cho — Let or Allow in Vietnamese

Meaning & Usage

In your early stages of learning Vietnamese, you likely encountered the word [cho as a simple verb meaning "to give." For example, Tôi cho bạn một quyển sách (I give you a book). However, as you progress to the B1 level, you will discover that cho is one of the most versatile functional words in the Vietnamese language. When placed before a person and another verb, it transforms into a causative verb, roughly equivalent to the English "to let," "to allow," or sometimes "to have someone do something."

The mental model you should adopt for this grammar point is one of permission or enablement. You are "giving" someone the opportunity or the right to perform an action. This is very similar to how we use "let" in English. For instance, if a mother lets her child go out, she is "giving" the child the freedom to go. In Vietnamese, this is expressed as Mẹ cho con đi chơi.

Beyond simple permission, cho can also function in a way that suggests "making" something happen or "facilitating" an action. This is particularly common in requests, such as Cho tôi biết (Let me know). Unlike some other causative verbs like làm (to make/cause), cho carries a nuance of passivity or granting consent rather than forceful compulsion. It is generally polite and is the standard way to ask for things in a service context or a professional environment. In Northern Vietnamese usage, cho is often used in very formal requests, whereas in the South, it is used ubiquitously in almost every daily interaction involving permission or assistance.

Structure & Formation

The structure of this causative pattern is quite logical and follows a Subject-Verb-Object-Verb pattern, which is familiar to English speakers. However, you must be careful with the placement of the person receiving the permission.

Notice that the word order is very strict. The person being allowed (the object) must come immediately after cho and before the secondary verb. If you remove the person, the sentence often becomes a general statement of permission or changes meaning significantly. In negative sentences, the negation word ([không, [chưa, [đừng) usually precedes cho. For example: Mẹ không cho tôi đi chơi (Mom doesn't let me go out).

Example Sentences

Daily Life & Permission

Work & Professional Context

Social Requests & Services

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Wrong Word Order

❌ Mẹ cho đi chơi tôi.

✅ Mẹ cho tôi đi chơi.

In English, we sometimes use different structures for "allow," but in Vietnamese, the person being allowed must sit between cho and the verb. You cannot put the object at the end of the sentence.

Mistake 2: Confusing 'cho' with 'làm'

❌ Anh ấy làm cho tôi biết tin tức.

✅ Anh ấy cho tôi biết tin tức.

English speakers often think of "making someone know" something. In Vietnamese, làm implies physical creation or forcing a result, whereas cho is used for providing information or permission. Always use cho tôi biết for "let me know."

Mistake 3: Overusing 'cho phép' in Casual Speech

❌ Mẹ ơi, cho phép con ăn kẹo nhé.

✅ Mẹ ơi, cho con ăn kẹo nhé.

Cho phép is the formal version of "allow/permit" (Hán-Việt: 許 permission + 法 rule). While grammatically correct, using it with family members or close friends sounds overly stiff, like saying "Mother, I request your formal authorization to consume candy." Stick to just cho for daily life.

Mistake 4: Omitting the Object

❌ Cô ấy không cho vào.

✅ Cô ấy không cho tôi vào / Cô ấy không cho ai vào.

While Vietnamese often drops pronouns, with the causative cho, it can be confusing if the object is missing. If you mean "She didn't let (anyone) in," it's better to specify [cho tôi or cho ai to maintain clarity at the B1 level.

Cultural Notes

The word cho reflects the relational nature of Vietnamese society. Using cho is often a way to acknowledge the power dynamic or the kindness of the other person. For example, even if you are paying for a service, asking Cho tôi xem cái này (Let me see this) sounds much more polite and softer than a direct command.

In Southern Vietnam, you will hear cho used even more frequently in place of để (to let/to leave). A Southerner might say Cho tôi làm cho (Let me do it for you), where the first cho is the causative "let" and the second is the preposition "for."

When speaking to elders, it is common to add the word phép after cho to show extra respect, or use the full phrase xin phép cho... (ask permission to let...). This demonstrates that you are not just asking, but acknowledging their authority to grant that permission.

Related Grammar Points

• bắt — Force Someone To in Vietnamese (Grammar B1)
• hãy — Polite Imperative (Please Do in Vietnamese) (Grammar B1)
• bị, được — Passive Voice with Agent in Vietnamese (Grammar B1)
• lại — Again / Unexpectedly (Advanced) (Grammar B1)
• nhờ — Asking for a Favor in Vietnamese (Grammar B1)
• mới...đã — No Sooner Than (Grammar B1)

Practice Tips

For the NLTV B1 exam, you will likely encounter cho in the listening and reading sections involving workplace scenarios or family dialogues. A common test pattern involves identifying the correct response to a request for permission.

To master this, try the "Permission Request" exercise: Think of five things you do every day and formulate a question asking for permission for each, using different social registers. For example: asking a boss for a day off, asking a friend to borrow a pen, or asking a stranger to move their bag. Pay attention to how the choice of pronouns (anh, chị, bạn, em) changes the feeling of the cho structure.

Another tip: Listen for cho tôi biết in movies or podcasts. It is perhaps the most common causative phrase in the language. The more you hear it, the more natural the word order will feel!