# Cho … nghe: tell (to someone) in Vietnamese (B1)

> To tell someone something, Vietnamese often says "tell for them to hear": Chị kể cho em nghe đi! Go on, tell me!

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cho-nghe/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**tell (to someone)**

Pattern: `kể / nói / hát / giải thích + cho + [person] + nghe + [thing]`

Level: B1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

To tell someone something, Vietnamese often says "tell for them to hear": *Chị kể cho em nghe đi!* Go on, tell me! *Cho* comes before the listener and *nghe* (hear) right after: *kể cho em nghe*, literally "tell for me to hear".

It works with verbs of speaking and sound: *kể* (tell, recount), *nói* (say), *hát* (sing), *đọc* (read aloud), *giải thích* (explain). What you tell can come straight after the verb or at the end: *kể chuyện cho em nghe* and *kể cho em nghe chuyện đó* both work. In quick Saigon speech *cho* is often dropped: *Kể em nghe đi!*

When the point is to pass on a fact rather than to entertain or explain, *biết* (know) takes the place of *nghe*: *Có gì nhớ nói cho chị biết nha.* Be sure to let me know if anything comes up. For showing, the word is *coi* (look), in Hà Nội *xem*: *Đưa cho em coi.* Let me see.

You know *cho* for giving or doing something for someone: *gửi cho chị*, send it to you. With *kể* and *nói*, the *nghe* or *biết* at the end finishes the thought.

## Examples

- Chị kể cho em nghe đi! — Go on, tell me!
- Anh giải thích cho tôi nghe được không? — Could you explain it to me?
- Saigon: Tối qua ba kể chuyện hồi xưa cho tụi em nghe. | Hà Nội: Tối qua bố kể chuyện ngày xưa cho bọn em nghe. — Last night Dad told us stories about the old days.
- Saigon: Có gì nhớ nói cho chị biết nha. | Hà Nội: Có gì nhớ nói cho chị biết nhé. — Be sure to let me know if anything comes up.
- Con hát cho bà nghe một bài đi. — Sing Grandma a song.

## Compare

- [To or for someone: verb + thing + cho + person](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cho-to-for/): send / buy / sell to, work for

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [I think he isn't …: không goes in the part after nghĩ là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/negation-in-subclause/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Thought (wrongly): tưởng](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tuong-mistaken/)

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