# Kêu: tell / make / ask someone to in Vietnamese (A2)

> To tell, make or ask someone to do something, put the person straight after the verb, then the action. No word for "to" is needed: Má kêu con đi chợ.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/causative-bao-bat/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**tell / make / ask someone to**

Pattern: `[person] + kêu / bảo / bắt / nhờ / cho / nhắc / khuyên + [person 2] + [verb]`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: keu, bao, bat, nho

Situations: [At work](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/?use=work)

Saigon: kêu / bảo / bắt / nhờ | Hà Nội: bảo / bắt / nhờ

Variants:

- ra lệnh cho (order, formal)
- bảo … đừng (reported 'don't')

To tell, make or ask someone to do something, put the person straight after the verb, then the action. No word for "to" is needed: *Má kêu con đi chợ.* Mum told me to go to the market.

In Saigon, the everyday word for "tell someone to" is *kêu*: *Sếp kêu em làm lại.* My boss told me to redo it. In Hà Nội, and in writing everywhere, the usual word is *bảo*: *Mẹ bảo con đi chợ.* To pass on a "don't", add *đừng*: *Má kêu con đừng về trễ.*

The verb says how much choice the other person has. *Bắt* means "make, force": *Ba bắt em học bài.* Dad made me study. *Nhờ* asks a favour: *Em nhờ anh chở em về được không?* Could you give me a lift home? *Nhắc* is "remind", and *khuyên* is "advise", usually with *nên*: *Bác sĩ khuyên tôi nên ngủ sớm.* *Cho* is "let": *Ba mẹ không cho em đi chơi khuya.*

All of these are a person deciding. For something that causes a feeling, use *làm* (*cho*). *Để em làm* (let me do it) offers to do something yourself. In letters and notices, *đề nghị* and *yêu cầu* make formal requests.

## A common mistake

✗ Em hỏi anh ấy giúp em.

✓ Em nhờ anh ấy giúp em.

*Hỏi* is "ask" for questions only. To ask someone to do something for you, use *nhờ*.

## Examples

- Saigon: Má kêu con đi chợ. | Hà Nội: Mẹ bảo con đi chợ. — Mum told me to go to the market.
- Saigon: Sếp bắt em làm thêm tới tối. | Hà Nội: Sếp bắt em làm thêm đến tối. — My boss made me work late into the evening.
- Em nhờ anh chở em về được không? — Could you give me a lift home?
- Saigon: Ba mẹ không cho em đi chơi khuya. | Hà Nội: Bố mẹ không cho em đi chơi khuya. — My parents don't let me stay out late.

## Words in this pattern

- [bảo](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/bao-tell/#s_bao_tell_verb): tell
- [bắt](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/bat-force/#s_bat_force): force
- [kêu](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/keu-order/#s_keu_tell): tell

## Compare

- [Making someone feel or do: làm (cho)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/lam-cho-cause/): make / cause
- [Requesting formally: đề nghị / yêu cầu + person + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/de-nghi-yeu-cau/): request, demand
- [Let me: Để + person + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/de-let/): let (someone) do

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Seeing, hearing (the result): nhìn thấy, nghe thấy](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/thay-sense-result/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [That (after say, think): rằng / là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/rang-la-that/)

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