Vietnamese · KNLTV Bậc 1 (A1) · Chapter 35
Nhiều hay ít?A lot or a little?
Talking about quantities of food and drink. Vocabulary: nhiều, ít, một chút, đủ, đường, muối, rau, thịt, cơm, cá, trứng. Key grammar: the quantity words "nhiều", "ít", "một chút" go RIGHT BEFORE the noun and attach directly, with NO "của": "nhiều rau" (a lot of vegetables), "ít muối" (little salt), "một chút đường" (a little sugar). Vietnamese has no countable/uncountable split like English — "nhiều" works for both. English speakers, used to "a lot OF, a little OF", tend to add "của" (of): "một chút của đường" ✗ → "một chút đường" ✓. Tone corner: "nhiều" (huyền), "ít" (sắc), "đủ" (hỏi).
Dialogue
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một chút của đường / một chút đường
- NamTom ơi, cậu uống cà phê thế nào?Tom, how do you take your coffee?
- TomTôi thích một chút của đường.I like a little sugar. (slip: no "của" — say một chút đường)
- NamBỏ "của" đi. Từ chỉ lượng gắn thẳng: "một chút đường".Drop "của". The quantity word attaches directly: "một chút đường".
- TomÀ, tôi thích một chút đường. Và ít sữa nữa.Ah, I like a little sugar. And a little milk too.
- NamChính xác! "một chút đường", "ít sữa" — không "của".Exactly! "một chút đường", "ít sữa" — no "của".
- TomHiểu rồi. Cho tôi nhiều cà phê, ít đường nhé!I get it. Give me a lot of coffee, a little sugar!
Dialogue
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Ở quán ăn— At the eatery
- LinhNam ơi, cậu muốn ăn gì?Nam, what do you want to eat?
- NamTôi muốn một bát cơm, nhiều rau và một chút cá.I want a bowl of rice, a lot of vegetables and a little fish.
- LinhCậu ăn nhiều thịt không?Do you eat a lot of meat?
- NamKhông, tôi ăn ít thịt thôi. Tôi thích rau hơn.No, I eat only a little meat. I prefer vegetables.
- LinhVậy hai chúng ta gọi đủ đồ ăn cho hai người nhé.Then let us order enough food for the two of us.
- NamĐược! Và cho tôi một chút nước mắm nữa.Alright! And give me a little fish sauce too.
Vocabulary
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- nhiều
adverbmuch, many, a lot
- ít
adverblittle, few
- một chút
adverba little, a bit
- đủ
adjectiveenough
- đường
nounsugar
- muối
nounsalt
- rau
nounvegetables
- thịt
nounmeat
- cơm
nouncooked rice
- cá
nounfish
- trứng
nounegg
Grammar
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Nhiều / ít / một chút + noun (no "của")
Explanation
To talk about quantity, Vietnamese puts the quantity word RIGHT BEFORE the noun and attaches it directly: "nhiều rau" (nhiều = a lot), "ít muối" (ít = little), "một chút đường" (một chút = a bit). There is no linking word in between. Unlike English, Vietnamese does NOT split countable and uncountable nouns: "nhiều" is used for both "nhiều rau" (a lot of vegetables) and "nhiều người" (a lot of people) — there is no much/many pair. "Đủ" (enough) also goes before the noun: "đủ thời gian" (enough time). Typical mistake: English says "a lot OF, a little OF", so English speakers insert "của" (of): "một chút của đường" ✗ → "một chút đường" ✓. The quantity word attaches DIRECTLY to the noun, no "của".
Examples
- Tôi muốn ăn nhiều rau.I want to eat a lot of vegetables.
- Cho tôi ít muối thôi.Give me only a little salt.
- Cô ấy uống một chút cà phê buổi sáng.She drinks a little coffee in the morning.
- Trên bàn có đủ thịt và cơm cho hai người.On the table there is enough meat and rice for two people.
Script & tones
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Nhiều xuống, ít lên— "Nhiều" falls, "ít" rises
Read aloud, hearing the tones clearly:
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