Modem ở trong nhà.

The modem is inside the house.

Breakdown of Modem ở trong nhà.

• nhà: the house
• ở: at
• trong: inside
• modem: the modem

Questions & Answers about Modem ở trong nhà.

What does each word in Modem ở trong nhà mean?

• modem = modem
• ở = to be located; to be at/in
• trong = inside, in
• nhà = house, home

So the sentence is literally something like Modem is located inside house/home.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

Vietnamese does not always use a separate verb like English to be.

In this sentence, ở is doing the main job. It means to be at / to be in / to be located at. So:

• Modem ở trong nhà = The modem is in the house.

You do not need a separate word meaning is here.

What exactly does ở mean here? Is it a preposition or a verb?

Here, ở is best understood as a location verb meaning to be at / to stay at / to be located in.

So the structure is:

• subject + ở + place

Examples:

• Tôi ở Hà Nội. = I live/am in Hanoi.
• Điện thoại ở trên bàn. = The phone is on the table.

For English speakers, it may feel a bit like a mix of is and at/in.