Copula: Because adjectives work like verbs in Vietnamese, you do not use the verb to be before the adjective.
  • Dropping the Adjective: For age, price, weight, scores, and almost any measurable quantity where the unit makes the missing adjective obvious, the adjective is often dropped entirely, treating hơn like a verb (e.g., Anh ấy hơn tôi 2 tuổi. = He is 2 years older than me). Note that the opposite in these contexts is kém (e.g., Anh ấy kém tôi 2 tuổi. = He is 2 years younger than me).
  • Relative Amounts: The amount doesn't have to be an exact number. You can use words like nhiều (a lot) or một chút (a little) (e.g., Anh ấy cao hơn tôi nhiều. = He is much taller than me).
  • Using 'so với': You can also use compared with to introduce 'B', especially when specifying amounts (e.g., Anh ấy cao hơn 10 cm so với tôi. or Anh ấy cao hơn so với tôi 10 cm. = He is 10 cm taller compared to me).

The "Missing B" Trap:
Be careful when omitting the object of comparison ('B'). If you drop 'B', the amount can accidentally be interpreted as the baseline for comparison.
• Anh ấy cao hơn 1m70. = He is taller than 1m70. (1m70 is 'B')
• Anh ấy cao hơn tôi 10 cm. = He is 10 cm taller than me. (10 cm is the Amount)
However, you can still safely say Anh ấy cao hơn 10 cm (He is 10 cm taller) without 'B' because a person cannot be 10 cm tall, so context makes it obvious that 10 cm is the amount. For ambiguous cases, native speakers rely on context or keep a pronoun.

Similarly, do not confuse this with the pattern hơn + Number used without an adjective:
• Tôi đợi lâu hơn anh ấy hai tiếng. = I waited two hours longer than him. (Comparison)
• Tôi đợi hơn hai tiếng. = I waited for more than two hours. (Quantity)

Examples (4)

  1. Anh ấy cao hơn tôi năm phân.

    He is five centimeters taller than me.

    Word by Word: He tall more I five centimeter.

    The amount 'năm phân' (five centimeters) goes at the absolute end of the sentence.

  2. Cái áo này đắt hơn cái kia năm mươi ngàn.

    This shirt is fifty thousand (dong) more expensive than that one.

    Word by Word: Classifier shirt this expensive more classifier that fifty thousand.

    A common way to express price differences when shopping.

  3. Chị gái lớn hơn tôi hai tuổi.

    My older sister is two years older than me.

    Word by Word: Older sister big more I two year of age.

    Notice how 'hai tuổi' (two years) comes after the entire comparison, unlike the English 'two years older'.

  4. Chuyến bay này dài hơn chuyến bay kia một tiếng.

    This flight is one hour longer than that flight.

    Word by Word: Trip fly this long more trip fly that one hour.

    The margin of difference ('một tiếng') is placed after the object of comparison ('chuyến bay kia').

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the amount before the adjective (English word order interference).

    Chị gái hai tuổi lớn hơn tôi.
    Chị gái lớn hơn tôi hai tuổi.

    In English, we say 'two years older'. In Vietnamese, the amount of difference must go at the very end of the comparative phrase, after the adjective and the object of comparison.

  • Adding the copula 'là' (to be) before the adjective.

    Anh ấy là cao hơn tôi năm phân.
    Anh ấy cao hơn tôi năm phân.

    Adjectives in Vietnamese function as stative verbs, meaning they predicate the sentence directly. You should never use the linking verb 'là' in these comparisons.

How It Connects

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

hơn + AmountLevel 2By How Much

Learn This First

To express 'by how much' something is different in a comparison, you first need to understand the basic comparative frame (A is more than B) and how to structure quantities and measurements in Vietnamese.

Words in This Pattern