Lesson 42

Grammar 43: Verbs of Direction

Lesson 44

Directional verbs are verbs that express not only the action of moving but also the direction of movement and a sense of space. In this lesson, we will introduce directional verbs commonly used in daily conversation.

đi and đến

đi : to go (moving away from the speaker’s location)
đến : to come / to arrive (moving towards the speaker’s location)
* đến can also be used to mean “to go to (a destination)”.

Example Sentences:

① Hè này, tôi sẽ đi du lịch Nhật.
   This summer, I will go on a trip to Japan.

② Tối nay, mời anh đến nhà tôi nhé!
  Please come over to my house tonight!

③ Cuối tuần này, em đến thăm nhà anh được không?
   Can I come visit your house this weekend?

vào and ra

vào : to enter / to go in
ra : to exit / to go out

Example Sentences:

① Mời anh vào nhà.
    Please come inside the house.

② Trong nhà nóng quá! Chúng ta ra sân nhé!
   It’s too hot inside! Let’s go out to the yard!

 
Special Usage
Geographically within Vietnam, when traveling North, “ra” (to go out) is used similarly to “to go”. Conversely, when traveling South, “vào” (to go in) is used.
Examples:
■ Ngày mai, tôi sẽ ra Hà Nội để gặp đối tác.
  Tomorrow, I will go (out) to Hanoi to meet a business partner.
■ Tuần sau, mẹ sẽ vào Sài Gòn thăm tôi.
  Next week, my mom will go (in) to Saigon to visit me.

lên and xuống

lên : to go up / to ascend
xuống : to go down / to descend / to get off

Example Sentences:

① Anh có muốn lên tầng 2 không?
   Do you want to go up to the 2nd floor?

② Anh cho tôi xuống xe trước nhà ga.
    Please let me get off (the vehicle) in front of the station.

Special Usage
Generally, “lên” (go up) is also used when traveling from lowlands to highlands or mountainous areas. Conversely, “xuống” (go down) is used when going to lowlands or the seaside.
Examples:
■ Tôi vừa mới lên Đà Lạt với người yêu.
  I just went up to Da Lat with my partner. (Da Lat is in the central highlands).
■ Tôi thích lên núi hơn xuống biển.
  I prefer going up to the mountains rather than going down to the sea.

qua and về

qua : to cross / to pass / to go over
về : to return / to go back (home)

Example Sentences:

① Em có thể bơi qua sông này chứ?
    Can you swim across this river?

② Từ ngày mai em sẽ về quê khoảng một tuần.
    From tomorrow, I will go back to my hometown for about a week.

* In addition to their use as main verbs, these words can also be used as directional complements. By placing them after an action verb, they indicate the direction of that action (similar to prepositions in English).

Examples:

■ ném vào thùng (throw into the bin)
■ chạy ra ngoài (run outside)
■ nhìn lên trời (look up at the sky)