How to Say “My” in Vietnamese

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của tôi
[kuə˧˩ toj˧˧]word by word
In Vietnamese, của tôi is used to say 'my'.
The phrase của tôi expresses possession, meaning that something belongs to the speaker. In many casual contexts, you can omit the word của and simply use the pronoun after a noun to indicate possession, such as nhà tôi for 'my house'.
Meaning: belonging to me (det)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of của, meaning 'of' or 'belonging to' and tôi, meaning 'me' or 'I'.

Which one should you use?

While English uses the single word 'my' before a noun, Vietnamese possessives change based on the relationship between the speaker and the listener. Instead of a single word, you use different pronouns to replace tôi depending on who you are talking to. For example, của anh can be used to indicate a male gender for 'my' and của chị can be used for a female gender.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

của tôi is a neutral or formal way to say 'my' because tôi is a neutral or formal way to say 'I' or 'me', making it suitable for most standard situations. For informal expressions of possession, you can use của mình.

How does it change in a sentence?

In Vietnamese, the possessive phrase của tôi is placed after the noun it modifies, whereas in English 'my' precedes the noun.

Did you know?

  • The word tôi used to mean 'slave' or 'servant' before it became a common way to say 'I'.

Examples in context

  • Ô của tôi bị gãy.
    My umbrella broke.
    This sentence is useful for describing a broken object using của tôi.
    Tatoeba #13340825 by leucammieuvu, translation #5942300 by mailohilohi
  • Chỗ của tôi ở đây.
    My place is here.
    This sentence is useful for stating a location using của tôi.
    Tatoeba #1574379 by trieuho, translation #1111910 by Scott
  • Đồ ăn của tôi đâu?
    Where is my food?
    This sentence is useful for asking about the location of food using của tôi.
    Tatoeba #10257702 by hothuyhien, translation #4527240 by Jesse
  • Tôi tên là Minh.
    My name is Minh.
  • Đây là tài liệu của tôi.
    This is my document.
  • Đây là sách của tôi.
    This is my book.
  • Tớ tên là Lan.
    My name is Lan.
  • Cái này là của mình.
    This one is mine.
  • 396 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Chi and Minh are looking for their bags at the airport.

  1. Chi

    Đây có phải là túi của tôi không?
    Is this my bag?
  2. Minh

    Không, cái này là của tôi.
    No, this one is mine.
  3. Chi

    Vậy túi của tôi ở đâu?
    Then where is my bag?
  4. Minh

    Nó ở đằng kia kìa, Chi.
    It is over there, Chi.

Sources

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Harper April
Harper AprilHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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