Third Person: He She It in Vietnamese
Learn how Vietnamese expresses 'he', 'she', 'they' and 'it', with notes on how third-person pronouns work differently from English.
In Vietnamese, third-person pronouns work differently from English. There are no standalone words like "he" or "she". Instead, you take the same kinship word you would use for "you", and add ấy (meaning "that person") after it.
He and She
To say "he" or "she", add ấy after the pronoun for that person.
| English | Vietnamese | Who it refers to |
|---|---|---|
| he (older man) | ông ấy | an elderly man |
| he (younger/peer male) | anh ấy | a man slightly older than you |
| he (young male) | em ấy | a boy or young man younger than you |
| she (older woman) | bà ấy | an elderly woman |
| she (peer female) | chị ấy | a woman slightly older than you |
| she (aunt/teacher) | cô ấy | a woman older than you |
| she (young female) | em ấy | a girl or young woman younger than you |
The pronoun you choose depends on how old the person is relative to you, just as with second-person pronouns.
Example
He is a teacher. (a man slightly older than you)
She is very busy. (a woman slightly older than you)
He is my younger brother.
It
For objects, animals, or things, Vietnamese uses nó.
Nó can also be used informally to refer to a person, but this sounds informal or even dismissive in some contexts. It is safer to use the appropriate kinship pronoun instead.
Example
The dog is sleeping. It is very cute.
The book is on the table. It is new.
They
For a group of people, Vietnamese uses họ as a general "they". You can also make the pronoun plural by adding các before it.
| English | Vietnamese |
|---|---|
| they (general) | họ |
| they (older men) | các ông ấy |
| they (older women) | các bà ấy |
| they (peers, mixed) | các bạn ấy |
| they (things/animals) | chúng nó / chúng |
Example
They are students.
They are going to the market. (a group of older women)