Breakdown of Con mèo thích chơi dưới ghế trong phòng.
thích
to like
trong
in
chơi
to play
con mèo
the cat
dưới
under
ghế
the chair
phòng
the room
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Questions & Answers about Con mèo thích chơi dưới ghế trong phòng.
What does con mean in con mèo?
In Vietnamese, con is a classifier (or measure word) used before many nouns, especially animals. Here con mèo literally means “(the/a) cat.” Classifiers are required when you specify or count nouns, though sometimes they’re used more generally to mark the noun as a distinct item.
Do you always need to use a classifier like con with animal names?
Not always. When you’re speaking very casually or you’ve already mentioned the animal, you can drop the classifier and just say mèo. However, in most contexts—especially when you introduce or count the animal—you use con mèo.
Why are there two verbs in a row, thích chơi? How does that work?
Vietnamese often uses serial verbs without any connector. Here thích means “to like” and chơi means “to play.” Together thích chơi means “likes to play.” There’s no need for a separate word equivalent to English “to.”
Could you put another word between thích and chơi, like “to”?
No. In Vietnamese, you directly follow the preference verb (thích, “like”) with the action verb (chơi, “play”). You don’t insert an extra particle or preposition.
What part of speech is dưới, and why is it placed before ghế?
dưới is a preposition meaning “under” or “below.” In Vietnamese, prepositions come before their noun objects, just like in English. So dưới ghế means “under the chair.”
Why is the phrase ordered as dưới ghế trong phòng instead of trong phòng dưới ghế?
Vietnamese typically orders nested locations from the most immediate to the more general. First you say where exactly the action happens (dưới ghế = “under the chair”), then you widen the scope (trong phòng = “in the room”).
Can you add ở before dưới? Is ở dưới ghế trong phòng also correct?
Yes. You can say con mèo thích chơi ở dưới ghế trong phòng. The word ở (“at/in”) is optional here because dưới already marks a location. Both forms are natural, though including ở can sound slightly more formal or explicit.
What does trong mean in trong phòng, and is it always required?
trong is a preposition meaning “in” or “inside.” In trong phòng, it tells you the place (“in the room”). You usually need it to specify that the location is inside something, whereas classifiers like con and location markers like dưới handle other parts of the sentence.