cái này là cái gì?
[kaːj˧˦ naj˨˩ laː˨˩ kaːj˧˦ zi˨˩]word by word
To say "what is this?" in Vietnamese, use cái này là cái gì?
This phrase is used specifically for inanimate objects. For people, different pronouns and structures are required.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase cái này là cái gì? breaks down literally as "this thing is what?", where cái này means "this thing", là means "is" and cái gì means "what".
Which one should you use?
While cái này là cái gì? is a standard way to ask the question, you can also use Đây là cái gì? as a common alternative by using đây (here/this) instead of cái này (this thing).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase cái này là cái gì?, cái này serves as the demonstrative pronoun for "this" when referring to an object.
Did you know?
Example conversation
Chi and Minh are looking at a strange fruit in a market.
- ChiMinh ơi, cái này là cái gì?Minh, what is this?
- MinhĐây là quả sầu riêng.This is a durian.
- ChiNó có mùi lạ quá.It smells very strange.
- MinhNhưng nó rất ngon đấy.But it is very delicious.
