Learn Hardcore Vietnamese: Khách sạn đó nhỏ nhưng rất sạch.

English: That hotel is small but very clean.
Vietnamese: Khách sạn đó nhỏ nhưng rất sạch.
- Khách sạn đó = That hotel
- nhỏ nhưng rất sạch = small but very clean (the adjectives directly describe the subject)

Only in some specific structures does Vietnamese use a linking word (like là), but not before adjectives used like this. You generally say:
[noun] + [adjective]
not
[noun] + là + [adjective]

What does đó mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

đó means that (near the listener or previously mentioned in context).

It comes after the noun: khách sạn đó = that hotel
Structure: [noun] + đó
- người đó = that person
- nhà đó = that house
- chiếc xe đó = that car

So đó is like a demonstrative (“that”), but its normal position is after the noun, not before like in English.

What exactly does khách sạn mean? Is it one word or two?

khách sạn is a compound noun meaning hotel.

Literally:
- khách = guest
- sạn (in this combination) forms part of the word for hotel
  In practice, you just treat khách sạn as the single word hotel.

When speaking, it’s pronounced as one phrase, but in writing it is written as two syllables with a space, which is normal in Vietnamese. Many “single words” in Vietnamese are written as two or more syllables.

Why is rất before sạch? Can it go after?

rất means very, and it normally comes before an adjective:

rất sạch = very clean
rất nhỏ = very small
rất tốt = very good

You cannot put rất after the adjective in standard Vietnamese.

So:

✅ rất sạch (correct)
❌ sạch rất (incorrect)

What’s the difference between nhỏ nhưng sạch and nhỏ nhưng rất sạch?

nhỏ nhưng sạch = small but clean
nhỏ nhưng rất sạch = small but very clean

Adding rất makes the second adjective stronger, emphasizing how clean it is. The sentence suggests:
“The hotel might be small, but it makes up for that by being very clean.”

Could I say cái khách sạn đó instead of khách sạn đó?

You can say cái khách sạn đó, but:

khách sạn đó (without a classifier) is already natural and common, especially in general statements.
cái is a classifier, often used with countable objects, and here it would make the phrase sound like “that (particular) hotel” with a bit more emphasis on the specific item.

In normal, neutral speech:

Khách sạn đó nhỏ nhưng rất sạch. is perfectly fine and probably more typical.

Why is nhỏ placed after khách sạn đó? In English we say “small hotel.”

Vietnamese normally puts adjectives after nouns:

khách sạn nhỏ = small hotel (literally “hotel small”)
khách sạn đó nhỏ = that hotel is small

Structures:

[noun] + [adjective] → “small hotel”
[noun + demonstrative] + [adjective] → “that hotel is small”

So the order noun + adjective is normal and does the job that adjective + noun does in English.

What does nhưng do in this sentence, and can it be used like English “but” in other contexts?

nhưng means but, and it connects two contrasting ideas, just like English but:

Khách sạn đó nhỏ nhưng rất sạch.
→ That hotel is small but very clean.

You can use nhưng similarly in other sentences:

Tôi mệt nhưng tôi vẫn đi làm.
= I am tired but I still go to work.

Position:

It usually comes between the two clauses or adjectives you are contrasting, like English but.

Is the final period necessary in Vietnamese, or would people often leave it off?

In standard written Vietnamese, you use punctuation much like in English:

A full stop . at the end of a sentence is correct and expected in formal writing:
Khách sạn đó nhỏ nhưng rất sạch.

In informal texting or chats, people might leave off the final period, just like in English. But grammatically and in proper writing, the period is normal.

How would I say “This hotel is small but very clean” instead?

Change đó (that) to này (this):

Khách sạn này nhỏ nhưng rất sạch.
- khách sạn này = this hotel
- The rest of the sentence stays the same.

Is there a difference in politeness or formality in this sentence? Do I need any special polite words?

Khách sạn đó nhỏ nhưng rất sạch. is neutral and polite enough in normal conversation, especially when you’re just describing something.

There are no personal pronouns here (no “I”, “you”), so you don’t need to worry about polite forms.
In a more delicate context (e.g. speaking directly to the hotel staff), you might soften it by adding something like khá (quite) or cũng (also), but the base sentence itself is not rude:
- Khách sạn đó nhỏ nhưng cũng rất sạch.
  → That hotel is small but also very clean.

This makes the comment sound a bit more balanced and less critical.