# No preposition after some adjectives in Vietnamese (A2)

> English adjectives often need a small word such as "at", "from" or "of" before the thing they're about.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/adj-object/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**good at / near (no preposition)**

Pattern: `[adjective] + [noun] · [A] + xa / gần + [B]`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Variants:

- nổi tiếng về (with a preposition)

English adjectives often need a small word such as "at", "from" or "of" before the thing they're about. In Vietnamese the noun follows the adjective directly, just as it follows verbs like *chờ* and *nghe*: *giỏi toán* (good at maths), *xa trường* (far from school), *đầy nước* (full of water).

Common ones: *giỏi* (good at), *dở* (bad at; in Hà Nội, usually *kém*), *gần* (near, close to), *xa* (far from), *giống* (like, looking like: *Em giống mẹ.*), *đông* (crowded with: *đông người*) and *đầy* (full of).

To ask, put the frame round the whole thing: *Nhà em có xa trường không?* Is your house far from the school? For the distance in numbers, use *cách*: *Nhà em cách trường hai cây số.*

A few adjectives do take a small word, and you learn them one by one: *tốt cho sức khỏe* (good for your health), *nổi tiếng về* (famous for).

## A common mistake

✗ Nhà em xa từ trường.

✓ Nhà em xa trường.

*Xa* takes the place straight after it, like "far from" in one word. *Từ* is "from" for a starting point, as in *từ đây tới chợ*.

## Examples

- Saigon: Em giỏi toán nhưng dở tiếng Anh. | Hà Nội: Em giỏi toán nhưng kém tiếng Anh. — I'm good at maths but bad at English.
- Nhà em có xa trường không? — Is your house far from the school?
- Dạ không, nhà em gần trường lắm. — No, my house is really close to the school.
- Chị giống mẹ quá! — You look so much like your mum!
- Cuối tuần chợ đông người lắm. — The market is really crowded at the weekend.

## Compare

- [No preposition where English has one: chờ ai, nghe nhạc](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/direct-object-no-prep/): direct object

Previous in How much, and comparing: [Getting more or less: adjective + ra / lên / đi / lại](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/adj-change-ra-di/)
Next in How much, and comparing: [Not as … as: không … bằng / như](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-bang-less/)

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