Cậu cần kem chống nắng.

Cậu is a casual second-person pronoun meaning you, but it is not universal.

It is commonly used:

• between friends
• with someone around your age
• in a fairly informal, friendly relationship

You should not use cậu with everyone. Vietnamese pronouns depend a lot on age, relationship, and social context. In other situations, you might be:

• bạn (fairly neutral/friendly)
• anh (older male)
• chị (older female)
• em (younger person)
• and others

So Cậu cần kem chống nắng. sounds natural if you are speaking casually to someone you would normally call cậu.

Yes. The basic order here is very similar to English:

• Cậu = subject
• cần = verb
• kem chống nắng = object

So it is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is why it feels close to You need sunscreen.

Cần means to need.

It is used when someone requires something or has a need for something.

Examples:

• Tôi cần nước. = I need water.
• Mình cần nghỉ ngơi. = I need to rest.
• Cậu cần kem chống nắng. = You need sunscreen.

A useful point: cần can be followed by:

• a noun: cần nước = need water
• a verb phrase: cần nghỉ ngơi = need to rest

There is no extra word like English to before a Vietnamese verb after cần.

Vietnamese does not use articles the way English does. There is no direct equivalent of a/an or the in most ordinary sentences.

So kem chống nắng can mean:

• sunscreen
• a sunscreen
• some sunscreen
• the sunscreen

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English would usually translate it naturally as You need sunscreen.

If you want to be more specific in Vietnamese, you can add words such as:

• một = one / a
• a classifier or container word, if needed

For example:

• Cậu cần một tuýp kem chống nắng. = You need a tube of sunscreen.

Kem chống nắng is a noun phrase meaning sunscreen.

It breaks down like this:

• kem = cream
• chống = resist / protect against / prevent
• nắng = sunlight / sun

So literally, it is something like sun-protecting cream or cream against sunlight.

This kind of compound expression is very common in Vietnamese. The main noun often comes first, followed by words that describe its function.

Similar patterns:

• áo mưa = raincoat (shirt/clothes + rain)
• máy giặt = washing machine (machine + wash)

No, not in this sentence.

When speaking generally about a substance or product like sunscreen, Vietnamese often does not need a classifier.

So:

• Cậu cần kem chống nắng. = You need sunscreen.

You would add a classifier or measure word only if you want to count or specify the amount/form:

• một tuýp kem chống nắng = a tube of sunscreen
• một chai kem chống nắng = a bottle of sunscreen

Without that, the sentence just refers to sunscreen in a general sense.

By itself, Cậu cần kem chống nắng. is most naturally a statement: You need sunscreen.

Depending on tone and context, it can also sound like:

• advice
• a recommendation
• an observation

For example, if someone is about to go out into strong sun, saying Cậu cần kem chống nắng. may feel like practical advice.

It is not the most direct way to give a command. If you wanted a stronger imperative like Use sunscreen!, Vietnamese would usually say something different, such as:

• Bôi kem chống nắng đi. = Put on sunscreen.

Yes, often you can.

Vietnamese frequently omits the subject when it is already clear from context.

So in conversation, you might hear:

• Cần kem chống nắng. = Need sunscreen. / You need sunscreen. / I need sunscreen.

The exact meaning depends on who is being talked about and the situation.

However, including cậu makes it clear that the speaker is addressing you specifically in a casual way.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• cậu ≈ gow with a dipping tone
• cần ≈ somewhat like guhn with a low tone
• kem ≈ kem / keh-m
• chống ≈ somewhat like chawng with a rising-broken tone
• nắng ≈ somewhat like nung with a rising-broken tone

A few important notes:

• Vietnamese pronunciation varies by region.
• The tones matter a lot.
• The letters do not always sound the way an English speaker expects.

Tone marks in this sentence:

• cậu has the nặng tone
• cần has the huyền tone
• chống has the sắc tone plus ô
• nắng has the sắc tone plus ă

If you are learning pronunciation, it is best to listen to native audio and repeat, because English spelling approximations are only rough guides.

Yes, Bạn cần kem chống nắng. is also correct.

The main difference is the pronoun:

• cậu = more specifically casual, often among peers/friends
• bạn = often more neutral and widely usable in friendly conversation

So both can mean You need sunscreen, but they give slightly different social tones.

If you are unsure which pronoun to use, bạn is often safer than cậu, though even bạn is not perfect for every situation. Vietnamese pronouns are always tied closely to relationship and context.

Yes. That is a very useful pattern.

With a noun:

• Cậu cần kem chống nắng. = You need sunscreen.

With a verb:

• Cậu cần nghỉ ngơi. = You need to rest.
• Cậu cần học thêm. = You need to study more.

So the structure can be:

• Subject + cần + noun
• Subject + cần + verb phrase

That makes cần a very flexible and common verb in Vietnamese.