Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| rất | [zət̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʐək̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| lắm | [lam˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [lam˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| quá | [kwaː˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kwaː˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
These words are used to amplify the intensity of an adjective or adverb. While rất is the standard way to say 'very', other forms like lắm and quá provide different levels of emphasis or nuance.
Which one should you use?
The primary difference between these forms is their position and nuance. rất is a neutral way to say 'very', whereas quá often carries a nuance of 'too much' or 'excessively'. For emphasis, you can use both together, placing rất before the adjective and lắm after it to mean 'very… much'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Northern Vietnam, people tend to use cực to express 'very' in informal conversations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word order depends on which word you choose. rất is placed before the adjective it modifies. In contrast, both lắm and quá are placed after the adjective they modify.
Did you know?
- The word quá is a doublet of the word qua, which means 'to pass through' or 'to cross'.
- The word cực used in Northern Vietnam is derived from a word meaning 'pole' or 'extreme', such as the North Pole.
- In very formal or literary Vietnamese, the word vô cùng is used to mean 'infinitely' or 'extremely', surpassing the intensity of rất.
Examples in context
- Nó rất có ích.It was very helpful.Tatoeba #8958617 by dotheduyet1999, translation #3434325 by CK
- Tôi rất tò mò.I'm very curious.Tatoeba #13666111 by leucammieuvu, translation #6358175 by CK
- Xe máy rất rẻ.Motorcycles are very cheap.Tatoeba #13897552 by leucammieuvu, translation #65131 by CK
- Anh ấy là một người rất thông minh.He is a very intelligent person.
- Tôi rất hạnh phúc vì gặp bạn.I am very happy to meet you.
- ngon lắmVery delicious
- tốt lắmVery good
- đẹp lắmVery beautiful
- hôm nay siêu nóngSuper hot today
- siêu chánExtremely boring
- siêu đôngSuper crowded
- Hôm nay trời cực nóng.Today is very hot.
- 346 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hương and Hùng are talking about a new restaurant.
- HươngMón ăn ở đây rất ngon.The food here is very delicious.
- HùngĐúng vậy, tôi cũng thấy thế.That's true, I think so too.
- HươngNhưng giá cả rất đắt.But the prices are very expensive.
- HùngTôi đồng ý với Hương.I agree with Hương.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “very” translations and entries rất, lắm, quá, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quá, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
