Questions & Answers about Xe đạp này còn mới.
What does each word in Xe đạp này còn mới mean?
- xe đạp = bicycle / bike
- này = this
- còn = still
- mới = new
So the sentence literally follows the pattern:
bicycle + this + still + new
A very natural English rendering is This bicycle is still new or This bike is still in good, new condition.
Why does này come after xe đạp instead of before it?
In Vietnamese, demonstratives such as này often come after the noun.
So:
- xe đạp này = this bicycle
- người này = this person
- nhà này = this house
This is one of the most noticeable word-order differences from English. English says this bike, but Vietnamese says bike this.
Why is there no word for is in the sentence?
Vietnamese often does not use a copula like English is/am/are before adjectives.
In English, you must say:
- This bicycle is new
In Vietnamese, you can simply say:
- Xe đạp này mới
And with còn:
- Xe đạp này còn mới
So the idea of is is understood from the sentence structure; it usually does not need to be spoken.
What does add here?