đi (cầu khiến)

The particle đi is extremely common in everyday spoken Vietnamese. Here is how to use it correctly:

1. Structure
Simply place it at the very end of an affirmative sentence:
(Subject) + Verb + (Object) + đi
Note that the subject is frequently dropped in these commands (see Dropping The Subject), making the structure simply Verb + đi. To make a command more emphatic or slightly more formal, you can pair it with Do (imperative) before the verb: Hãy làm đi! (Go ahead and do it!).

2. Register and Politeness
This particle is casual and informal. It is perfect for speaking with friends, peers, younger siblings, or subordinates. While it can soften a bare verb into an encouraging suggestion, it can also add urgency, emphasis, or impatience (e.g., Nói đi! - Speak!). Because it can sound pushy or demanding, you should avoid using it with strangers, elders, or in formal contexts. If you must use it with elders, always include a proper kinship pronoun and add the Respect Particle at the very end (e.g., Bà ăn đi ạ!). Warning: Dropping the subject when speaking to elders is considered "nói trống không" (speaking blankly) and is culturally disrespectful, even if you use ạ.

3. Particle vs. Verb
Do not confuse the urging particle đi with other uses of the word:

• The Verb: When used as a verb indicating physical movement, it goes before the action: Go And Do It (e.g., đi ăn = go somewhere to eat).
• The Change-of-State Particle: đi can also be used after adjectives to indicate a decreasing or negative change (e.g., già đi = to get older, tệ đi = to get worse).
• The Urging Particle: It goes at the end of the sentence (e.g., ăn đi = go ahead and eat).

Bonus Tip: You can combine the verb and urging particle in a single phrase! Đi đi! means "Go!" or "Go away!", perfectly illustrating the verb (first word) and the particle (second word) working together.

4. Using with Adjectives
While mostly used with verbs, đi can also urge someone to change their state. It is often paired with lên for this purpose. For example: Nhanh lên đi! (Hurry up!) or simply Ngoan đi! (Be good!).

5. "Let's..." (Inclusive Suggestions)
When used with inclusive pronouns like chúng ta or mình, đi translates to "Let's...". The structure is:
Inclusive Pronoun + Verb + đi
For example, Chúng ta đi ăn đi! (Let's go eat!). You can also pair it with other particles like thôi or nào to create inclusive suggestions, such as Đi thôi! (Let's go!) or Ăn đi nào! (Let's eat!).

6. Negative Commands
Negative commands do not need đi. If you want to tell someone not to do something, use Don't and usually drop the đi. For example, you simply say Đừng làm (Don't do it). Đi can still follow đừng when you are pleading or urging, as in Đừng khóc nữa đi! (Please stop crying!), but this is more emotional and less usual.

7. Pleading with "đi mà"
For pleading or begging, you can pair it with mà to form the highly common everyday phrase đi mà at the end of the sentence. For example: Giúp mình đi mà! (Please help me, I'm begging you!).