đây

Here

Level 1

Đây means here or this. It points to a location, object, or time right next to the speaker.

How It Works

The word đây is one of the most common and essential words in Vietnamese. It anchors things to the speaker's current physical position or time. It forms the foundation of the spatial system, contrasting with đó / đấy (there, near the listener) and kia (over there, far from both).

1. As a Location (Here)
Place đây after verbs of location or motion, such as ở (at/in) or đến (to arrive).

  • Tôi ở đây. (I am here.)

2. As a Pronoun (This)
Use đây by itself as the subject of a sentence, usually followed by the copula là (to be).

  • Đây là bạn tôi. (This is my friend.)

3. Presenting and Handing Over
When giving something to someone, you can simply say Đây or Đây này (Here you go). You can also use the structure [Noun] + đây to mean "Here is [Noun]".

  • Tiền của bạn đây. (Here is your money.)

4. Emphasizing Current Action, State, or Presence
When placed at the very end of a sentence, đây emphasizes an action you are doing right now, an immediate future action, or a current state and presence.

  • Tôi đang làm việc đây. (I am working right now.)
  • Tôi đi đây! (I'm leaving now!)
  • Có tôi đây! (I am here! / I've got you!)
  • Nóng lắm đây. (It is very hot right now.)

5. In Time Phrases
It anchors time to the present moment in phrases like gần đây (recently) or sau đây (following this).

6. As a Casual Pronoun
In very informal speech, đây can be used as a familiar first-person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'. It often carries a slightly sassy, defensive, or dismissive tone (e.g., Đây không biết! - I don't know [and I don't care]!).

Important Note: When you want to say 'this object', use the demonstrative này (e.g., cái bàn này). If you say cái bàn đây, it means 'the table [over] here' rather than 'this table'.

Examples (5)

  1. Anh ấy sống ở đây.

    He lives here.

    Word by Word: Older brother that live at here.

    Used as a locative adverb after the verb 'ở' (to be at).

  2. Đây là sách của tôi.

    This is my book.

    Word by Word: This be book belong to me.

    Used as a standalone subject pronoun before 'là' (to be).

  3. Tôi về đây.

    I'm going home now.

    Word by Word: I return here.

    Used as a sentence-final particle to announce an immediate action.

  4. Đến đây!

    Come here!

    Word by Word: Arrive here!

    Used as a destination after a verb of motion.

  5. Đây là cái gì?

    What is this?

    Word by Word: This be thing what?

    A very common question pattern using 'đây' as the subject.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing 'này' (this) with 'đây' (here) when modifying nouns.

    Cái bàn đây rất đẹp. (When meaning 'This table is very beautiful')
    Cái bàn này rất đẹp.

    To say 'this [noun]', you must use the demonstrative 'này' after the noun. While 'cái bàn đây' is grammatically valid, it means 'the table [over] here' rather than 'this table'.

  • Confusing the flat tone 'đây' (here) with the rising tone 'đấy' (there).

    Tôi sống ở đấy. (When meaning 'I live here')
    Tôi sống ở đây.

    Missing or changing the tone mark changes the spatial meaning completely. 'Đây' (flat tone) means 'here' (near the speaker), while 'đấy' (rising tone) means 'there' (near the listener).

How It Connects

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

đâyLevel 1Here

Learn This First

To use 'đây' (here), you need to understand basic Vietnamese word order and how demonstratives function to indicate proximity to the speaker.

Words in This Pattern