# Hay / có hay … không: often in Vietnamese (A1)

> Hay before a verb means "often": Cuối tuần tôi hay đi bơi. I often go swimming at weekends.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/hay-often/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**often**

Pattern: `[person] + hay + [verb] · [person] + có hay + [verb] + không? · không hay + [verb]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: hay, co hay … khong

*Hay* before a verb means "often": *Cuối tuần tôi hay đi bơi.* I often go swimming at weekends. It's the everyday spoken word, a little more casual than *thường* (usually), and it sits in the same place, right before the verb.

It's also how people talk about habits, good or bad: *Em hay quên.* I'm always forgetting things.

To ask how often, put *có hay* before the verb and *không* at the end: *Em có hay đi Vũng Tàu không?* Do you go to Vũng Tàu often? Answer *Có* or *Không*, or with *thỉnh thoảng* (sometimes) or *ít khi* (rarely). *Không hay* means "not often": *Tôi không hay nấu ăn.* I don't cook much.

*Hay* has two other meanings, and its place tells them apart. Describing a noun, it means "good, interesting": *Phim này hay quá!* This film is so good! After a verb, it means "well": *Cô ấy hát hay* (she sings well), but *Cô ấy hay hát* (she often sings). Between two choices in a question, it means "or": *Trà hay cà phê?* Tea or coffee?

## Examples

- Cuối tuần tôi hay đi bơi. — I often go swimming at weekends.
- Em có hay đi Vũng Tàu không? — Do you go to Vũng Tàu often?
- Dạ, thỉnh thoảng thôi. — Only sometimes.
- Em hay quên chìa khóa. — I'm always forgetting my keys.

## Words in this pattern

- [hay](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/hay-or/#s_hay_often): often

## Compare

- [Or in questions: A hay B?](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/hay-or-question/): A or B?
- [How often: thường, luôn, thỉnh thoảng before the verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/frequency-position/): frequency words

Previous in Time and when things happen: [Not yet: chưa](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chua-not-yet/)
Next in Time and when things happen: [Saying it already happened: đã](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/da-past/)

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