Definition

1. Interrogative phrase:

   • What to do?: Used to ask about an action, activity, or course of action.
   • What for? / Why?: Used to question the purpose, reason, or objective behind an action.

2. Negative phrase:

   • No way; Certainly not; Nothing of the sort: Used to strongly deny, negate, or reject a possibility, often expressing disbelief or impossibility.

Usage Examples

• Interrogative (What to do?):

  • Bây giờ chúng ta nên làm gì? (What should we do now?)
  • Trong thời gian rảnh, cậu thích làm gì? (What do you like to do in your free time?)

• Interrogative (What for?):

  • Anh mua cái máy này để làm gì? (What did you buy this machine for?)
  • Cô ấy nói vậy làm gì? (Why did she say that?)

• Negative (Strong denial):

  • Làm gì có chuyện đó! (That's impossible! / No way that happened!)
  • Tôi làm gì có nhiều tiền thế. (I certainly don't have that much money.)

Advanced Usage

• "Để làm gì?": For what purpose? This structure explicitly asks for the utility or goal of something.

  • Học bài này để làm gì? (What's the point of learning this?)

• "Thì làm gì?" / "Làm gì thì làm": Used to express that no matter what happens or what one does, the outcome is inevitable or a condition must be met. It can mean "then what?" or "whatever one does..."

  • Nếu trễ hạn, thì làm gì? (If we miss the deadline, then what?)
  • Làm gì thì làm cũng phải xong. (Whatever you do, it has to be finished.)

Variants and Related Words

• Làm cái gì (v): A more colloquial variant meaning "to do what." It is often used in direct questions about an immediate action.

  • Mày đang định làm cái gì thế? (What are you planning to do?)

• Để làm chi (phr): A more literary or formal synonym for "để làm gì" (for what purpose).

  • Công sức bỏ ra để làm chi? (For what purpose is all this effort?)

Synonyms

• Interrogative: What?; For what reason?; Why?
• Negative: No way; Absolutely not; Impossible.

Related Idioms

• Biết làm gì được: To be unable to do anything about a situation; to be powerless.

  • Họ sai, nhưng tôi biết làm gì được. (They are wrong, but what can I do about it?)

• Làm gì được nhau: Expresses that no one can truly harm or significantly affect the other, often implying a stalemate.

  • Cứ thách thức đi, làm gì được nhau đâu. (Go ahead and challenge me, it's not like you can do anything to me.)

1. What to dọ
2. What for
   • Ta làm cái đó để làm gì?
     What are you doing that for?
3. No, nothing
   • Làm gì có chuyện ấy
     There is nothing of the kind