Who else? Of course! … chứ ai, chứ gì, chứ sao

Chứ followed by a question word marks an answer as so obvious that the question hardly needed asking. Ai is "who", so … chứ ai! means "…, who else?": Ai nấu món này vậy? Má em chứ ai! Who cooked this? My mum, who else! The answer comes first, and chứ ai closes it.

After a guess, chứ gì means "…, I bet" or "…, didn't you?": Em lại thức khuya coi phim chứ gì? You stayed up watching films again, didn't you? You're fairly sure, and a little teasing.

To agree strongly, say Chứ sao! or Chứ còn gì nữa!: "Of course! What else?" In Hà Nội you'll also hear chứ lị: Có chứ lị! Of course!

These are casual, and most hint that the other person should have known, so keep them for friends and family. With someone older, a plain answer with dạ is safer: Dạ, má em nấu.

You know the plain chứ. At the end of an answer, Biết chứ! is a warm "of course". At the end of a question, Mai em đi chứ? hopes for a yes. With ai, gì or sao after it, chứ treats the answer as obvious.