# Dám: dare in Vietnamese (B1)

> Dám means "dare" and goes before the verb: Em không dám nói. I don't dare say it. Vietnamese uses it far more than English uses "dare".

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/dam-dare/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**dare**

Pattern: `[person] + (không) dám + [verb]`

Level: B1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: dam

*Dám* means "dare" and goes before the verb: *Em không dám nói.* I don't dare say it. Vietnamese uses it far more than English uses "dare". Wherever English says "I'm too scared to", "I can't bring myself to" or "I wouldn't risk it", Vietnamese says *không dám*: *Em không dám ăn mắm tôm.* I can't bring myself to eat shrimp paste.

It's mostly negative or in questions: *Anh có dám nhảy xuống không?* Would you dare jump in? *Chưa dám* means you haven't found the courage yet: *Em chưa dám nói với ba mẹ.* I haven't dared tell my parents yet.

Plain *dám*, without *không*, often sounds like a challenge or a reproach: *Sao em dám nói vậy?* How dare you say that?

*Dạ, không dám* is something else: a formal, rather old-fashioned reply to thanks or praise, meaning "not at all, it was nothing". You'll hear it from older people more than you'll need to say it.

## Examples

- Em không dám ăn mắm tôm. — I can't bring myself to eat shrimp paste.
- Saigon: Tôi không dám chạy xe máy ở Sài Gòn. | Hà Nội: Tôi không dám đi xe máy ở Sài Gòn. — I don't dare ride a motorbike in Saigon.
- Saigon: Em chưa dám nói với ba mẹ. | Hà Nội: Em chưa dám nói với bố mẹ. — I haven't dared tell my parents yet.
- Anh có dám nhảy xuống không? — Would you dare jump in?
- Saigon: Sao em dám nói vậy? | Hà Nội: Sao em dám nói thế? — How dare you say that?

Previous in Can, must, should, want: [Can't manage it (too much, too hard): verb + không nổi / không xuể](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-noi-cannot-manage/)
Next in Can, must, should, want: [Had better: nên … thì hơn](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nen-thi-hon/)

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