Vietnamese Grammar Bank

VIETNAMESE CONDITIONAL

Conditional sentences in Vietnamese are used to express situations where one action depends on another.

This lesson will explore how to form and use conditional sentences with “nếu” (if) for both real and hypothetical scenarios.

SAYING “IF” WITH NẾU….THÌ…

In order to express “If…” in Vietnamese, you can follow this pattern: 

PATTERN

Nếu (if) + if-clause A, thì (so) + main clause

NOTE || If not is said “Nếu không,…” and is only used at the beginning of the sentence.

For example: 

VietnameseEnglish
Nếu anh không đi làm thì anh sẽ không có tiềnIf you don’t go to work, you will not have money
Nếu em muốn khoẻ thì em hãy tập thể dục!If you want to stay healthy, you should do exercises 
Nếu em buồn thì anh sẽ ở đây với emIf you are sad, I will be here with you!
Em học bài đi! Nếu không, em trễ deadlineStudy, please! If not, you will be late with the deadlines
Đi ngủ đi! Nếu không, sáng mai em dậy không đượcSleep, please! If not, you can’t wake up tomorrow
Ăn đi! Nếu không, em sẽ đóiEat, please! If not, you will be hung

SAYING “IF ONLY” WITH GIÁ NHƯ….

In order to express  “if only” in Vietnamese, you can use “Giá như” to describe something you can do better to avoid the unpleasant result. 

PATTERN

Giá như + if-clause, main clause

For example: 

VietnameseEnglish
Giá như tôi có nhiều tiền, tôi sẽ mua nhàIf only I’d had a lot of money, I would buy a house
Giá như  tôi không đi trễ, tôi sẽ không bị trừ lươngIf only I’d not been late, my salary would have not been deducted
Giá như tôi đi ngủ sớm, hôm nay tôi không đi làm trễIf only I’d slept earlier, I would have not been so late for work 
Giá như  tôi chăm chỉ hơn, bây giờ tôi đã giàuIf only I’d  been more hard-working, I would have been so rich right now 
Giá như  tôi gặp em sớm hơn, bây giờ tôi sẽ rất hạnh phúcIf only I’d  met you earlier, I would have been so happy now

SAYING “ONLY WHEN” WITH TRỪ KHI….

In order to say “unless”, or “only when” you can use the pattern below: 

PATTERN

Trừ khi + conditional-clause, thì (so) + subject + mới + verb 

For example: 

VietnameseEnglish
Trừ khi tôi có nhiều tiền thì tôi mới mua nhàOnly when I have a lot of money, so I can buy a house
Trừ khi tôi không đi trễ thì tôi mới không bị trừ lươngOnly when I am not late for work, so my salary won’t be deducted
Trừ khi tôi đi ngủ sớm thì tôi mới không đi làm trễOnly when I go to bed early, so I never be late for work 
Trừ khi  tôi chăm chỉ hơn, thì tôi  mới giàuOnly when I am more hard-working, so I can become rich 
Trừ khi tôi gặp em, thì tôi mới hạnh phúcOnly when I met you earlier, so I would be happy

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SIMILAR RESOURCES

Download the free Mandarin eBook for a guide packed with all the LTL resources available online!

Want to learn more? Check out these other free resources:

• Learn how to form negative sentences in Vietnamese
• Learn how to create sentences in the Vietnamese past tense
• Learn how to create sentences in the Vietnamese future tense

FAQs

How to form conditional sentences?

Conditional sentences in Vietnamese are typically formed using “nếu” (if) at the beginning of the condition clause, followed by the result clause.

For example, “Nếu trời mưa, tôi sẽ ở nhà” (If it rains, I will stay home).

Can conditional sentences in Vietnamese omit the word “nếu”?

Yes, in some cases, “nếu” can be omitted if the context makes the condition clear, especially in informal speech.

For example, “Trời mưa thì tôi sẽ ở nhà” (If it rains, I will stay home) omits “nếu.”

Is the word order in Vietnamese conditional sentences the same as in English?

Yes, the word order in Vietnamese conditional sentences is similar to English, with the condition clause first (starting with “nếu”) and the result clause following.

However, these clauses can also be reversed, just like in English.

Can conditional sentences in Vietnamese omit the word “nếu”?

Yes, in some cases, “nếu” can be omitted if the context makes the condition clear, especially in informal speech.

For example, “Trời mưa thì tôi sẽ ở nhà” (If it rains, I will stay home) omits “nếu.”

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