chúng tôi / chúng ta

In Vietnamese, the concept of 'we' changes based on whether the listener is included, and your social relationship with them.

• Chúng ta (Inclusive 'We'): Refers to the speaker, the listener, and potentially others. Think of it as 'you and me' or 'all of us here.'
• Chúng tôi (Exclusive 'We'): Refers to the speaker and at least one other person, but explicitly excludes the listener ('me and them, but not you'). It is neutral and often used in formal settings or when speaking on behalf of a company.
• Chúng mình: A very common, friendly 'we' used among peers and friends. It can be inclusive or exclusive depending on the context.
• Chúng tớ: The strictly exclusive counterpart to chúng mình, used among friends to mean 'me and them, but not you.'
• Chúng tao / Bọn tao / Tụi tao: The familiar or rough exclusive 'we'. It is used among very close friends (pairing with mày for 'you') or when angry. You will hear this constantly in real life and media.
• Mình: In casual spoken Vietnamese, the standalone word mình is one of the most common ways to say the inclusive 'we' (e.g., Mình đi thôi - Let's go). Note that among peers, mình is also very frequently used to mean 'I' (singular), and between spouses or romantic partners, it is used as a term of endearment meaning 'you' or 'darling' (e.g., Mình ơi).

Hierarchy and Respect:
Because chúng tôi is socially flat, using it with elders can sound distant or disrespectful. To maintain politeness, attach chúng to kinship pronouns to form an exclusive 'we'. For example, use chúng con (we, the children) when speaking to parents, chúng cháu (we, the juniors) when speaking to a grandparent, or chúng em when speaking to an older colleague. Note that chúng forms 'we', whereas các forms a plural 'you' (e.g., các em), and forming 'they' usually requires adding ấy (e.g., các em ấy). To form an inclusive 'we' with elders in personal or conversational settings, using chúng ta or chúng mình is inappropriate. Instead, pair the two kinship terms and add mình. For example, hai bà cháu mình (the two of us, grandmother and grandchild). However, in formal or general contexts (like giving a presentation), chúng ta remains the standard, polite inclusive 'we' even if the audience includes elders.

Note on Register:
In casual spoken Vietnamese, native speakers often swap the formal chúng for the casual bọn (Northern) or tụi (Southern), such as bọn mình, bọn tớ, or tụi em.