Questions & Answers about Câu đố ở trên bàn.
What does câu đố mean, and why is it two words?
Câu đố is a fixed expression meaning riddle or puzzle.
Word by word:
- câu can mean something like sentence, phrase, or a unit of speech
- đố relates to posing a challenge/riddle
But in this sentence, you should learn câu đố as one vocabulary item: riddle.
Why is there no word for the or a?
Vietnamese often leaves out articles like the, a, and an when the meaning is clear from context.
So Câu đố ở trên bàn could mean:
- The riddle is on the table
- A riddle is on the table
Which one sounds best depends on context. This is very normal in Vietnamese.
What does ở do in this sentence?
Ở is commonly used to show location, often like to be at/in/on.
In this sentence, it links the noun câu đố with its location:
- câu đố = the riddle
- ở trên bàn = is on the table
So ở helps express where something is.
Why do we have both ở and trên? Don’t they both relate to location?