Learn Hardcore Vietnamese: Con mèo của tôi ngủ trên ghế nhưng con chó ngủ dưới bàn. - My cat sleeps on the chair but the dog sleeps under the table.

In Vietnamese, con is a classifier (or measure word) used for animals. Every countable noun typically needs a classifier when quantified or referred to specifically. Here it doesn’t carry a separate meaning (“animal cat”) but signals “one cat” or “that cat.”

Why do we say con mèo của tôi instead of tôi con mèo or just mèo tôi?

Vietnamese expresses possession with the pattern [NOUN] + của + [OWNER]. So con mèo của tôi literally is “cat of mine.” You can colloquially drop con and say mèo của tôi, or even shorten to mèo tôi, but the formal pattern always keeps của linking the noun and the possessor.

There’s no “the” or “a” before “ghế” and “bàn.” How do we know which chair or table is meant?

Vietnamese does not use articles like “the” or “a.” Definite or indefinite sense comes from context. Here, since you already introduced con mèo của tôi, your listener knows you’re talking about your particular chair (ghế) and table (bàn).

What do trên and dưới mean, and why do they come before ghế and bàn?

trên means “on” and dưới means “under.” In Vietnamese, place words (prepositions) almost always precede the noun they modify. So trên ghế = “on (the) chair,” dưới bàn = “under (the) table.”

How do we connect the two clauses? Why is nhưng used here?

nhưng means “but,” and it links two contrasting clauses. The structure is simply:
[clause 1] + nhưng + [clause 2].
Here: “My cat sleeps on the chair but my dog sleeps under the table.”

Why is the verb ngủ unchanged? Don’t we need to change it for past, present, or future?

Vietnamese verbs do not conjugate for tense. You keep ngủ constant. If you need to specify time, you add time words or aspect markers:
• hôm qua ngủ (slept yesterday)
• đang ngủ (sleeping right now)
• sẽ ngủ (will sleep)

What is the basic word order of this sentence?

The default Vietnamese word order is Subject – Verb – Object – (Adverbials/Locations). In your sentence:
Subject: Con mèo của tôi
Verb: ngủ
Location 1: trên ghế
Conjunction: nhưng
Subject 2: con chó
Verb 2: ngủ
Location 2: dưới bàn

Can you omit của and just say con mèo tôi ngủ trên ghế?

Omitting của to say con mèo tôi is common in casual speech, but it’s less formal. Strictly speaking, possession in written or clear speech uses của. So for learners it’s safer to master the NOUN + của + OWNER pattern first.

How would I say “My cats” (plural) if I have more than one?

Vietnamese usually leaves plurality implicit. If you want to emphasize “more than one,” you can add những or mấy before the classifier:
• những con mèo của tôi = “my cats” (general plural)
• mấy con mèo của tôi = “a few of my cats”
But if your context already makes it clear you have several, you can simply keep con mèo của tôi.