Tôi thích / tôi không thích — Likes, dislikes and softer opinions

What you will learn

Thích is the core Vietnamese word for liking something or enjoying an activity. But real Vietnamese gives you several strengths between a strong “I like it” and a flat “I do not like it”.

1. Tôi thích...

• Tôi thích cà phê. — I like coffee.
• Em thích món này. — I like this dish, said as em.
• Anh thích đi bộ. — I like walking, said as anh.
• Chị thích nghe nhạc. — I like listening to music, said as chị.

Thích can be followed by a noun or an activity.

2. Tôi không thích...

• Tôi không thích cà phê.
• Em không thích đồ quá cay.
• Anh không thích đi muộn.

This is a clear negative. In some social situations it may sound more direct than you need.

3. Không thích lắm — a softer dislike

Compare:

• Tôi không thích món này. — I do not like this dish.
• Tôi không thích món này lắm. — I do not like this dish very much.

The second often sounds softer because it leaves more space between “love it” and “reject it”.

4. Rất thích, thích lắm

• Tôi rất thích Việt Nam.
• Em thích món này lắm.

Rất normally comes before thích, while lắm commonly comes later. Both can strengthen the feeling, but they are not mechanically interchangeable in every sentence.

5. Cũng thích and cũng được

• Anh cũng thích cà phê. — I like coffee too.
• Món này cũng được. — This dish is okay/not bad.

Cũng được does not mean “I love it”. It can express moderate acceptance.

6. Asking what someone likes

• Anh thích gì? — What do you like?
• Chị thích món nào? — Which dish do you like?
• Em có thích cà phê không? — Do you like coffee?

7. A short conversation

Mai: Anh có thích đồ ăn Việt Nam không?

David: Có. Anh thích lắm.

Mai: Anh thích món gì?

David: Anh thích phở và bún bò.

Mai: Có ăn được mắm không?

David: Anh không thích lắm, nhưng vẫn ăn được.

8. “Like” is not always thích

English uses “like” in many unrelated constructions: “What is it like?”, “It looks like...”, “I would like...”. Vietnamese does not use thích for all of them.

You already learned thế nào for “what is it like?”. In service situations, “I would like...” may be expressed through muốn, cho... or another situational pattern.

9. Preferences can be comparative

A useful first pattern:

• Tôi thích cà phê hơn trà. — I prefer coffee to tea.
• Em thích món này hơn. — I like this dish more.

You only need to recognize this for now; comparison receives more attention later.

10. Useful vocabulary

• thích — like/enjoy
• không thích — dislike/not like
• không thích lắm — not like very much
• rất thích — like very much
• thích lắm — like very much
• hơn — more/than
• vẫn — still
• ăn được — be able to eat / tolerate eating, context-dependent

11. Vietnam in real life

Food is a common topic when getting to know a foreign learner, so questions such as có thích đồ ăn Việt Nam không? are common. A learner does not need to praise everything. Vietnamese gives you softer ways to answer honestly, such as cũng được or không thích lắm.

12. Common beginner mistakes

• Using thích for every English sentence containing “like”.
• Thinking không thích and không thích lắm have exactly the same social force.
• Forgetting that the speaker’s relationship term can replace tôi.

Try it

1. Say two things you like.
2. Say one thing you do not like very much.
3. Ask someone what food they like.
4. Say that you prefer coffee to tea.

Quick recap

Thích expresses liking, but Vietnamese lets you grade the opinion: rất thích, thích lắm, cũng được, không thích lắm, không thích. These are different communicative choices, not just synonyms.