# Theo / theo tôi: according to in Vietnamese (A2)

> Theo before a person or a source means "according to": Theo bác sĩ, em phải nghỉ ba ngày. According to the doctor, I have to rest for three days.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/theo-according/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**according to**

Pattern: `Theo + [person or source], [statement] · Theo tôi, …`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: theo, theo toi

Variants:

- theo mình / theo em (speech)
- theo như (written)

*Theo* before a person or a source means "according to": *Theo bác sĩ, em phải nghỉ ba ngày.* According to the doctor, I have to rest for three days. It usually opens the sentence, followed by a comma.

*Theo tôi* means "in my opinion": *Theo tôi, quán này ngon hơn.* With friends, use the word you'd use for yourself: *theo mình*, *theo em*. To ask for someone's opinion, put their word after *theo*: *Theo anh, cái nào đẹp hơn?* Which one do you think looks better? *Tôi nghĩ là …* (I think that …) is just as common; *theo tôi* sounds a little more considered.

With a source, it's common in the news and on official papers: *theo dự báo* (according to the forecast), *theo luật* (by law). *Theo như* is a more written form: *theo như kế hoạch*, according to plan.

The meaning comes from the verb *theo*, "to follow": *Đi theo tôi.* Follow me. After another verb, *theo* means "along": *Nhớ mang theo áo mưa nha.* Remember to bring a raincoat.

## Examples

- Theo tôi, quán này ngon hơn. — In my opinion, this place is better.
- Theo anh, cái nào đẹp hơn? — Which one do you think looks better?
- Theo dự báo, mai trời mưa. — According to the forecast, it'll rain tomorrow.
- Theo bác sĩ, em phải nghỉ ba ngày. — The doctor says I have to rest for three days.

## Words in this pattern

- [theo](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/theo-according-to/#s_theo_according_to): according to

## Compare

- [Citing a source: theo X (năm), dẫn theo](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/dan-theo-citation/): according to (citation)
- [Accordingly, under which: theo đó](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/theo-do/): accordingly
- [As the law lays down: theo quy định (tại khoản … Điều …)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/theo-quy-dinh/): as stipulated (in)

Previous in Places and movement: [Position words: trên, dưới, trong, ngoài, trước, sau, cạnh](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/location-words/)
Next in Places and movement: [At (formal): tại](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tai-at-formal/)

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