Directional Verbs in Vietnamese

Động Từ Hướng

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Overview

Directional verbs in Vietnamese function as complements added after main verbs to indicate the direction of movement. The six core directional verbs are "ra" (out), "vào" (in), "lên" (up), "xuống" (down), "đi" (away from speaker), and "lại" (toward speaker/back). These combine productively with action verbs to create precise directional meanings.

At the CEFR B1 level, directional verbs are essential for giving and understanding directions, describing movement, and expressing figurative direction (like "đưa ra" = put forth/propose).

How It Works

Direction	Verb	Example	Meaning
outward	ra	đi ra	go out
inward	vào	đi vào	go in
upward	lên	đi lên	go up
downward	xuống	đi xuống	go down
away	đi	mang đi	take away
toward/back	lại	quay lại	come back

Combined with action verbs:

Action + Direction	Meaning
chạy ra	run out
bước vào	step in
leo lên	climb up
nhảy xuống	jump down
đem đi	bring away
đi lại	walk back and forth

Examples in Context

Vietnamese	English	Note
Đi ra ngoài.	Go outside.	ra = out
Chạy lên lầu.	Run upstairs.	lên = up
Bước xuống.	Step down.	xuống = down
Quay lại đây.	Come back here.	lại = back
Mang vào nhà.	Bring into the house.	vào = in
Đưa ra ý kiến.	Put forth an opinion.	figurative ra
Ngồi xuống.	Sit down.	xuống with posture
Đứng lên.	Stand up.	lên with posture
Nhìn ra cửa sổ.	Look out the window.	ra = outward direction
Đi vào phòng.	Go into the room.	vào = into

Common Mistakes

Confusing Đi (Away) and Lại (Toward)

Wrong: Đem lại when meaning "take away"
Right: Đem đi (take away) vs Đem lại (bring here)
Why: "Đi" indicates away from the speaker; "lại" indicates toward the speaker.

Placing Directional Verbs Before the Main Verb

Wrong: Ra đi when meaning "go out" (ra đi actually means "depart/pass away")
Right: Đi ra (go out)
Why: Directional complements follow the main verb. Reversing can change meaning entirely.

Usage Notes

Many directional verbs have figurative extensions: "đưa ra" (put out = propose), "đưa vào" (put in = include), "nâng lên" (raise up = improve). These figurative uses are important in academic and professional Vietnamese.

Practice Tips

Practice the six directions with the verb "đi": đi ra, đi vào, đi lên, đi xuống, đi đi (go away), đi lại (walk around). These form the core directional system.
Give directions around your home: "Đi lên lầu, rẽ phải, đi vào phòng." (Go upstairs, turn right, go into the room.)