không phải là

Is Not

Level 1

To say that someone or something is not a certain noun (like a profession, nationality, or object), use the phrase không phải là.

How It Works

Use không phải là to deny identity, equivalence, or classification.

For example, if you want to say 'I am not a student', you say Tôi không phải là sinh viên. In everyday spoken Vietnamese, the word là is frequently dropped, so you will often hear just Tôi không phải sinh viên.

A very common way to use this pattern is in the structure không phải là [A] mà là [B] (It is not [A] but rather [B]). For example: Đó không phải là trà mà là cà phê (That is not tea, but rather coffee). Notice that you do not need to repeat the subject or pronoun in the second half of the sentence.

Important Note: While basic negation of adjectives uses just không, you can actually use không phải là before adjectives, verbs, or entire clauses when contrasting ideas or negating assumptions. For example, Không phải là đắt, mà là quá đắt! (It's not expensive, it's too expensive!) or Không phải là tôi không thích, mà là tôi không có thời gian (It's not that I don't like it, it's that I don't have time).

Examples (4)

  1. Tôi không phải là sinh viên.

    I am not a student.

    Word by Word: I not must be student.

    The standard way to deny a profession or status.

  2. Cô ấy không phải là người Mỹ.

    She is not American.

    Word by Word: She not must be person America.

    Used to deny nationality.

  3. Đây không phải là sách của tôi.

    This is not my book.

    Word by Word: This not must be book of me.

    Used to deny ownership or identity of an object.

  4. Anh ấy không phải là bác sĩ.

    He is not a doctor.

    Word by Word: He not must be doctor.

    Another example of denying a profession.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'không phải là' for basic adjective negation.

    Tôi không phải là đói.
    Tôi không đói.

    For simple negation, adjectives work like verbs in Vietnamese. You do not use 'to be' (là) or 'is not' (không phải là) with them. Just use không directly before the adjective. Save không phải là with adjectives only for contrasting ideas (e.g., 'not just hungry, but starving').

  • Putting the negative word at the end of the sentence.

    Tôi là sinh viên không.
    Tôi không phải là sinh viên.

    The negation không phải là must come directly before the noun phrase. Putting không at the end of a sentence turns it into a yes-no question.

How It Connects

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không phải làLevel 1Is Not

Learn This First

To understand 'không phải là', you first need to know how basic negation works with 'không'. It is also helpful to understand the affirmative/interrogative use of 'phải' in confirmation questions, as this pattern serves as the negative response to those structures. Finally, basic word order is essential for placing the negation correctly in a sentence.

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