This, that after the noun: … này, … đó, … kia

To say "this" or "that" about a thing, put the word after the noun: quán này (this place), nhà đó (that house), cái áo kia (that shirt over there). It's the reverse of English: literally "place this".

Này is for what's near you. Đó is "that": further away, or something already mentioned (quán đó, the place we talked about). Kia is "that over there", further off but in sight. In Hà Nội you'll also hear ấy for "that": hôm ấy (that day).

Most objects take a classifier in front: cái ghế này, con mèo đó, cuốn sách kia. With everyday nouns like nhà, phòng or xe, it's often left out: xe này. If a describing word is added, này comes last: cái áo trắng này.

Time words work the same way: tuần này (this week), tháng này (this month), năm đó (that year). Two to learn separately: "today" is hôm nay, and with kia a time word means two days or years off: hôm kia (the day before yesterday), năm kia (the year before last).

Two things to keep apart. Đây starts a sentence (Đây là …), while này follows a noun. And in Saigon you'll hear nè at the end of a sentence when someone hands something over, Cái này nè, but inside the phrase it's always này.