Language/Vietnamese/Grammar/Nouns-and-Gender

Vietnamese Grammar → Nouns and Pronouns → Nouns and Gender

As a Vietnamese language teacher with 20 years of experience, I know that understanding nouns and gender is crucial for students to reach the A1 level of proficiency. In this lesson, we will dive into the gendered nature of Vietnamese nouns.

Gender in Vietnamese

Vietnamese, like other languages, assigns gender to nouns. However, unlike Romance or Germanic languages, Vietnamese has no articles, and the gender of a noun is generally determined by the final consonant of the word. There are three types of endings: "-o" for masculine, "-a" for feminine, and "-ê" for neuter.

It's essential to note that the gendered nature of Vietnamese nouns is not absolute, and there are many exceptions; therefore, it's essential to memorize them through practice.

Examples

Here are some examples of gendered nouns in Vietnamese:

Vietnamese	Pronunciation	English
Con chó	Kawn cho	Dog (masculine)
Con mèo	Kawn me-aw	Cat (feminine)
Trẻ em	Tre em	Children (neuter)

Note that while certain endings like "-ông," "-ánh," "-chú" are typically masculine and "-cô," "-chị" are typically feminine, many words fall outside of these conventions.

Practice

To better understand the gendered nature of Vietnamese nouns, try to practice with any Vietnamese texts and identify the gender of each noun based on its ending.

For additional practice, try to construct sentences with a subject and object of different genders. For example, "Tôi yêu con chó của chị."

Conclusion

In Vietnamese, the gender of a noun is typically determined by its final consonant, but as previously noted, many exceptions exist. By understanding how nouns are gendered in Vietnamese, students move closer to achieving the A1 level of proficiency.

Remember, practice is crucial! So take the time to practice this lesson with any Vietnamese texts you come across.

Sources

• Vietnamese grammar - Wikipedia
• Does Vietnamese have grammatical gender? If so, where is it used ...
• IS VIETNAMESE A HARD LANGUAGE? Tiếng Việt có phải là một ...

Table of Contents - Vietnamese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Hello and Goodbye
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Vietnamese Culture Basics

• Vietnamese Values
• Social Etiquette
• Cuisine and Dining

  ---

Numbers and Counting

• Counting 1-10
• Counting 11-20
• Counting 21 and Beyond

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns and Gender
• Pronouns and Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Holidays and Celebrations

• Tet
• Mid-Autumn Festival

  ---

Verbs and Verb Tenses

• Present Tense Verbs
• Past Tense Verbs
• Future Tense Verbs
• Modal Verbs

  ---

Food and Drink

• Vietnamese Food
• Drinks and Beverages
• Food Ordering

  ---

Arts and Entertainment

• Traditional Music
• Movie and Television

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives
• Adverbs

  ---

Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Giving Directions

  ---

Traditional Clothing

• Ao Dai
• Other Traditional Clothing

Related Lessons

• Modal Verbs
• Give your Opinion
• Tenses
• How to Use Have
• Ask Questions
• Past Tense Verbs
• Nouns
• Adverbs
• Future Tense Verbs
• Pronouns and Personal Pronouns