là
[laː˨˩]
The English phrase 'is' is translated into Vietnamese as là.
The word là is used to define or identify something, such as names, professions or relationships.
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English 'is/am/are', the Vietnamese word là is only used to equate two nouns or noun phrases and cannot be used with adjectives.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word là does not change its form based on the subject (I, you, he, she, it, etc.).
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use là before an adjective. For example, instead of saying 'Cô ấy là đẹp' to mean 'She is beautiful', you should simply say 'Cô ấy đẹp'.
Did you know?
- The word là is a doublet of the common Vietnamese verb làm, which means 'to work' or 'to do'.
- The word là is not used to describe the location of an object, such as saying 'The book is on the table'.
- Because là only equates nouns, using it before an adjective can make a sentence sound like you are defining the essence of a thing rather than describing it.
Examples in context
- Đó là Tom à?Is he Tom?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is a specific person using là.Tatoeba #13340796 by leucammieuvu, translation #6196259 by CK
- Đó là máu à?Is that blood?This sentence is useful for asking if a substance is something specific using là.Tatoeba #13340969 by leucammieuvu, translation #4627836 by Hybrid
- Gã đó là ai?Who is that guy?This sentence is useful for asking for the identity of someone using là.Tatoeba #13726668 by leucammieuvu, translation #2270205 by _undertoad
- Anh ấy là giáo viên.He is a teacher.
- Món ăn này được coi là ngon nhất.This dish is considered the best.
- Món này ngon lắm nè!This dish is delicious!
- Cái áo đẹp nhỉ?The shirt is nice, isn't it?
- 1424 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tuấn and Hương are looking at a picture in a magazine.
- TuấnĐây là ảnh của ai?Whose photo is this?
- HươngĐó là chị gái mình.That is my older sister.
- TuấnCô ấy là bác sĩ à?Is she a doctor?
- HươngĐúng rồi, chị ấy là bác sĩ.That's right, she is a doctor.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry là, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries là, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
