Thích: Like, Prefer, and Enjoy | Vietnamese Grammar

Vietnamese thích is a stative predicate: it describes a favorable attitude, preference, or enjoyment. It can take a noun—thích cà phê “like coffee”—or another predicate—thích đọc sách “like reading.” There is no infinitival marker corresponding to English to between the two verbs.

The central distinction is between thích “find appealing/enjoy” and muốn “want/intend”. English like can soften a request in would like, but Vietnamese politeness comes from the whole request frame, not from treating thích as a universal translation of like. Emotional attachment with yêu is treated on its own reference page.

The basic frames

Frame	Meaning	Example
thích + noun phrase	like a person, thing, place, or subject	thích món này
thích + predicate	enjoy or like doing something	thích đọc sách
thích + clause	like it when a situation holds	thích nhà cửa gọn gàng
thích A hơn B	prefer A to B	thích trà hơn cà phê
rất thích / thích ... lắm	like very much	rất thích nhạc này
không thích / có thích...không?	dislike or ask about liking	không thích; có thích không?

With a noun object, word order is direct: experiencer + thích + liked entity. Pronouns and address terms matter because Vietnamese often identifies people relationally rather than with a neutral you or he/she.

Tôi thích quán nhỏ ở cuối phố vì ở đó khá yên tĩnh.

I like the little café at the end of the street because it is quite quiet.

Mai không thích đồ ăn quá ngọt.

Mai doesn't like food that is too sweet.

With an activity, put the activity predicate directly after thích. Vietnamese does not mark it as an infinitive.

Tôi thích đọc sách.

I like reading.

Cuối tuần, bọn trẻ thích ra công viên đạp xe.

At weekends, the children like going to the park to ride their bikes.

The complement may be a small clause rather than one activity. In tôi thích mọi người đến đúng giờ, mọi người is the understood subject of đến: the speaker likes everyone to arrive on time. Context and the internal subject make this different from simply naming an enjoyable activity.

Tôi thích mọi người đến đúng giờ để cuộc họp có thể bắt đầu ngay.

I like everyone to arrive on time so that the meeting can start right away.

Intensity: rất thích and thích lắm

Rất normally comes before thích: rất thích. Lắm normally comes after the complement or at the end of the phrase: thích món này lắm. Both are neutral and common; final lắm often sounds more conversational and personally involved.

Em gái tôi rất thích nhạc phim Việt Nam.

My younger sister really likes Vietnamese film music.

Cảm ơn nhé, mình thích món quà này lắm.

Thanks—I really like this gift. (informal)

Other degree expressions select their own patterns. Khá thích is “quite like,” hơi thích can cautiously admit some liking, and colloquial thích mê means “absolutely love/be crazy about.” Do not mechanically stack every intensifier together.

💡

Use rất + predicate but put lắm late: rất thích bộ phim này or thích bộ phim này lắm. The two patterns express similar intensity but organize the phrase differently.

Preference and comparison with hơn

To compare alternatives, use thích A hơn B: the preferred option follows thích, and the comparison standard follows hơn. If the alternatives are already visible, cái nào “which one” or món nào “which dish” can stand in for them.

Tôi thích đi tàu hơn đi máy bay vì có thể ngắm cảnh.

I prefer traveling by train to flying because I can enjoy the scenery.

Anh thích cái nào hơn?

Which one do you prefer?

— Trà hay cà phê? — Tôi thích trà hơn, nhưng cà phê cũng được.

— Tea or coffee? — I prefer tea, but coffee is fine too.

When the standard is obvious, it can be omitted: Tôi thích cái màu xanh hơn means “I prefer the blue one.” Here hơn still signals a comparison with another available choice.

For a stronger explicit choice, thích A hơn là B is possible, especially when A and B are longer activities. Thà A còn hơn B expresses “would rather A than B” and belongs to a different comparative construction; it should not replace ordinary thích...hơn... in every preference.

Thích is not muốn

Thích describes what appeals to someone. Muốn describes a desired future situation, intention, or immediate choice. You can like an activity without wanting to do it now, and want to do something without generally enjoying it.

