# Không … lắm: not very in Vietnamese (A1)

> For "not very", put không before the adjective and lắm after it: Nhà em không xa lắm. My place isn't very far.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-lam-not-very/ · Updated 2026-11-10

**not very**

Pattern: `[person] + không + [adjective or feeling verb] (+ [object]) + lắm`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: khong … lam

Variants:

- không … mấy (similar meaning, common in Saigon speech)

For "not very", put *không* before the adjective and *lắm* after it: *Nhà em không xa lắm.* My place isn't very far. It works with words for feelings too: *Em không thích bia lắm.* I don't really like beer.

It's also the polite way to say something negative. About food, people often soften *dở* (bad) to *không ngon lắm*, not very good, especially to the cook or the seller. *Dạo này chị không khỏe lắm* is a gentle "I haven't been too well lately."

*Rất* can't come after *không*; for "not very", *lắm* at the end is the usual word. You'll also hear *không … mấy* with a similar meaning: *không xa mấy*, not very far. For "not at all", say *không … chút nào*: *Tôi không thích kiểu đó chút nào.* I don't like that sort of thing at all.

To ask "Is it very …?", use *có … lắm không*: *Có mắc lắm không?* Is it very expensive? (in Hà Nội, *đắt*). The answer *Không mắc lắm* means "not very".

## A common mistake

✗ Tôi không rất thích bia.

✓ Tôi không thích bia lắm.

*Rất* can't follow *không*. For "not very" or "not much", put *lắm* at the end.

## Examples

- Phở ở đây không ngon lắm. — The phở here isn't that great.
- Em không thích bia lắm. — I don't really like beer.
- Dạo này chị không khỏe lắm. — I haven't been too well lately.
- Saigon: Có mắc lắm không em? | Hà Nội: Có đắt lắm không em? — Is it very expensive?
- Saigon: Dạ, không mắc lắm. | Hà Nội: Dạ, không đắt lắm. — No, not very.

## Compare

- [Very (spoken): lắm after the adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/lam-very/): very, really
- [Very: rất before the adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/rat-very/): very

Previous in Saying no and not: [Not at all, really: không … đâu](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-dau-not-at-all/)
Next in Saying no and not: [Not: không before the verb or adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-not/)

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