Breakdown of Tôi đến bưu điện để gửi thư cho gia đình.
tôi
I
thư
the letter
để
to
cho
to
đến
to come
gia đình
the family
gửi
to send
bưu điện
the post office
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Questions & Answers about Tôi đến bưu điện để gửi thư cho gia đình.
Why is đến used instead of đi in this sentence?
In Vietnamese, đến means “to arrive at” or “to come to” a place, emphasizing the act of reaching the destination. đi simply means “to go” and doesn’t highlight the arrival. Here, the speaker stresses that they actually arrive at the post office in order to mail the letter.
What does bưu điện mean?
bưu điện is the Vietnamese term for “post office.” Literally, bưu relates to “mail” or “postal,” and điện can mean “system” or “station,” but together it’s just the standard word for the place you go to send letters and packages.
Why isn’t there a word for “the” before bưu điện?
Vietnamese doesn’t use definite or indefinite articles like the or a/an. Nouns stand alone, and context tells you whether it’s a specific place. So đến bưu điện simply means “go to the post office” without needing an article.
What is the function of để in this sentence?
để introduces a purpose clause and translates as “in order to.” It links the first action (đến bưu điện) to the intended action (gửi thư). So đến bưu điện để gửi thư means “arrive at the post office in order to send a letter.”
Why is cho used before gia đình?
Here cho marks the indirect object or recipient, equivalent to “to” or “for” in English. gửi thư cho gia đình literally means “send a letter to/for the family.”
Why is the order gửi thư cho gia đình instead of cho gia đình gửi thư or gửi cho gia đình thư?
Vietnamese generally follows Subject–Verb–Direct Object–Indirect Object. thư (letter) is the direct object of gửi (send), and cho gia đình is the indirect object. Swapping them would sound unnatural or change the focus.
Can you omit Tôi at the beginning?
Yes. Vietnamese often drops the subject when it’s clear from context. Đến bưu điện để gửi thư cho gia đình would still be understood as “I went to the post office to send a letter to my family,” assuming listeners know who’s speaking.
Can you omit để and just say Tôi đến bưu điện gửi thư cho gia đình?
Absolutely. In everyday speech, purpose clauses are frequently juxtaposed without để. It becomes a more compact sentence: Tôi đến bưu điện gửi thư cho gia đình.
Could you use tới instead of đến?
Yes. tới and đến are largely interchangeable when indicating motion toward a place. Tôi tới bưu điện để gửi thư cho gia đình carries the same meaning, though đến is slightly more formal.