đó

Meanings

Highlighted words are what Saigon and Hà Nội say differently.

1. that, there

   pronoun

   After a noun it means 'that', further away or already mentioned: quán đó, the place we talked about; at the start, đó là … is 'that is …'. Hà Nội also says đấy and ấy.

   • Quán đó ngon lắm.

     That place is really good.

   • Chị ở đó bao lâu?

     How long did you stay there?

   Also: ấy.

   In Hà Nội you say đấy.

   A1Grammar: This, that after the noun: … này, … đó, … kia

2. emphatic ending

   particle

   At the end of a statement, đó points the listener at it, like 'you know' or 'mind you': news to act on, or a friendly warning. Casual; in Hà Nội, đấy.

   • Saigon

     Quán này mắc lắm đó.

     Hà Nội

     Quán này đắt lắm đấy.

     This place is really pricey, you know.

   • Saigon

     Trời sắp mưa rồi đó, đem áo mưa theo nha.

     Hà Nội

     Trời sắp mưa rồi đấy, mang áo mưa theo nhé.

     It's about to rain, you know, so take a raincoat.

   In Hà Nội you say đấy.

   A1Saigon onlyGrammar: You know, mind you: … đó / đấy at the end

3. someone, something

   pronoun

   someone (ai đó), something (gì đó), somewhere (đâu đó)

   After a question word: ai đó someone, gì đó something, đâu đó somewhere. Hà Nội also says ai đấy, gì đấy.

   • Có ai đó gọi anh kìa.

     Someone's calling you.

   • Em muốn ăn gì đó ngọt.

     I'd like something sweet to eat.

   In Hà Nội you say đấy.

   A2