# Đề nghị / yêu cầu: request, demand in Vietnamese (A2)

> English "ask" has several Vietnamese words, and these two are the formal ones. Yêu cầu means "require" or "demand": someone in charge tells someone else…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/de-nghi-yeu-cau/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**request, demand**

Pattern: `[person] + đề nghị / yêu cầu + [person] + [verb]`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: formal

Typed without accents: de nghi, yeu cau

Situations: [At work](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/?use=work)

English "ask" has several Vietnamese words, and these two are the formal ones. *Yêu cầu* means "require" or "demand": someone in charge tells someone else to do something. *Đề nghị* means "propose" or "request": between equals it suggests something, and on a notice it's a firm but polite "please". It's softer than *yêu cầu*. Both use the same order as *bảo* (tell): the person asking, then the verb, then the person asked, then what they should do.

*Công ty yêu cầu nhân viên đi làm đúng giờ.* The company requires staff to be on time. *Tôi đề nghị chúng ta họp lại vào thứ hai.* I suggest we meet again on Monday.

You'll meet both at work, at school, in emails and on notices. A notice can start with one, with no person in front: *Đề nghị giữ trật tự.* Please keep quiet.

In everyday talk, use the plain words instead: *hỏi* to ask a question, *nhờ* to ask a favour, *xin* to ask for something politely, and *bảo* or, in Saigon, *kêu* to tell someone to do something. Saying *yêu cầu* to a friend sounds like an order from the boss.

## A common mistake

✗ Công ty hỏi nhân viên đi làm đúng giờ.

✓ Công ty yêu cầu nhân viên đi làm đúng giờ.

*Hỏi* is only for asking a question. When a company, a teacher or an office asks people to do something, the word is *yêu cầu*, or the softer *đề nghị*; to ask a friend a favour, use *nhờ*.

## Examples

- Công ty yêu cầu nhân viên đi làm đúng giờ. — The company requires staff to be on time.
- Thầy yêu cầu cả lớp nộp bài trước thứ sáu. — The teacher wants the whole class to hand in their work before Friday.
- Tôi đề nghị chúng ta họp lại vào thứ hai. — I suggest we meet again on Monday.
- Đề nghị giữ trật tự. — Please keep quiet. (on a notice)

## Words in this pattern

- [đề nghị](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/de-nghi/#s_de_nghi): propose
- [yêu cầu](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/yeu-cau/#s_yeu_cau): require

## Compare

- [Telling, making, asking someone to: kêu / bảo, bắt, nhờ + person + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/causative-bao-bat/): tell / make / ask someone to

Previous in Can, must, should, want: [Prohibited (signs and rules): cấm, không + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cam-prohibit/)
Next in Can, must, should, want: [Should: nên + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nen-should/)

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