Bạn thường ăn tối ở nhà không?

you

Breakdown of Bạn thường ăn tối ở nhà không?

• nhà: the house
• không: (question marker)
• ở: at

Questions & Answers about Bạn thường ăn tối ở nhà không?

How do you form yes/no questions in Vietnamese, like in Bạn thường ăn tối ở nhà không?

In Vietnamese, you typically add the question particle không at the end of a statement to turn it into a yes/no question. You don’t need auxiliary verbs like “do” or “does.” You simply keep the word order of the statement and add không? with a rising tone.
Example:
• Statement: Bạn thường ăn tối ở nhà. (“You usually have dinner at home.”)
• Question: Bạn thường ăn tối ở nhà không? (“Do you usually have dinner at home?”)

Why isn’t there a có before không in this sentence?

Use có ... không? when the main verb is có (“to have”) or when forming questions about possession/existence. With other verbs like ăn (“to eat”), you drop có and just use không? at the end.
• Verb = có: Bạn có nhà không? (“Do you have a house?”)
• Verb ≠ có: Bạn ăn tối không? (“Do you eat dinner?”)

What does thường do in this sentence, and why is it placed before ăn tối?

thường means “usually” or “often.” It’s an adverb of frequency and in Vietnamese, adverbs usually come before the main verb. So thường ăn tối literally means “usually eat dinner.”

Can I use hay instead of thường? Are they the same?