Dao ở gần bàn.

Here, ở is a location verb. It often means to be at / in / on or more generally to be located somewhere.

So Dao ở gần bàn is literally something like Dao is located near the table.

Because là is not the general English-style verb to be.

In Vietnamese, là is mainly used to link one noun to another, especially for identity, classification, or definition:

• Dao là học sinh. = Dao is a student.

But for location, Vietnamese usually uses ở, not là:

• Dao ở gần bàn. = Dao is near the table.

So Dao là gần bàn would sound wrong.

They are two separate words:

• ở = be located / be at
• gần = near / close

Together, ở gần bàn means to be near the table. So it is a combination, not a single indivisible word.

A simple way to think of gần is that it means near or close.

In Vietnamese, words can be more flexible than in English. gần can behave a bit like an adjective/stative word (near) and a bit like a preposition-like word when followed by a noun phrase:

• gần bàn = near the table

So for a learner, it is perfectly fine to remember gần as near.

Vietnamese usually follows Subject + Predicate + Complement order.

So here you have:

• Dao = subject
• ở = location verb
• gần bàn = location phrase

That is why the sentence is structured as Dao ở gần bàn, not in a different order.

Vietnamese does not have articles like English a / an / the.

So bàn can mean:

• a table
• the table
• sometimes even table in a general sense

The exact meaning depends on context. That is very normal in Vietnamese.

Not necessarily.

Vietnamese often uses a classifier such as cái with physical objects:

• cái bàn = the table / a table

But in many everyday sentences, especially after location words or in general reference, the classifier can be omitted naturally:

• gần bàn = natural
• gần cái bàn = also possible, often a bit more specific or explicit

So Dao ở gần bàn is fine.

If the translation shows a person, then you should read Dao here as a name.

However, this is a good question, because dao can also be the ordinary Vietnamese word for knife. Since the word is at the beginning of the sentence, capitalization alone does not completely prove it is a name. In real life, context tells you which meaning is intended.

Sometimes Vietnamese does allow X gần Y, especially with places or things:

• Nhà tôi gần chợ. = My house is near the market.

With a person as the subject, though, ở often makes the sentence sound clearer and more natural when you are talking about physical location. So Dao ở gần bàn is a very safe and natural choice.

It can mean table or desk, depending on context.

Vietnamese bàn is broader than English in that way. So if your translation gives table, use table for this sentence; in another context, desk might be the better translation.