“Những”, “các” usually go before a noun, and they both indicate that the noun is plural. Both “những” and “các” refer to all individuals in a specific group. “Các” is used when the entire group is included; and “những” is used when there are differences between two groups referred to.
- “Các” refers to the group as a whole rather than to a subgroup, but it also refers to each of the members of the group.
For example:
– Các sinh viên tiếng Việt ở đây học rất tốt. (All the students of Vietnamese here study well.)
– Ngày mai, các giáo viên có cuộc họp. (Tomorrow, the teachers will have a meeting.)
- “Những” refers to a specific group among other groups and implies a comparison between two groups. So, the noun which follows is often accompanied by the determinant or attribute.
For example:
– Ngày mai, những sinh viên năm thứ nhất sẽ đi học còn những sinh viên năm thứ hai sẽ được nghỉ. (Tomorrow, the beginning students will go to school, and the intermediate students will have a day off)
– Những sinh viên nào hôm qua nghỉ học sẽ phải gặp tôi ở văn phòng. (The students who were absent yesterday will have to see me in my office)
- NOTE:
“Các” usually comes before a noun that refers to a person or thing that is already known and indicated in the mind.
Understandably, “các” is the definite article and “những” is the indefinite article.
Example:
Thưa các cô, các chú, các bác. => can not be replaced with “những”.
Good luck with your Vietnamese learning. Leave a comment below if you have any questions!
