Very (spoken): lắm after the adjective

Lắm means "very" or "really", and it comes after the adjective: ngon lắm (really good), xa lắm (very far). It means much the same as rất, but it's warmer and more conversational, and you'll hear it constantly in everyday speech.

It also follows words for feelings: thích lắm (like it a lot), nhớ lắm (miss a lot). When something follows the verb, lắm goes at the very end: Em nhớ ba mẹ lắm. I miss my parents a lot.

Unlike rất, lắm works in questions and after không. Xa lắm không? or Có xa lắm không? asks "Is it very far?", and không xa lắm means "not very far". This không … lắm is also the gentle way to say no: Không ngon lắm is a polite "not great".

In Hà Nội you'll also hear lắm before a noun, meaning "lots of": lắm việc. In Saigon people say nhiều việc.