# No preposition where English has one in Vietnamese (A1)

> Many English verbs need a small word such as "for", "to" or "at" before the thing they're about: "wait for", "listen to", "look at".

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/direct-object-no-prep/ · Updated 2026-11-10

**direct object**

Pattern: `[verb] + [object] (no preposition)`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Many English verbs need a small word such as "for", "to" or "at" before the thing they're about: "wait for", "listen to", "look at". In Vietnamese, these verbs take the thing straight after them, with nothing in between: *chờ em* (wait for me), *nghe nhạc* (listen to music), *nhìn tôi* (look at me), *tìm chìa khóa* (look for the keys).

Some common ones: *chờ* or *đợi* (wait for), *nghe* (listen to), *nhìn* (look at), *tìm* (look for), *trả lời* (reply to), *nhớ* (miss; it also means "remember"), *sợ* (be afraid of) and *tốt nghiệp* (graduate from): *tốt nghiệp đại học*. A price needs no "for" either: *Em mua cái áo này hai trăm ngàn.* I bought this shirt for two hundred thousand (in Hà Nội, *nghìn*).

So don't translate the English small word. In particular, *cho* isn't the "for" in "wait for": it means "for someone's benefit", as in *mua cho mẹ* (buy for Mum).

Some verbs do take a small word, though. A few take *với* before the person, such as *nói với* (say to, tell) and *làm quen với* (get to know). That's a separate pattern.

## A common mistake

✗ Em đang chờ cho anh.

✓ Em đang chờ anh.

*Chờ* already means "wait for", so the person comes straight after it. Before a person, *cho* means "for" when you do something for their benefit, so it doesn't belong after *chờ*.

## Examples

- Saigon: Anh chờ em chút nha. | Hà Nội: Anh đợi em chút nhé. — Wait for me a minute, OK?
- Em đang nghe nhạc. — I'm listening to music.
- Saigon: Chị đang tìm gì vậy? | Hà Nội: Chị đang tìm gì thế? — What are you looking for?
- Saigon: Em nhớ ba mẹ quá. | Hà Nội: Em nhớ bố mẹ quá. — I miss my parents so much.
- Em sợ chó. — I'm scared of dogs.

## Compare

- [Talking to, meeting someone: nói với, giới thiệu … với](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/verb-voi/): verbs that take với

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Me too, so do I: cũng vậy / cũng thế](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cung-vay-me-too/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Only: chỉ … thôi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chi-thoi-only/)

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