Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ.

This bus ticket is very cheap.

Breakdown of Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ.

• là: to be
• rất: very
• này: this
• vé xe buýt: the bus ticket
• rẻ: cheap

Questions & Answers about Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ.

What does each word in Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ mean?

Breakdown:

• vé = ticket
• xe buýt = bus
• vé xe buýt = bus ticket (compound noun)
• này = this (post-nominal demonstrative)
• rất = very (adverb intensifier)
• rẻ = cheap (adjective)
  Altogether: “This bus ticket is very cheap.”

Why isn’t there a verb like là (to be) in this sentence?

In Vietnamese, when the predicate is an adjective phrase, you drop the copula. Instead of “X is Y,” you simply say “X Y.”
So Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ literally “Bus-ticket this very cheap” = “This bus ticket is very cheap.”

How does word order in Vietnamese compare to English here?

Vietnamese:
[Head noun + modifier] + [adverb] + [adjective]
– vé xe buýt này (bus-ticket this)
– rất (very)
– rẻ (cheap)

English:
[Demonstrative] + [noun] + [to be] + [adverb] + [adjective]
– This bus ticket is very cheap.

Notice the demonstrative này follows the noun, and there is no là.

What part of speech is rất, and why does it come before rẻ?

rất is an adverb that intensifies an adjective. In Vietnamese, adverbs always precede the adjective they modify. You cannot say rẻ rất; it must be rất rẻ (very cheap).

Can I use other intensifiers instead of rất?

Yes. Common ones include:

• cực (kỳ) = super (e.g. cực rẻ, cực kỳ rẻ)
• hơi = a bit (e.g. hơi rẻ)
• quá = so/too (colloquial, e.g. quá rẻ – “so cheap!”)

Each has a slightly different nuance.

Why isn’t there a classifier like cái, chiếc, or tấm before vé?

Because vé xe buýt is treated as a fixed compound noun (“bus ticket”), classifiers are often dropped in everyday speech.
You may, however, add one for emphasis or formality:

• tấm vé xe buýt này rất rẻ
• chiếc vé xe buýt này rất rẻ
  Both are correct; dropping the classifier is more colloquial.

What are the tone marks on vé and rẻ, and how do I pronounce them?

• vé has a sắc tone (´) → rising pitch (“veh˧˥”).
• rẻ has a hỏi tone (ˀ) → falling-rising pitch (“zeh˨˩˦”).
  Practicing with a native speaker or audio tools will help you nail the tones.

How can I turn Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ into a question?

The most natural way is to use có … không?:
Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ không?
Literally “Bus-ticket this very cheap not?” = “Is this bus ticket very cheap?”
You can also tag on phải không? or à?:
Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ phải không?

What’s the difference between Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ and Giá vé xe buýt này rất rẻ?

• Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ = “This bus ticket is very cheap” (focus on the ticket itself being inexpensive)
• Giá vé xe buýt này rất rẻ = “The price of this bus ticket is very cheap” (focus on the price level)
  Both communicate that the fare is low, but the second explicitly mentions giá (price).

Can I reorder the sentence to Rất rẻ vé xe buýt này or similar?

No. Vietnamese adjective/adverb phrases follow the noun phrase they modify. The only natural order is:
Vé xe buýt này rất rẻ
Swapping elements will sound ungrammatical.