cả
The Whole of It
Use cả to talk about "the whole" or "entire" thing, to emphasize that "even" someone is included, or to say "both".
How It Works
The word cả is an essential, high-frequency word in Vietnamese with four main functions:
1. The Totality Marker ("The whole" / "Entire")
When placed directly before a noun, cả emphasizes that you are talking about the complete, undivided entity. It typically attaches to:
- Time spans: cả ngày (the whole day), cả tuần (the whole week).
- Collective/Group nouns: cả nhà (the whole family), cả lớp (the whole class).
- Count nouns with a classifier: cả cái bánh (the whole cake).
Important Distinction: Learners often confuse cả with tất cả because both translate to "all" in English. However, tất cả focuses on a collection of individual members (plurality), while cả focuses on a single entity viewed in its entirety. Because cả treats the noun as a single unit in this specific function, it cannot be followed by plural markers like các or những.
2. The Emphatic Particle ("Even" / "Including")
Cả can also be used to express surprise that a specific person or thing is included in an action (e.g., "He got drunk and hit even his own brother"). Unlike the totality function above, when cả means "even," it can be followed by plural markers, such as cả những người lớn tuổi (even the elderly).
3. Both A and B ("Both")
Cả is frequently used to mean "both." You will see it as cả hai (both of them) or in structures linking two items, such as cả A và B, cả A lẫn B, or cả A cả B. Crucial Rule: When a phrase with cả acts as the subject of the sentence (meaning "both" or "all"), you must use the adverb đều before the verb (e.g., Cả hai đều thích... - Both of them like...).
4. Negative Emphasis ("Not at all")
When placed at the end of a negative sentence, cả adds strong emphasis, meaning "not at all." It is commonly paired with question words like gì (what), đâu (where), or ai (who) in structures like không ... gì cả (nothing at all), không ... đâu cả (nowhere at all), or không ... ai cả (no one at all).
Note: In casual Southern speech, you will frequently hear the word nguyên used as a colloquial substitute for cả for totality (e.g., "nguyên ngày" instead of "cả ngày"). For negative emphasis, Southerners typically use hết (and sometimes trơn or ráo) instead of cả (e.g., "không có gì hết" instead of "không có gì cả").
Examples (6)
- Hôm qua trời mưa cả ngày.
It rained the whole day yesterday.
Word by Word: Yesterday sky rain whole day.
Attaches to a time span to mean the entire duration of the day.
- Cả nhà đang đi nghỉ mát.
The whole family is on vacation.
Word by Word: Whole family currently go rest cool.
Attaches to a collective noun (nhà/family) to treat the group as a single complete unit.
- Nam say xỉn rồi đánh cả anh mình.
Nam got drunk and even hit his own brother.
Word by Word: Nam drunk then hit even older brother self.
Demonstrates the secondary emphatic nuance meaning 'even' or 'including'.
- Cả hai đều thích giáo viên mới.
Both of them like the new teacher.
Word by Word: Both two all like teacher new.
When 'cả' acts as the subject meaning 'both' or 'all', the adverb 'đều' is mandatory before the verb.
- Tôi thích cả trà lẫn cà phê.
I like both tea and coffee.
Word by Word: I like both tea and coffee.
Demonstrates the third core function of cả, used here in the structure 'cả A lẫn B' to mean 'both A and B'.
- Tôi không biết gì cả.
I don't know anything at all.
Word by Word: I not know what at all.
Demonstrates the negative emphasis structure 'không ... gì cả' meaning 'nothing at all'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'tất cả' (all) instead of 'cả' (the whole) for time periods.
Hôm nay tôi làm việc tất cả ngày.Hôm nay tôi làm việc cả ngày.Because English uses 'all' for both plurals ('all people') and time ('all day'), learners frequently default to 'tất cả'. However, 'tất cả' is for plural collections. For a single continuous block of time, you must use 'cả'.
Using 'cả các người' to mean 'everyone'.
Cả các người phải đi.Tất cả mọi người phải đi.'Các người' is a rude way to say 'you all', so 'Cả các người phải đi' sounds hostile. To say 'everyone', use 'tất cả mọi người'. Plain 'cả' mostly means 'the whole' of one thing, as in 'cả ngày' (all day).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'cả' (the whole), learners need to be familiar with how nouns are structured in Vietnamese, particularly the use of classifiers when referring to specific entities. 'Cả' functions as a pre-nominal modifier that stresses the completeness of the noun phrase that follows it.
- Naming A Specific One
The word 'cả' often precedes a noun phrase consisting of a classifier and a noun (e.g., 'cả cái nhà') to indicate the entirety of that specific object.
Level 1 - Word Order Basics
Understanding basic Vietnamese word order is necessary to place 'cả' correctly before the noun or noun phrase it modifies.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- cácPlural Marker (All of a Known Set)
While 'cả' treats a group as a single undivided whole, 'các' is a plural marker that focuses on the multiple individual members of a known set.
Level 1 - mỗiEvery
'Mỗi' is distributive (meaning 'every single one' individually), whereas 'cả' is collective (meaning 'the whole thing' together).
Level 2 - cả ... lẫn ...Both ... and ...
This pattern uses 'cả' in a paired conjunction to mean 'both A and B', building on its nuance of total inclusion.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice cả in Bubblegum
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