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In this lesson, we will summarize and explain the usage of “hết” in daily Vietnamese conversation. Basically, “hết” has three main meanings: “run out of (no more)”, “all”, and “finish”. Among these, the meanings of “all” and “finish” are particularly easy to confuse. We will also introduce characteristic idiomatic expressions commonly used by native speakers.
① Out of / Run out of / No more
Usage: Expresses a state where money, goods, time, energy, or chances are completely gone.
Synonym / Paraphrase: không còn…nữa (rồi)
Structure:
Example Sentences:
① Hết tiền rồi, tháng này chắc phải tiết kiệm lại.
→ I’ve run out of money. I guess I have to save up this month.
② Tôi đến cửa hàng muộn quá nên sản phẩm tôi muốn đã hết hàng.
→ I arrived at the store too late, so the product I wanted was already sold out (out of stock).
③ Bàn đó đã có người đặt rồi, bây giờ hết cơ hội cho mình rồi.
→ That table is already booked, now we are out of chances.
④ Em hết thích uống sữa rồi.
→ I don’t like drinking milk anymore. (Lost interest)
Advanced Structure (Emphatic Negation):
* Expresses that something no longer exists. “Hết” is placed at the end of the sentence to emphasize “not a single one at all”.
( = Trong hộp không còn cái bánh nào cả. )
→ There are no cakes left in the box at all.
② All / Everything / Entirely
Usage: Expresses doing something to “all” of the objects, leaving nothing behind.
① Tôi đã nói hết mọi chuyện cho anh ấy nghe rồi.
→ I told him everything (all the stories).
② Bạn nhớ lấy hết đồ trong ngăn kéo ra trước khi dọn nhà nhé.
→ Remember to take all the stuff out of the drawer before moving house.
③ Cơm còn nhiều lắm, con nhớ ăn hết đi nhé!
→ There is still a lot of rice, remember to eat it all up!
④ Hôm nay cả lớp đều đến hết, không ai nghỉ.
→ Everyone in the class came today, no one was absent.
⑤ Cũng muộn rồi nên tôi mua hết phần còn lại giúp chị nhé.
→ It’s getting late, so I will buy all the rest for you.
③ Finished / Completed (State of Action)
Usage: Used when an action, work, study, or cleaning has been completed to the very end.
Even when “hết” is used to mean “finish,” it partially retains the nuance of “all/entirely”. In daily conversation, words are omitted, but the full sentence concept is as follows:
↓ Common form in conversation ↓
① Tối qua tôi thức đến khuya để làm hết bài tập cho kịp hạn nộp.
→ Last night, I stayed up late to finish all my homework in time for the deadline.
② Tôi đã đọc hết cuốn sách này rồi, giờ tôi muốn mua cuốn khác.
→ I have finished reading this entire book; now I want to buy another one.
③ Chỉ cần dọn dẹp hết căn phòng này là xong rồi.
→ Just finish cleaning up this whole room and we’re done.
Usage: Used with words indicating the end of a period, such as “time, day, week, month, year, deadline, contract”.
① Hết giờ làm rồi, chúng ta về thôi.
→ Working hours are over; let’s go home.
② Hết năm nay tôi sẽ chuyển sang sống ở TP.HCM.
→ At the end of this year, I plan to move to Ho Chi Minh City.
③ Anh chờ em hết tuần này nhé, sang tuần em rảnh hơn.
→ Please wait for me until the end of this week; I’ll have more time next week.
⑤ Others: Idioms for Emphasizing Feelings/Situations (Very / Extremely)
Usage: Very colloquial expressions used in conversation to strongly emphasize the intensity of an emotion or condition.
| hết nước chấm | Absolutely perfect / Top-notch (Slang) | Phong cảnh ở đây đẹp hết nước chấm. The scenery here is absolutely stunning (Lit: out of dipping sauce). |
| hết sức | Extremely / Exhausted | Mệt hết sức. I’m extremely exhausted. |
| hết biết | Beyond words / Unbelievable | Kẹt xe hết biết. The traffic jam is unbelievably bad (Beyond words). |
| hết mình | Wholeheartedly / To the fullest | Chơi hết mình. We partied / played to the fullest. |
| hết hồn | Startled / Scared to death | Giật cả mình, hết hồn à! Oh, I was so startled, it scared me to death! |
| hết thuốc chữa | Hopeless / Incurable | Lười thế này thì đúng là hết thuốc chữa. Being this lazy is truly hopeless (Lit: out of medicine to cure). |