Plural Marker 'những'

01

Basic Usage of 'Những'

Những is placed directly before the noun (or before the classifier and the noun) to indicate plurality. It is generally used to refer to a specific number of things or a subset of a group, rather than the entire category of that noun in existence.

• Tôi có những người bạn tốt.

  I have (some) good friends.

• Cô ấy mua những bông hoa đẹp.

  She buys (some) beautiful flowers.

If the noun requires a classifier (a word used to count or categorize nouns), những is placed before the classifier.

• những con mèo

  the cats / (some) cats

• những cái ly

  the glasses / (some) glasses

02

Using 'Những' with Demonstratives

One of the most common ways to use những is in combination with demonstrative adjectives like này (this/these) or đó (that/those).

While cái này means "this one", adding những at the beginning changes the meaning to "these". This structure creates a specific plural reference.

Structure: Những + [Noun] + này / đó

• Tôi thích những cái áo này.

  I like these shirts.

• Anh ấy không ăn những trái táo đó.

  He does not eat those apples.

• Những người này là ai?

  Who are these people?

03

Difference between 'Những' and 'Các'

Vietnamese has another plural marker called các. While both indicate plurality, they have different scopes:

• Những indicates a plural number of items, but usually implies a subset or a specific group, not "all" of them. It is indefinite or specific to the context.
• các indicates "all" members of a specific group or category. It is inclusive and definite.

For example, if a teacher speaks to a classroom:

• Các em refers to "all of you" (the whole class).
• Những em would refer to "some of you" (a specific group within the class).

• Chào các bạn.

  Hello friends (Hello everyone/all of you).

• Những ngày mưa buồn lắm.

  Rainy days are very sad. (Referring to rainy days in general as a concept, or a specific series of days).

04

When to Omit 'Những'

You do not always need to use a plural marker. If the quantity is specified by a number, do not use những.

• Tôi có hai người chị.

  I have two older sisters. (Correct)

• Tôi có những hai người chị.

  (Incorrect usage for simple counting; this structure has a different emphatic meaning not covered here).

Additionally, if the plurality is obvious from context or irrelevant, Vietnamese speakers often omit the marker to keep the sentence natural.

• Họ bán trái cây.

  They sell fruit. (Plurality is implied; no need for những).