Có... không? — Asking yes/no questions

What you will learn

This lesson gives you one of the most productive beginner question patterns:

Có + verb/adjective + không?

You will also learn how Vietnamese answers these questions without relying on one universal word for “yes”.

1. Có + verb + không?

• Bạn có uống cà phê không? — Do you drink coffee?
• Anh có biết không? — Do you know?
• Chị có hiểu không? — Do you understand?
• Em có đi không? — Are you going / will you go?

2. Có + adjective + không?

• Có xa không? — Is it far?
• Có đắt không? — Is it expensive?
• Có khó không? — Is it difficult?

When the subject is obvious from context, Vietnamese may leave it out.

3. Person + có + object + không?

With possession:

• Anh có xe máy không?
• Chị có tiền mặt không?
• Em có thời gian không?

This looks similar to other có...không? questions but the central idea is “have”.

4. How to answer naturally

Vietnamese often answers with the word or verb that carries the question:

Anh có uống cà phê không?

• Có. — Yes.
• Có, anh uống. — Yes, I do.
• Không. — No.
• Không, anh không uống. — No, I don’t.

Chị có mệt không?

• Có, chị hơi mệt.
• Không, chị không mệt.

5. Có does not always equal English “yes”

In có...không?, có helps form the question. But in other Vietnamese questions, a natural positive answer may be đúng, a repeated verb, or another relevant word.

This is why you should not memorize có = yes as a universal rule.

6. A short conversation

Nhân viên: Anh có dùng đường không ạ?

Khách: Dạ không.

Nhân viên: Anh có dùng sữa không?

Khách: Có, cho anh một ít sữa.

Nhân viên: Dạ.

7. Shortening in natural speech

You may hear:

• Uống cà phê không?
• Đi không?
• Mệt không?

The initial có is often omitted in casual speech when the structure is clear. Beginners should understand both the full and shortened form.

8. Useful vocabulary

• có...không? — yes/no question frame
• biết — know
• hiểu — understand
• khó — difficult
• xa — far
• đường — sugar; also road/street in another meaning
• sữa — milk
• một ít — a little

9. Vietnam in real life

Everyday Vietnamese often uses shortened questions such as Ăn không?, Đi không?, Uống gì không?. The relationship and situation make the omitted information understandable.

Learning the full pattern first helps you recognize these shorter forms later.

10. Common beginner mistakes

• Thinking every yes/no question must contain có.
• Thinking có always translates as English “yes”.
• Giving only vâng to every question instead of repeating the relevant idea when useful.

Try it

1. Ask “Do you drink coffee?”
2. Ask “Is it far?”
3. Ask “Do you have time?”
4. Give both a positive and a negative full answer.
5. Turn Có đi không? into the casual form.

Quick recap

Có...không? is a major Vietnamese yes/no question pattern. Natural speech may omit có, and natural answers often repeat the verb or central idea rather than depending on one universal “yes”.