# Có: there is / are in Vietnamese (A1)

> Có also means "there is" or "there are". Start with the place, then có, then the thing: Gần đây có tiệm thuốc tây.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/co-there-is/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**there is / are**

Pattern: `Có + [noun] + … · [place] + có + [noun] · [time] + (ở + [place]) + có + [noun]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: co

Situations: [Shops and services](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/?use=service)

*Có* also means "there is" or "there are". Start with the place, then *có*, then the thing: *Gần đây có tiệm thuốc tây.* There's a pharmacy near here (in Hà Nội, *hiệu thuốc tây*). The order is the reverse of English: literally, "near here has a pharmacy".

A time can come first too, before the place: *Thứ bảy này ở công ty có tiệc.* There's a party at work this Saturday.

When the place is obvious, or doesn't matter, start with *có*: *Có người tìm chị kìa.* There's someone looking for you.

"There isn't" is *không có*: *Phòng này không có máy lạnh.* To ask, wrap it in *có … không*, with only one *có*: *Gần đây có ATM không?* Answer *có* or *không có*.

This is the same word as *có* for "have", and often both translations work: *Nhà em có ba phòng* is "my house has three rooms" or "there are three rooms in my house". When a person comes first, think "have"; when a place or a time comes first, think "there is".

## Examples

- Saigon: Gần đây có tiệm thuốc tây không anh? | Hà Nội: Gần đây có hiệu thuốc tây không anh? — Is there a pharmacy near here?
- Saigon: Có, ở ngay đầu đường đó. | Hà Nội: Có, ở ngay đầu đường đấy. — Yes, right at the beginning of that street.
- Saigon: Phòng này không có máy lạnh. | Hà Nội: Phòng này không có điều hòa. — There's no air conditioning in this room.
- Thứ bảy này ở công ty có tiệc. — There's a party at work this Saturday.
- Có người tìm chị kìa. — There's someone looking for you.

## Words in this pattern

- [có](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/co-have/#s_co_there_is): there is

## Compare

- [Have: có](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/co-have/): have

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Talking to, meeting someone: nói với, giới thiệu … với](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/verb-voi/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Together: cùng (với)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cung-together/)

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