Definition

1. Adverb phrase:
   • To such an extent/degree; so; like that: Used to express emphasis, surprise, or strong feeling about the degree or manner of something, often in exclamatory or interrogative sentences. It intensifies the adjective or adverb it follows.
   • To that point; to that extent: Indicates a limit or a high degree that has been reached.

Usage Examples

• In questions (often rhetorical) expressing surprise or criticism:
  • Sao anh đến thế? (How could you be like that? / Why would you do that?)
  • Sao trời lạnh đến thế? (Why is it so cold? / How can it be this cold?)
• In exclamations expressing strong feeling:
  • Đẹp đến thế! (So beautiful! / It's beautiful to that extent!)
  • Tôi không ngờ cô ấy tốt bụng đến thế. (I didn't expect her to be so kind.)
• Following a verb to emphasize the manner or result:
  • Anh ấy đã cố gắng đến thế mà vẫn thất bại. (He tried so hard and still failed.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đến thế là cùng" / "Đến thế thì thôi": An idiom meaning "That's the limit!" or "That's the last straw!", used to express that a situation has become intolerable or has reached its peak.
  • Làm phiền tôi đến thế là cùng! (Bothering me like this is the limit!)
• "Đến thế mà...": Used to contrast reality with an expectation, often with a tone of surprise or disappointment. Translates to "And yet..." or "Even so...".
  • Nói đến thế mà nó vẫn không hiểu. (I explained it to that extent, and yet it still didn't understand.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đến mức: To the point/degree that. (More neutral, often used in descriptive clauses).
  • Mệt đến mức không thể đi tiếp. (Tired to the point of not being able to go on.)
• Đến vậy: Similar meaning to "đến thế", with "vậy" being a slightly more formal or literary variant of "thế". (Like that / to that extent).
• Thế: A demonstrative pronoun meaning "that/thus/so". "Đến thế" combines "đến" (to arrive at/reach) with "thế" (that state/degree).

Synonyms

• Quá: Too, very, excessively. (Often interchangeable, but "quá" can imply excess, while "đến thế" emphasizes the attained degree).
• Dữ dội: Fiercely, intensely. (For intensity, but not for manner).
• Như vậy: Like that, in that way. (Describes manner, less emphatic about degree).

Related Phrases

• Đến nỗi: To the extent that (used to introduce a result clause, often negative).
  • Buồn đến nỗi khóc. (Sad to the extent of crying.)
• Đến đâu: To what extent (used in questions).
  • Anh yêu cô ấy đến đâu? (How much do you love her? / To what extent do you love her?)

Related Idioms

• Biết đến thế là cùng: To know all there is to know about something; to reach the pinnacle of knowledge on a subject.
  • Về lịch sử nơi này, ông ấy biết đến thế là cùng. (Regarding this place's history, he knows it to the fullest extent possible.)

1. So
   • Sao anh đến chậm thế?
     Why are you so late?