# Cả: all / the whole in Vietnamese (A2)

> Cả before a noun means "the whole" or "all of": cả ngày (all day), cả tuần (the whole week), cả nhà (the whole family), cả lớp (the whole class).

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/ca-whole/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**all / the whole**

Pattern: `cả + [group or time period] · cả + [number] + [noun] · cả hai`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: ca

*Cả* before a noun means "the whole" or "all of": *cả ngày* (all day), *cả tuần* (the whole week), *cả nhà* (the whole family), *cả lớp* (the whole class). It takes the group, or the stretch of time, as one block.

Before a number it means all of that many: *cả ba người* (all three of them). *Cả hai* is "both": *Cả hai đều đẹp.* They're both nice. As there, *đều* often comes before the verb.

*Tất cả* also means "all", but it gathers separate things or people, *tất cả các phòng* (all the rooms), and it can stand on its own: *Tất cả đều đồng ý.* Everyone agreed. *Cả* can't stand alone like that. For a stretch of time or one whole thing, only *cả* works: *cả ngày*, never *tất cả ngày*.

Watch for *cũng* later in the sentence. *Cả em cũng biết* means "even I know"; that use, often with *ngay* in front, has its own page.

## A common mistake

✗ Hôm qua em ngủ tất cả ngày.

✓ Hôm qua em ngủ cả ngày.

For a stretch of time, use *cả*: *cả ngày*, *cả tuần*. *Tất cả* is for a set of separate things or people.

## Examples

- Hôm qua em ngủ cả ngày. — Yesterday I slept all day.
- Cả nhà em đều thích ăn cay. — My whole family loves spicy food.
- Cả hai cái đều đẹp, em không biết chọn. — They're both nice; I can't decide.
- Cuối tuần này cả lớp đi Vũng Tàu. — The whole class is going to Vũng Tàu this weekend.

## Words in this pattern

- [cả](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/ca-all/#s_ca_all): all

## Compare

- [All: tất cả (các)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tat-ca-all/): all
- [Even X: (ngay) cả … cũng](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/ngay-ca-even/): even

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Next in Things, counting and numbers: [When của cannot be dropped: cái áo đẹp của tôi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cua-required/)

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