đó

That (Already Known)

Level 1

In Vietnamese, đó means 'that'. You use it to point to something near the listener, or more commonly, to refer back to something you were just talking about.

How It Works

1. Word Order and Classifiers
To say 'that table' or 'that book', đó goes at the very end of the phrase. For many physical objects, you will need a classifier before the noun:

  • cái bàn đó (that table)
  • cuốn sách đó (that book)

However, many nouns (like people, abstract concepts, or Sino-Vietnamese words) do not require an extra classifier: người đó (that person).

2. Standing Alone
Đó can also stand by itself as the subject of a sentence, meaning 'That is...':

  • Đó là ai? (Who is that?)
  • Đó là một ý kiến hay. (That is a good idea.)

3. The Spatial Map: Này, Đây, Đó, and Kia
To understand spatial relationships, remember this map: use này for things near the speaker ('this'), đó for things near the listener or abstract things just mentioned ('that'), and kia for things physically far away from both ('that over there'). Note an important asymmetry: while đó and kia can act as both noun modifiers and standalone pronouns/locations, the 'this' concept is split. As a standard rule, you use này to modify a noun (cái này) and đây to mean 'Here' or 'This is...' (Đây là...), though in casual speech you might sometimes hear này stand alone.

4. Northern Equivalents and Ấy
In Northern Vietnam, you will often hear đấy used instead of đó for locations or objects. For abstract concepts or past references (like 'that day' or 'that person'), the word ấy is common in the North and in literature. However, in the South, đó is heavily preferred for these contexts (such as hồi đó, lúc đó, or chuyện đó).

5. Southern Pronunciation
In casual Southern speech, pronouns often merge with the word ấy to create a single word with the hỏi tone. For example, ông ấy (that man) becomes ổng, and bà ấy (that woman) becomes bả. Even though Southerners heavily use đó in full phrases, these specific contractions originate from ấy.

6. Sentence-Final Particle
Đó is frequently placed at the end of a sentence as an affirmative marker that asserts, emphasizes, or warns, strengthening the tone of the statement. It is also extremely common at the end of questions to make them sound more casual and friendly, or to ask about an ongoing action (e.g., Đang làm gì đó? - What are you doing?, Ai đó? - Who is that?).

7. Indefinite Pronouns
When combined with question words, đó creates indefinite pronouns like ai đó (someone), gì đó (something), đâu đó (somewhere), and lúc nào đó or khi nào đó (sometime).

8. Location
Đó is frequently used to mean 'there' (a place already mentioned or near the listener), often pairing with prepositions like ở (at/in) or đến (to): ở đó (over there / in that place).

9. Time and Sequence
It also refers to a point in time or sequence, such as lúc đó or khi đó (at that time), sau đó (after that), and từ đó (since then).

10. Filler Word
In casual spoken Vietnamese, especially in the South, đó is heavily used as a filler word (similar to 'um' or 'like' in English) when a speaker is pausing to think mid-sentence.

Examples (6)

  1. Người đó là ai?

    Who is that person?

    Word by Word: Person that is who?

    Used to ask about someone near the listener or someone previously mentioned. Notice that 'người' does not need an extra classifier.

  2. Cuốn sách đó rất hay.

    That book is very good.

    Word by Word: Classifier book that very good.

    Notice how the classifier 'cuốn' is used when pointing to a specific physical book.

  3. Đó là một ý kiến hay.

    That is a good idea.

    Word by Word: That is one idea good.

    Here, 'đó' stands alone as the subject of the sentence, referring back to an idea just shared.

  4. Tôi sẽ đến đó.

    I will go there.

    Word by Word: I will arrive there.

    When referring to a location, 'đó' means 'there' (a place already mentioned or near the listener).

  5. Lúc đó trời mưa rất to.

    It rained very heavily at that time.

    Word by Word: Moment that sky rain very big.

    Used to refer back to a specific time or sequence already established in the conversation.

  6. Cẩn thận đó!

    Be careful!

    Word by Word: Careful that!

    Here, 'đó' acts as a sentence-final particle to assert, emphasize, or warn, strengthening the tone of the statement.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting 'đó' before the noun like in English.

    Đó người là bạn tôi.
    Người đó là bạn tôi.

    In Vietnamese, demonstratives like đó must always come after the noun phrase they modify.

  • Thinking a classifier is always needed before 'đó'.

    Different MeaningSách đó đắt quá.
    Cuốn sách đó đắt quá.

    'Sách đó đắt quá' is correct and common. Adding a classifier (like 'cuốn') points to one particular object: 'Cuốn sách đó đắt quá' means 'that book there is too expensive'.

How It Connects

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đóLevel 1That (Already Known)

Learn This First

To use 'đó' correctly, you need to understand that Vietnamese modifiers follow the noun. It is most commonly used within the 'Classifier + Noun + Demonstrative' structure to identify a specific person or thing already mentioned or understood in context.

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