Như thế nào? — Asking “how” and “what is it like?”

What you will learn

English “how” covers many different questions. Vietnamese often uses như thế nào? or the shorter thế nào? when asking about condition, quality or impression. This lesson introduces that core use.

1. ... như thế nào?

• Việt Nam như thế nào? — What is Vietnam like?
• Công việc của anh như thế nào? — What is your work like / How is your work?
• Quán này như thế nào? — What is this place like?

2. ... thế nào?

In everyday speech, thế nào is very common:

• Anh thấy Việt Nam thế nào? — What do you think of Vietnam?
• Em thấy món này thế nào? — What do you think of this dish?
• Dạo này công việc thế nào? — How is work these days?

3. “How” is not always thế nào

English asks:

• How much?
• How many?
• How far?
• How old?
• How do you go there?

Vietnamese uses different expressions: bao nhiêu, bao xa, bao nhiêu tuổi, đi bằng gì, and others.

So do not memorize thế nào = how as a universal translation.

4. Asking for an impression

Anh thấy món này thế nào?

Possible answers:

• Ngon. — Delicious.
• Hơi cay. — A little spicy.
• Rất ngon. — Very good.
• Cũng được. — It’s okay / not bad.

5. A short conversation

Lan: Anh thấy Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh thế nào?

Mark: Rất đông nhưng vui.

Lan: Đồ ăn thế nào?

Mark: Ngon. Anh thích đồ ăn Việt Nam.

Lan: Còn thời tiết?

Mark: Hơi nóng.

6. Asking about condition

Thế nào? can ask how something is going:

• Sức khỏe thế nào? — How is your health?
• Công việc thế nào? — How is work?
• Việc học thế nào? — How is studying going?

7. Natural answers can be one word

Because the topic is already known, Vietnamese answers may be short:

• Tốt. — Good.
• Ổn. — Fine/okay.
• Bình thường. — Normal/as usual.
• Hơi khó. — A little difficult.

8. Useful vocabulary

• như thế nào — how / what ... like, depending on context
• thế nào — shorter common form
• thấy — see/feel/think, depending on structure
• công việc — work/job
• sức khỏe — health
• việc học — studying
• ổn — okay/fine
• đông — crowded/many

9. Vietnam in real life

Anh/chị thấy... thế nào? is a useful social question because it asks for an impression rather than a factual answer. It appears naturally when people discuss food, places, work and experiences.

10. Common beginner mistake

Do not use thế nào for every English “how”. Learn Vietnamese question expressions according to the kind of information you want.

Try it

1. Ask “What do you think of Vietnamese food?”
2. Ask “How is work?”
3. Answer with rất tốt, hơi khó or bình thường.
4. Name one English “how” question that does not use thế nào in Vietnamese.

Quick recap

Như thế nào / thế nào often asks about quality, condition or impression. It is important, but it is only one of several Vietnamese ways to express English “how”.