no
"No" is the most fundamental way to express negation or refusal in Vietnamese. It functions as a direct answer to a yes/no question, or as a modifier placed before a verb or adjective to indicate that an action or state is not happening or does not exist. In daily conversation, "no" (or "không") is versatile but can sound blunt if used alone. Depending on the context, it is often combined with particles like "ạ" (for politeness) or softened with other words to avoid sounding too harsh or dismissive when declining an offer or expressing disagreement.
In conversation
Declining an offer
Anh có muốn uống thêm cà phê không?
Would you like some more coffee?
Không, cảm ơn anh.
No, thank you.
Adding 'cảm ơn' makes the refusal polite.
Expressing disagreement
Cậu ấy là người xấu đúng không?
He is a bad person, right?
Không phải đâu, cậu ấy rất tốt.
No, that's not true, he is very kind.
Using 'không phải đâu' is a natural way to correct someone's assumption.
Examples
Tôi không biết.
I don't know.
Không, tôi không muốn đi xem phim hôm nay.
No, I don't want to go to the movies today.
Nếu không có sự giúp đỡ của bạn, tôi đã không thể hoàn thành công việc.
If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to finish the work.
