Bánh xèo này giòn.

this

Breakdown of Bánh xèo này giòn.

• bánh xèo: the Vietnamese crispy pancake
• giòn: crispy or crunchy

Questions & Answers about Bánh xèo này giòn.

What does each word in Bánh xèo này giòn do?

• bánh xèo = the noun, a Vietnamese savory crispy pancake
• này = this
• giòn = crispy / crunchy

So the structure is basically:

• bánh xèo này = this bánh xèo
• giòn = is crispy

Vietnamese often puts the demonstrative after the noun, not before it like English does.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Vietnamese, you usually do not need a verb like to be when describing something with an adjective.

So:

• Bánh xèo này giòn. = This bánh xèo is crispy.

Literally, it is closer to:

• This bánh xèo crispy.

That is completely normal in Vietnamese. Adjectives can function like predicates by themselves.

Why does này come after bánh xèo instead of before it?

That is the normal Vietnamese pattern for demonstratives like this and that.

Vietnamese usually says:

• noun + này = this noun
• noun + đó / ấy / kia = that noun

So:

• bánh xèo này = this bánh xèo
• bánh xèo đó = that bánh xèo

This is one of the first word-order differences English speakers notice.