Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt.

Breakdown of Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt.

tôi
me
của
of
khá
quite
tốt
good
sức khỏe
the health

Questions & Answers about Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt.

What does sức khỏe mean exactly? Is it one word or two?

Sức khỏe means health.

It is written as two syllables, but together they form one fixed expression:

  • sức = strength, force
  • khỏe = healthy, strong

Put together, sức khỏe means health as a noun. This is very common in Vietnamese: many everyday ideas are expressed as two-syllable compounds.

Why does it say của tôi? Is that how Vietnamese says my?

Yes. Của tôi is a common way to show possession, and it literally means something like of me.

So:

  • sức khỏe của tôi = my health

The basic pattern is:

noun + của + possessor

Examples:

  • nhà của tôi = my house
  • công việc của tôi = my job
  • sức khỏe của tôi = my health

So instead of putting my before the noun like English does, Vietnamese often puts the possessor after the noun.

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

Because Vietnamese often does not use a copula like English to be when an adjective describes something.

So:

  • Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt. literally looks like:
  • My health fairly good.

That is normal Vietnamese grammar.

The adjective tốt can directly describe the subject without any extra word for is.

Why is khá before tốt?

Because words like khá, rất, and hơi usually go before the adjective they modify.

So:

  • khá tốt = fairly good
  • rất tốt = very good
  • hơi tốt would be unusual in this context, but the position is the same

This is similar to English adverbs like very and quite, which also usually come before adjectives:

  • very good
  • quite good

So khá tốt is the normal order.

What does khá mean here? Is it like quite, rather, or fairly?

In this sentence, khá means something like fairly, quite, or pretty.

So khá tốt suggests:

  • good to a decent degree
  • positive, but not extremely strong

It is usually less strong than rất:

  • khá tốt = fairly/quite good
  • rất tốt = very good

So if you say Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt, it sounds like your health is in a good condition, but you are not making an exaggerated claim.

Why use tốt here instead of khỏe? Could I say Tôi khá khỏe?

Yes, you can say Tôi khá khỏe, and it is very natural.

The difference is mainly this:

  • Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt = My health is fairly good
  • Tôi khá khỏe = I’m fairly healthy / I’m feeling fairly well

So:

  • tốt describes the noun sức khỏe (health)
  • khỏe more directly describes a person's condition

Both are correct, but they sound a little different:

  • Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt sounds a bit more explicit, sometimes more formal or medical
  • Tôi khá khỏe sounds more everyday and conversational
Is Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt natural Vietnamese?

Yes, it is natural, especially when talking specifically about someone's health status.

It can sound:

  • a bit more formal
  • a bit more careful
  • suitable in contexts like health discussions, reports, checkups, or polite conversation

In casual speech, many speakers might simply say:

  • Tôi khá khỏe.
  • Dạo này tôi khỏe. = I’ve been well lately.

So the sentence is natural, but not the most casual possible version.

Can I omit của and say Sức khỏe tôi khá tốt?

In standard everyday Vietnamese, it is better to keep của here:

  • Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt.

Without của, the phrase sounds less natural to most learners and in many contexts less standard:

  • Sức khỏe tôi khá tốt. ⚠️

Vietnamese sometimes omits của with certain very common relationships, such as:

  • mẹ tôi = my mother
  • nhà tôi = my house / my family, depending on context

But with sức khỏe, using của is the safest and most natural choice.

How do I pronounce the sentence, especially the tones?

A useful tone breakdown is:

  • sức — rising tone (sắc)
  • khỏehỏi tone
  • củahỏi tone
  • tôi — level tone (no tone mark)
  • khá — rising tone (sắc)
  • tốt — rising tone (sắc)

A few pronunciation notes:

  • kh is not just English k; it is a breathier sound.
  • khỏe begins with something like khw-.
  • ư in sức does not have an exact English equivalent.
  • tôi is not exactly like English toy; it is close, but the vowel quality is different.

If you are learning tones, focus first on getting the pattern right: sắc – hỏi – hỏi – ngang – sắc – sắc

Also remember that hỏi sounds different in Northern and Southern Vietnamese, so exact pronunciation will vary by dialect.

How would I make this sentence stronger, weaker, or negative?

You can change the degree word or the adjective phrase.

Stronger

  • Sức khỏe của tôi rất tốt. = My health is very good.

Weaker / more moderate

  • Sức khỏe của tôi tương đối tốt. = My health is relatively good.
  • Sức khỏe của tôi khá ổn. = My health is pretty okay.

Negative A very natural negative version is:

  • Sức khỏe của tôi không được tốt lắm. = My health is not very good.

That often sounds more natural than a direct word-for-word negative like:

  • Sức khỏe của tôi không khá tốt. ❌ or very unnatural

So for evaluations like this, Vietnamese often prefers patterns such as:

  • không được ... lắm
  • không tốt lắm
How would I ask someone the same thing as a question?

A natural yes/no question would usually be:

  • Sức khỏe của bạn có tốt không? = Is your health good?
  • Sức khỏe của bạn dạo này thế nào? = How has your health been lately?

If you want to keep khá tốt, you could say:

  • Sức khỏe của bạn khá tốt, đúng không? = Your health is fairly good, right?

But in normal conversation, people more often ask in a simpler way, such as:

  • Bạn có khỏe không? = Are you well?
  • Dạo này bạn khỏe không? = Have you been well lately?

So the exact sentence structure often changes when turned into a question.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
What's the best way to learn Vietnamese grammar?
Vietnamese grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Vietnamese

Master Vietnamese — from Sức khỏe của tôi khá tốt to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • AI tutor to answer your grammar questions