# Finishing off the rest in Vietnamese (B1)

> To say you'll finish off what's left, Saigon speech puts cho hết (until it's all gone) or cho xong (until it's done) after the verb: Con ăn cho hết chén…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/not-finish-off/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**do the rest, finish off**

Pattern: `[verb] + cho hết / cho xong (+ [object]) · [verb] + nốt (+ [object]) (Hà Nội)`

Level: B1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Saigon: [verb] + cho hết; [verb] + cho xong | Hà Nội: [verb] + nốt

To say you'll finish off what's left, Saigon speech puts *cho hết* (until it's all gone) or *cho xong* (until it's done) after the verb: *Con ăn cho hết chén cơm đi.* Eat up the rest of your rice. *Để em làm cho xong cái này rồi về.* Let me finish this off, then I'll go home. *Cho hết* suits things you use up, such as food or pages; *cho xong* suits jobs. *Luôn* often follows: *đọc cho hết luôn*.

You know *hết* and *xong*. *Cho* in front makes them a goal: *ăn hết* says nothing is left, while *ăn cho hết* means eating until nothing is left. So they suit requests and plans: *Mình dọn cho xong rồi đi ăn nha.*

In Hà Nội, the word is *nốt*: *ăn nốt* (eat up the rest), *làm nốt* (finish the remaining work). Part is already done, and *nốt* deals with what remains: *Để em làm nốt cái này rồi về.* An object goes after it: *ăn nốt bát cơm*. Saigon speakers understand *nốt*, and some use it in careful speech.

Hà Nội speakers also say *còn nốt* for "the last one left": *Còn nốt một cái thôi.* There's only one left.

## Examples

- Saigon: Con ăn cho hết chén cơm đi. | Hà Nội: Con ăn nốt bát cơm đi. — Eat up the rest of your rice.
- Saigon: Để em làm cho xong cái này rồi về. | Hà Nội: Để em làm nốt cái này rồi về. — Let me finish this off, then I'll go home.
- Saigon: Còn hai trang, chị đọc cho hết luôn. | Hà Nội: Còn hai trang, chị đọc nốt luôn. — Just two pages left, so I'll finish it.
- Saigon: Mình dọn cho xong rồi đi ăn nha. | Hà Nội: Mình dọn nốt rồi đi ăn nhé. — Let's finish tidying up, then go and eat.

## Compare

- [Finished doing: verb + xong](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/xong-finished/): finish doing
- [All of it, all gone: verb + hết](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/het-all/): (do) all of / used up
- [Left half done: verb + dở](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/do-half-done/): half done, in the middle of

Previous in Time and when things happen: [Do this first: verb + đã](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/da-first/)
Next in Time and when things happen: [Have left, still to go: còn + noun, còn … nữa](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/con-left/)

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