Ly này có nước.

Ly usually means a drinking glass or sometimes a cup, depending on context. In this sentence, the most natural understanding is glass.

A very natural English translation is:

• This glass has water in it.
• or more naturally, There is water in this glass.

Regional note:

• In southern Vietnamese, ly is very common for glass/cup.
• In northern Vietnamese, people often say cốc for a drinking cup or glass.

In Vietnamese, demonstratives like này (this) usually come after the noun.

So:

• ly này = this glass
• literally: glass this

This is a very common Vietnamese pattern:

• nhà này = this house
• người này = this person
• xe này = this vehicle/car/bike

So ly này is completely normal word order in Vietnamese.

Có often means to have, but in some contexts it also helps express there is / there are.

In Ly này có nước, có shows that water is present in the glass:

• This glass has water
• or more naturally in English, There is water in this glass

So here có is basically indicating existence/presence.

Compare:

• Tôi có tiền. = I have money.
• Trong nhà có mèo. = There is a cat in the house.

That is a very good question. Vietnamese often expresses this idea more compactly than English.

Ly này có nước literally looks like:

• glass this have water

But the understood meaning is:

• This glass has water in it
• There is water in this glass

Vietnamese does not always need to state in if the relationship is obvious from context. Since water is associated with the glass, listeners naturally understand that the water is in the glass.

If you want to be more explicit, you could say:

• Trong ly này có nước. = There is water in this glass.

Here trong means in / inside.

Yes. This glass contains water is a perfectly good translation.

Possible English renderings include:

• This glass has water in it.
• There is water in this glass.
• This glass contains water.

The exact English wording depends on style:

• has water in it = everyday, natural
• there is water in this glass = very natural and clear
• contains water = a bit more formal

Vietnamese does not use articles the way English does.

So ly này already means this glass, and there is no separate word for the.

Also, nước can mean water without needing some or the:

• có nước = has water / has some water / contains water

Vietnamese often leaves these details to context, while English usually requires you to choose:

• a glass
• the glass
• some water
• the water

Yes, nước can mean both water and country/nation.

The meaning depends on context.

Examples:

• uống nước = drink water
• nước Việt Nam = Vietnam as a country / the country of Vietnam

In Ly này có nước, the meaning is clearly water, because it is inside a glass.

This kind of multiple meaning is very common in Vietnamese, but context usually makes the intended meaning obvious.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• ly — like English lee
• này — roughly like nye with a falling tone
• có — roughly like caw or go with a rising tone, depending on accent
• nước — something like nướk, with a short ending and a complex vowel that does not exist exactly in English

Tone-wise:

• ly = level tone
• này = falling tone
• có = rising tone
• nước = heavy/glottalized tone

If you are a beginner, the most important thing is to notice that the tones are different. Tone mistakes can affect understanding.

It is grammatical and understandable, but whether it sounds natural depends on context.

It works well if you are:

• pointing out that this glass is not empty
• contrasting it with another glass
• describing what is in the glass

In everyday speech, people might also say:

• Trong ly này có nước. = There is water in this glass.
• Ly này có nước rồi. = This glass already has water in it.
• Ly này còn nước. = This glass still has water in it.

So your sentence is fine, but other versions may sound more natural in specific situations.

Yes, that is a helpful way to think about it.

Vietnamese is often described as a topic-prominent language. In Ly này có nước, ly này can be understood as the thing being talked about:

• As for this glass, it has water.

This is one reason the sentence may feel different from English. English strongly prefers a clear subject-based structure, while Vietnamese often organizes information by topic first.

So the sentence can be understood as:

• This glass has water
• or more literally in discourse terms, This glass — there is water in it

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• ly này = this glass (near the speaker)
• ly đó = that glass (often known, previously mentioned, or not right here)
• ly kia = that glass over there (farther away, more visibly distinct)

So:

• Ly này có nước. = This glass has water.
• Ly đó có nước. = That glass has water.
• Ly kia có nước. = That glass over there has water.

These words help show distance or focus.

Yes. Cái ly này có nước is also correct.

Here, cái is a classifier often used with many objects. It can make the noun phrase sound more complete or natural in some contexts.

So:

• ly này = this glass
• cái ly này = this glass as well

Both are possible. In everyday Vietnamese, speakers may include or omit the classifier depending on style, region, and context.

For a learner, it is good to recognize both forms:

• ly này có nước
• cái ly này có nước

Both can mean the same thing here.