Đừng khoan ở đây.

Đừng is used to make a negative command or prohibition. It means something like don’t in English.

So:

• Đừng khoan ở đây. = Don’t drill here.

A very common pattern is:

• đừng + verb

Examples:

• Đừng nói. = Don’t speak.
• Đừng đi. = Don’t go.
• Đừng chạm vào đó. = Don’t touch that.

In Vietnamese, the subject is often left out when it is obvious from context, especially in commands.

So Đừng khoan ở đây. naturally means:

• Don’t drill here.
• more literally: Don’t drill at here.

If you want, you can add a pronoun or name, but it is not necessary:

• Anh đừng khoan ở đây. = You (older male / sir), don’t drill here.
• Em đừng khoan ở đây. = You (younger person), don’t drill here.

Without a pronoun, it sounds like a general instruction or warning.

No. Khoan can be confusing because it has more than one common use.

In this sentence, khoan is the verb to drill.

But khoan! by itself can also mean something like:

• Wait!
• Hold on!

So context matters.

Examples:

• Đừng khoan ở đây. = Don’t drill here.
• Khoan, tôi chưa xong. = Wait, I’m not finished yet.

In your sentence, because đừng is followed by a verb, khoan is understood as the action to drill.

Ở đây means here / at here / in this place.

• đây = here, this place
• ở đây = at/in here, here

In many situations, both can work, but ở đây sounds more explicitly locational.

So:

• Đừng khoan ở đây. = Don’t drill here.
• Đừng khoan đây. sounds unnatural.

With verbs involving location, Vietnamese often uses ở + place:

• ở nhà = at home
• ở trường = at school
• ở đây = here

Yes, but only slightly.

Vietnamese word order here is:

• Đừng = don’t
• khoan = drill
• ở đây = here

So the structure is basically:

• negative command + verb + location

This is actually quite similar to English:

• Don’t drill here.

Vietnamese often keeps location phrases after the verb:

• Đừng đứng ở đây. = Don’t stand here.
• Đừng đậu xe ở đây. = Don’t park here.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

• Đừng ≈ zung / yung with a low-falling tone and a stopped ending
• khoan ≈ khwan
• ở ≈ a short vowel somewhat like uh with the proper tone
• đây ≈ day but with a rising tone

A few important pronunciation notes:

• đ is not the same as d in Vietnamese.
  
  • đ is like English d
  • d in northern Vietnamese sounds more like z
• kh is an aspirated sound, somewhat like the ch in German Bach or a strong breathy k
• Tones matter a lot, especially in đừng, ở, and đây

If you want to sound natural, it is better to learn it from audio than from English-style spelling.

By itself, it is fairly direct and neutral. It sounds like an instruction, warning, or order.

Whether it feels polite depends on:

• your tone of voice
• who you are speaking to
• whether you add softening words

For example:

• Đừng khoan ở đây. = direct
• Đừng khoan ở đây nhé. = softer, like Please don’t drill here, okay?
• Xin đừng khoan ở đây. = more formal/polite: Please don’t drill here.

If you are talking to workers, family members, or someone in an urgent situation, the short version is perfectly normal.

Yes, but it is slightly different in feel.

• Đừng khoan ở đây. = Don’t drill here.
  This is a direct command to someone.
• Không được khoan ở đây. = Drilling is not allowed here / You must not drill here.
  This sounds more like a rule, regulation, or prohibition.

So:

• If you are telling a person what not to do right now, đừng is very natural.
• If you are stating a rule or restriction, không được is often better.

Example:

• A person is about to start drilling: Đừng khoan ở đây!
• A warning sign: Không được khoan ở đây.

Yes. Final particles can change the tone of the sentence.

Examples:

• Đừng khoan ở đây nhé. = Please don’t drill here, okay?
• Đừng khoan ở đây nha. = softer, friendly, conversational
• Đừng khoan ở đây mà. = can sound persuasive or insistent, depending on context

These particles do not change the core meaning, but they affect how the sentence feels.

For learners, nhé is a very useful softener.

No. The English verb bore is unrelated here.

Vietnamese khoan in this sentence means to drill / bore a hole in a physical object, such as a wall, floor, or piece of wood.

So the sentence is about a physical action:

• drilling into something in this location

It is not about emotions or making someone feel bored.

Yes. A few common alternatives are:

• Xin đừng khoan ở đây.
  = Please don’t drill here.
  More polite/formal.

• Đừng có khoan ở đây.
  = Don’t you drill here.
  Slightly stronger or more emphatic in some contexts.

• Không được khoan ở đây.
  = Do not drill here / Drilling is not allowed here.
  More like a rule.

• Chỗ này không được khoan.
  = This spot must not be drilled.
  Focuses on the location itself.

All are possible, but Đừng khoan ở đây. is a simple, natural direct command.