Telling someone: kể / nói … cho … nghe

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.