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Study in the app →Vietnamese · KNLTV Bậc 1 (A1) · Chapter 20
Món ăn Food
Food and taste. Food: thịt, cá, rau, trứng, hoa quả, bánh mì. The key point: the ADJECTIVE goes AFTER the noun — "cá NGON" (delicious fish), not "ngon cá". And Vietnamese does NOT use "là" before an adjective: "Tôi đói" (I'm hungry), "Cá ngon" — not "Tôi là đói". English speakers often put the adjective first ("ngon cá" ✗ → "cá ngon" ✓). New words: thịt, cá, rau, trứng, hoa quả, bánh mì, ngon, đói, khát, no. Culture corner: Street food and the shared table.
Dialogue
ngon cá? cá ngon?
- Nam Tom, món này thế nào? Tom, how is this dish?
- Tom Ngon cá! Delicious fish! (slip: the adjective goes after the noun — say "cá ngon")
- Nam Tính từ đứng sau: "cá ngon". Danh từ trước, tính từ sau. The adjective goes after: "cá ngon". Noun first, adjective second.
- Tom À, cá ngon! Rau cũng ngon. Tôi đói quá! Ah, the fish is delicious! The veg too. I'm so hungry!
Dialogue
Ngon quá! — So delicious!
- Linh Nam, bạn đói không? Nam, are you hungry?
- Nam Có, tôi đói. Chúng ta ăn gì? Yes, I am. What shall we eat?
- Linh Quán này có bánh mì và phở. Cả hai đều ngon. This place has banh mi and pho. Both are delicious.
- Nam Tôi ăn phở. Cá ở đây rất ngon. I'll have pho. The fish here is very delicious.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| thịt | n. | meat | |
| cá | n. | fish | |
| rau | n. | vegetable | |
| trứng | n. | egg | |
| hoa quả | n. | fruit | |
| bánh mì | n. | bread; banh mi | |
| ngon | adj. | delicious (after the noun) | |
| đói | adj. | hungry | |
| khát | adj. | thirsty | |
| no | adj. | full (not hungry) |
Grammar
Tính từ sau danh từ (không "là") Adjective after the noun (no "là")
Trong tiếng Việt, TÍNH TỪ đứng SAU danh từ nó mô tả: "cá ngon" (delicious fish), "món ngon", "quán mới". Người nói tiếng Anh hay đặt tính từ trước như "delicious fish" → "ngon cá" ✗ → "cá ngon" ✓. Khi tính từ làm vị ngữ, KHÔNG cần "là": "Cá này ngon" (This fish is delicious), "Tôi đói" (I'm hungry), "Tôi khát" — không phải "Tôi là đói". Thêm "rất" (very) trước tính từ: "rất ngon". Câu hỏi có/không: "Bạn đói không?" — "Có, tôi đói" / "Không, tôi no".
In Vietnamese, the ADJECTIVE comes AFTER the noun it describes: "cá ngon" (delicious fish), "món ngon", "quán mới". English speakers often put the adjective first like "delicious fish" → "ngon cá" ✗ → "cá ngon" ✓. When the adjective is the predicate, you need NO "là": "Cá này ngon" (This fish is delicious), "Tôi đói" (I'm hungry), "Tôi khát" — not "Tôi là đói". Add "rất" (very) before the adjective: "rất ngon". Yes/no question: "Bạn đói không?" — "Có, tôi đói" / "Không, tôi no".
- Món này rất ngon. This dish is very delicious.
- Tôi đói. Tôi ăn cơm. I'm hungry. I'll eat rice.
- Cá này ngon, rau cũng ngon. This fish is delicious, the vegetables too.
- Bạn khát không? — Có, tôi khát. Are you thirsty? — Yes, I am.
Culture
Đồ ăn đường phố và mâm cơm chung Street food & the shared table
Eating and drinking are the heart of Vietnamese life. From low plastic stools on the pavement to the family rice tray, a meal is always something shared — passed around, offered to one another, and eaten close together.
Street food
The Vietnamese pavement is a giant kitchen. People sit on low plastic stools around a steaming pot of pho, a banh mi cart, or a bun stall. The food is cheap, fresh, and cooked right in front of you. A bowl of pho in the morning, a banh mi at midday — that is the rhythm of daily life. Don't be shy to point at what someone else is eating and say "One like that, please".
The shared table
At home, the meal is laid out to share: a pot of rice, a few plates of food (meat, fish, vegetables) and a bowl of soup (canh) in the middle of the tray. Each person has their own bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks, and picks food from the shared plates. Picking food for the person next to you is a caring gesture. Rice is the centre — "ăn cơm" (eat rice) also means "have a meal".
Inviting to eat
Before eating, younger people usually "invite" their elders: "Con mời ông bà, bố mẹ ăn cơm ạ" (I invite grandparents and parents to eat). It is a lovely mark of respect, moving from the youngest to the eldest. A guest will be urged to eat many times — declining once is polite, but the host will offer again. If you are full, say "Cảm ơn, tôi no rồi" (Thank you, I'm full) with a smile.
In short: sit on a low plastic stool and try the street food, share the common tray, and don't forget to "invite" everyone before eating. In Vietnam, eating is how people show they care. Enjoy your meal — mời bạn ăn cơm!
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