Bác sĩ đó rất tốt.

to be

Breakdown of Bác sĩ đó rất tốt.

• rất: very
• đó: that
• bác sĩ: the doctor

Questions & Answers about Bác sĩ đó rất tốt.

Why is there no word for “is” in Bác sĩ đó rất tốt? Where is là?

Vietnamese often does not use a separate verb for “to be” before adjectives.

• With adjectives, you normally say:
  • Subject + (degree word) + adjective
  • Example: Bác sĩ đó rất tốt. → That doctor is very good.
• You do not say: *Bác sĩ đó là rất tốt. (This sounds wrong or unnatural in standard Vietnamese.)

The word là is usually used:

• Before nouns / noun phrases:
  • Bác sĩ đó là người Mỹ. – That doctor is American.
  • Anh ấy là bác sĩ. – He is a doctor.

So the rule of thumb:

• Subject + adjective → no là
• Subject + noun → use là

What does bác sĩ actually mean, and how is it pronounced?

Bác sĩ means “doctor” (medical doctor).

• It’s written as two syllables: bác
  • sĩ, but together they form one word: bác sĩ.
• Tones:
  • bác – high-rising broken tone (dấu sắc on a)
  • sĩ – falling-rising creaky tone (dấu ngã on )