Cha tôi khá nghiêm.

• cha = father
• tôi = I / me; here it helps mean my
• khá = quite, rather, fairly
• nghiêm = strict, serious, stern

So the sentence structure is basically:

father + my + quite + strict

which in natural English becomes My father is quite strict.

Vietnamese often does not use a verb like to be when an adjective describes the subject.

So:

• Cha tôi khá nghiêm = My father is quite strict

This is normal Vietnamese sentence structure.
With adjectives, Vietnamese commonly goes:

subject + adjective

For example:

• Anh ấy cao = He is tall
• Cô ấy đẹp = She is beautiful

So there is no missing word here.

Yes. In Vietnamese, possession is often shown by putting the possessor after the noun.

So:

• cha tôi = my father
• literally: father I

This is a very common pattern:

• mẹ tôi = my mother
• nhà tôi = my house
• bạn tôi = my friend

So even though tôi by itself means I/me, after a noun it can function like my.

Not exactly. khá usually means:

• quite
• rather
• fairly

It suggests a moderate degree, not the strongest one.

So:

• khá nghiêm = quite strict / rather strict

Compare:

• rất nghiêm = very strict
• hơi nghiêm = a little strict
• khá nghiêm = fairly / quite strict

So khá is softer than rất.

Good question. Nghiêm can mean serious, stern, or strict, but in everyday Vietnamese, if you specifically mean strict about rules or behavior, nghiêm khắc is often more common.

So:

• Cha tôi khá nghiêm = understandable; can mean My father is quite stern/strict
• Cha tôi khá nghiêm khắc = more explicitly My father is quite strict

The shorter version is not wrong, but it can sound a little more compressed or context-dependent.

It is a normal word, but it has a certain tone and regional flavor.

Common Vietnamese words for father include:

• cha
• bố
• ba
• bố tôi / ba tôi / cha tôi = my father

Notes:

• bố is very common in the North
• ba is very common in the South
• cha can sound more formal, literary, regional, or sometimes associated with Catholic families

So Cha tôi khá nghiêm is fine, but depending on region and family background, many speakers might more naturally say:

• Bố tôi khá nghiêm
• Ba tôi khá nghiêm

Yes, but cha tôi is usually more natural and more common.

Compare:

• cha tôi = my father
• cha của tôi = father of mine / my father

Using của is more explicit, but with close relationships and everyday nouns like family members, Vietnamese often leaves it out.

So in normal speech, cha tôi is preferred.

No, that would sound unnatural.

With adjectives like nghiêm, Vietnamese normally does not use là.

Correct:

• Cha tôi khá nghiêm

Unnatural:

• Cha tôi là khá nghiêm

Là is more commonly used when linking one noun to another, such as:

• Cha tôi là bác sĩ = My father is a doctor

But with adjectives:

• Cha tôi nghiêm
• Cha tôi khá nghiêm
• Cha tôi rất nghiêm

The word order is:

subject + degree word + adjective

Here:

• Cha tôi = subject
• khá = degree word
• nghiêm = adjective

So the full pattern is:

Cha tôi + khá + nghiêm

This is very common in Vietnamese:

• Trời khá lạnh = The weather is quite cold
• Cô ấy rất đẹp = She is very beautiful

A rough pronunciation guide:

• cha ≈ cha in chart, but shorter
• tôi ≈ something like toy, but not exactly; the vowel is different
• khá ≈ kha with a rising tone
• nghiêm ≈ roughly ngiem, with the ngh sound like the ng in sing, but at the beginning

Tone-wise:

• cha = level tone
• tôi = mid/falling-ish contour depending on dialect
• khá = rising tone
• nghiêm = level tone

The hardest parts for English speakers are usually:

• starting nghiêm with ngh-
• pronouncing tôi naturally
• keeping the tone on khá

It sounds fairly neutral, but cha makes it feel a bit more formal or regionally marked than some other choices.

Compare:

• Cha tôi khá nghiêm = somewhat formal/literary/regional
• Bố tôi khá nghiêm = very natural in many northern contexts
• Ba tôi khá nghiêm = very natural in many southern contexts

So the grammar is simple and natural, but the specific family word can affect the tone of the sentence.

Yes, depending on context.

Nghiêm can suggest:

• serious
• stern
• strict

If you are talking about personality, serious or stern may fit.
If you are talking about rules, discipline, or parenting style, strict is a very natural translation.

So the exact English wording depends on context, even though the Vietnamese sentence itself is fine.