— Cậu thích bơi không? — Thích chứ, nhưng hôm nay tớ không muốn xuống nước vì trời lạnh.

— Do you like swimming? — I do, but I don't want to get in the water today because it's cold.

The first thích reports a stable preference. Không muốn rejects the present intention. Replacing one with the other changes the message.

English I would like... often makes a polite order or request. Vietnamese commonly uses cho tôi..., tôi muốn..., tôi xin..., address terms, and particles such as ạ. Bare tôi thích một cà phê says “I like a coffee” poorly; it does not naturally place an order.

Cho tôi một ly cà phê sữa đá, ít ngọt thôi ạ.

I'd like an iced coffee with condensed milk, not too sweet, please. (polite order)

💡

Translate the function, not the English word. “I like coffee” uses thích; “I want coffee now” uses muốn; a polite order often uses cho tôi...ạ or tôi xin....

Negation, questions, and time reference

Không thích usually means “not like” and often implies dislike. Không thích lắm softens the judgment to “not like very much.” A polar question can use có thích...không?, the shorter conversational thích...không?, or echo thích không? after the topic is clear.

Bạn có thích công việc mới không?

Do you like your new job?

Mình không thích lắm, nhưng chắc ăn vài lần sẽ quen.

I don't like it very much, but perhaps I'll get used to it after eating it a few times. (informal)

Because thích is stative, it is often unmarked for an attitude that holds now. Aspect and time expressions can delimit that state. Từng thích gives a former or experienced liking; dạo này đang thích presents a current, possibly temporary enthusiasm; mới bắt đầu thích makes the change into the state explicit.

Hồi nhỏ tôi từng thích xem phim kinh dị, còn bây giờ thì không.

When I was young, I used to like watching horror films, but I don't now.

Dạo này tôi đang thích nghe podcast về lịch sử.

Lately I'm really into listening to history podcasts. (conversational, temporary current interest)

Do not use đang thích mechanically for every English present progressive. Its natural reading is a current phase of enthusiasm, not simply the basic present “I like.”

A compact reference set

Function	Vietnamese	Meaning
affirmative	Tôi thích đọc sách.	I like reading.
negative	Tôi không thích chỗ quá đông.	I don't like places that are too crowded.
polar question	Em có thích món này không?	Do you like this dish?
aspect-marked	Trước đây anh ấy từng thích sống một mình.	He used to like living alone.
comparative	Anh thích cái nào hơn?	Which one do you prefer?

Common Mistakes

1. Inserting an infinitival marker before a second verb. Vietnamese puts the activity directly after thích.

❌ Tôi thích để nghe nhạc nhẹ trước khi ngủ.

Incorrect—để expresses purpose and is not an infinitive marker corresponding to English ‘to.’

✅ Tôi thích nghe nhạc nhẹ trước khi ngủ.

I like listening to soft music before bed.

2. Using thích for every English “would like.” A polite order requires a request frame.

❌ Tôi thích hai vé đi Huế ngày mai.

Incorrect as a ticket request—this only tries to state a liking.

✅ Cho tôi hai vé đi Huế ngày mai ạ.

I'd like two tickets to Huế for tomorrow, please.

3. Reversing the comparison standard. In thích A hơn B, A is the preferred option.

❌ Tôi thích cà phê hơn trà.

Wrong if the intended meaning is ‘I prefer tea to coffee’—this sentence prefers coffee.

✅ Tôi thích trà hơn cà phê.

I prefer tea to coffee.

4. Overusing yêu for ordinary preferences. Casual enjoyment of food or activities normally takes thích, not relational yêu.

❌ Tôi yêu ăn phở vào buổi sáng.

Unnatural as an ordinary statement of food preference.

✅ Tôi thích ăn phở vào buổi sáng.

I like eating phở in the morning.

Key Takeaways

Use thích + noun for a liked entity and thích + predicate for an enjoyable activity; add no infinitival marker.
Rất thích and final thích...lắm intensify the preference.
Thích A hơn B means prefer A to B.
Thích describes appeal; muốn describes desire or intention, and polite requests need their own frame.
Time markers can bound a liking, but unmarked thích is the normal present-state expression.

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