How to use chứ

The word chứ has various applications. In general, it is used to affirm or negate something with emphasis. Following are the various cases:

1. In conjunction with không or chẳng, chứ is used to express "X is the case, certainly not Y"
Anh ấy là giám đốc, chứ không phải là nhân viên bình thường.
He is the CEO, certainly not just a regular employee.

2. Chứ can appear at the end of a sentence, either as a question or in a statement. If the sentence is a question, chứ is similar to "..., right?" or "..., isn't it?" in English
Phim này hay chứ?
This movie is good, isn't it?
If chứ appears at the end of a statement, it may either affirm or deny that something is the case. Consider...
A: Em thấy phim này có hay không? (Do you think this movie is good?)
B: Hay chứ! (Definitely!)
...versus...
A: Phim này dở quá, chị không thích. (This movie is really bad, I don't like it.)
B: Hay chứ! (No, it's good!)

3. Another way to use chứ is similar to 'but' in English. Typically, it appears after another sentence that ends with thôi (just). Following is an example I found online
Tôi chỉ giỏi chịu đựng thôi, chứ tôi vẫn biết đau.
I'm just good at suffering, but in reality, I'm still hurting.

4. If chứ appears at the beginning of a question, it is equivalent to an exasperated "So, ...?" in English. Below is a classic joke illustrating this use case
A: Em muốn ăn gì? (What would you like to eat?)
B: Ăn gì cũng được. (Anything!)
A: Bánh xèo được không? (Is bánh xèo ok?)
B: Dạ, không. Dầu mỡ quá nhiều đó! (No, that's too greasy!)
A: Vậy thì mình đi ăn hải sản nha. (So, let's go eat seafood!)
B: Không được, em bị dị ứng hải sản. (No, I'm allergic to seafood.)
A: Chứ em muốn ăn gì?? (So, what would you like to eat??)
B: Ăn gì cũng được, anh. (Anything!)

5. Chứ can combine with the question words sao, gì, ai and đâu to form expressions like "of course, (what/who/where else?)". The expression "Chứ sao!" is also similar to "Of course!" in English
A: Đó là ai vậy? (Who is this?)
B: Là mẹ của tôi, chứ ai? (It's my mom, of course[, who else could it be?]!)

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