# Cái: emphasis, emotion in Vietnamese (B2)

> Put cái in front of a person, an animal or a matter that already has its own classifier, and it adds feeling: cái con mèo này (this cat!), cái thằng nhỏ…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cai-emphatic/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**(emphasis, emotion)**

Pattern: `cái + [classifier] + [noun] · cái + [name] (Northern colloquial)`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday · Medium: spoken

Typed without accents: cai

Saigon: cái + [classifier] + [noun] (cái thằng đó, cái con nhỏ này) | Hà Nội: cái + [classifier] + [noun] · cái + [girl's name] (cái Lan)

Put *cái* in front of a person, an animal or a matter that already has its own classifier, and it adds feeling: *cái con mèo này* (this cat!), *cái thằng nhỏ đó* (that little boy), *cái chuyện hôm qua* (that business yesterday). The voice tells you which feeling: annoyance, fondness or plain emphasis, a little like English "that … of yours".

The order is *cái* + classifier + noun, often with *này* or *đó* at the end: *cái ông hàng xóm*, *cái con nhỏ này*. This is not the ordinary *cái* that counts things: in *cái bàn* (the table), *cái* is the classifier itself and carries no feeling. The test is a second classifier. If *con*, *thằng*, *ông* or *bà* follows *cái*, the *cái* is the emotional one.

It's casual speech, among family and friends. About a person it can sound rude, so don't use it about anyone older or anyone you owe respect, and never in front of them. With *chuyện* and *vụ* (matter) it's mild and very common: *Cái vụ đó tính sau.* We'll deal with that later.

In Hà Nội, older people also put *cái* before a girl's name, *cái Lan*, meaning young Lan. That use is Northern only.

## Examples

- Saigon: Cái con mèo này, lại làm bể ly nữa rồi! | Hà Nội: Cái con mèo này, lại làm vỡ cốc nữa rồi! — This cat! It's broken another glass!
- Saigon: Cái thằng nhỏ đó dễ thương ghê. | Hà Nội: Cái thằng bé ấy dễ thương thế. — That little boy is so sweet.
- Saigon: Cái ông hàng xóm mở nhạc lớn quá trời. | Hà Nội: Cái ông hàng xóm bật nhạc to quá. — That neighbour of ours plays his music so loud.
- Cái chuyện hôm qua, thôi bỏ qua đi anh. — That business yesterday, let's just let it go.

## Compare

- [Which classifier: cái for things, con for animals, người for people, and the common others](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/clf-cai-chiec/): picking the classifier

Previous in Things, counting and numbers: [Where (the place in which): nơi (mà)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/noi-where-relative/)
Next in Things, counting and numbers: [So many: bao nhiêu là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bao-nhieu-la-so-many/)

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