Vietnamese Grammar Bank
MAKING COMPARISONS IN VIETNAMESE
There are four basic comparison structures in Vietnamese:
1 – “Hơn” ~ More
2 – “Ít hơn” ~ Less
3 – “Bằng” ~ As…as
4 – “Nhất” ~ The most!
Let’s start!
HƠN = MORE THAN
When you want to compare two things to highlight the superiority of its characteristics such as size, quality, texture, etc in Vietnamese, use this structure:
PATTERN
Subject 1 + (not) + Adjective + hơn (more) + Subject 2
| Bác sĩ giàu hơn cô giáo | Doctor is richer than teacher |
| Anh ấy cao hơn cô ấy | He is taller than her |
| Con hổ dữ hơn con thỏ | Tiger is more aggressive than rabbit |
In addition, you can use this structure for verbs:
PATTERN
Subject 1 + (not) + Verb + Adverb + hơn (more) + Subject 2
| Mẹ không hát hay hơn ba | Mom doesn’t sing better than dad |
| Ba không nấu ăn ngon hơn mẹ | Dad doesn’t cook better than mom |
| Thỏ chạy nhanh hơn rùa | Rabbit runs faster than turtle |
ÍT…HƠN = LESS THAN
When you want to compare things on the down side between two things in Vietnamese and express “less”, use this structure:
PATTERN
Subject 1 + ít (little) + Adjective + hơn (more) + Subject 2
| Tôi ít thông minh hơn cô ấy | I am less smart than her |
| Cafe sữa ít đắng hơn cafe đen | Milk coffee is less bitter than black coffee |
| Trái cam Mỹ ít chua hơn trái cam Việt Nam | American orange is less sour than Vietnamese one |
BẰNG = SAME
When you want to compare two things that have the same characteristics such as size, quality, texture, etc in Vietnamese, use this structure:
PATTERN
Subject 1 + (not) + Adjective + bằng (same) + Subject 2
| Bác sĩ giàu bằng cô giáo | Doctor is as rich as teacher |
| Anh ấy cao bằng cô ấy | He is as tall as her |
| Con hổ dữ bằng con sư tử | Tiger is as aggressive as lion |
In addition, you can use this structure for verbs:
PATTERN
Subject 1 + (not) + Verb + Adverb + bằng (same) + Subject 2
| Mẹ không hát hay bằng ba | Mom doesn’t sing as well as dad |
| Ba không nấu ăn ngon bằng mẹ | Dad doesn’t cook as well as mom |
| Thỏ chạy nhanh bằng mèo | Rabbit runs as fast as turtle |
NHẤT = THE MOST
When you want to use superlatives in Vietnamese to make comparisons, this structure will be very useful:
PATTERN
Subject + (not) + Adjective + nhất (the most)
| Bác sĩ là người giàu nhất | Doctor is the richest person |
| Anh ấy là người cao nhất | He is the tallest person |
| Con hổ là con vật dữ nhất | Tiger is the most aggressive animal |
In addition, you can use this structure for verbs:
PATTERN
Subject 1 + (not) + Verb + Adverb + nhất (the most)
| Mẹ không hát hay nhất | Mom doesn’t sing best |
| Ba không nấu ăn ngon nhất | Dad doesn’t cook best |
| Thỏ chạy nhanh nhất | Rabbit runs fastest |
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FAQs
How to say more than in Vietnamese?
When you want to compare two things to highlight the superiority of its characteristics such as size, quality, texture, etc in Vietnamese, use this structure:
Subject 1 + (not) + Adjective + hơn (more) + Subject 2
Bác sĩ giàu hơn cô giáo. Doctor is richer than teacher
Anh ấy cao hơn cô ấy. He is taller than her
How to say less than in Vietnamese?
hen you want to compare things on the down side between two things in Vietnamese and express “less”, use this structure:
Subject 1 + ít (little) + Adjective + hơn (more) + Subject 2
Tôi ít thông minh hơn cô ấy. I am less smart than her
Cafe sữa ít đắng hơn cafe đen. Milk coffee is less bitter than black coffee
How to say as…as in Vietnamese?
When you want to compare two things that have the same characteristics such as size, quality, texture, etc in Vietnamese, use this structure:
Subject 1 + (not) + Adjective + bằng (same) + Subject 2
Bác sĩ giàu bằng cô giáo. Doctor is as rich as teacher
Anh ấy cao bằng cô ấy. He is as tall as her
Is Vietnamese SVO or SOV?
The Vietnamese language structure is SVO, meaning sentences are built according to Subject + Verb + Object.
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