# Làm gì / là / làm: be / work as in Vietnamese (A1)

> To say what you do for work, use là (am, is) or làm (work as) and then the job: Tôi là giáo viên or Tôi làm giáo viên. I'm a teacher.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/la-lam-job/ · Updated 2026-11-10

**be / work as**

Pattern: `[person] + là / làm + [job] · [person] + làm (nghề) gì? · [person] + làm (việc) ở + [place]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: lam gi, la, lam

To say what you do for work, use *là* (am, is) or *làm* (work as) and then the job: *Tôi là giáo viên* or *Tôi làm giáo viên.* I'm a teacher. Usually there's no word for "a": the job follows straight on. *Một* comes in when you describe the person: *Chị ấy là một bác sĩ giỏi.* She's a good doctor.

For students, use *là*: *Em là sinh viên.* *Làm* is for work.

To ask, use *làm* with *gì* (what): *Anh làm gì?* What do you do? Because *Anh làm gì?* can also mean "What are you doing?" right now, people often make it clear with *làm nghề gì* (what line of work), or ask where: *Anh làm ở đâu?* Where do you work?

The place comes after *làm ở* or *làm việc ở*: *Em làm ở ngân hàng.* I work at a bank.

When the person is the subject, ask with *làm*, not *là* (not *Anh là gì?*): *là gì* asks what a thing is, as in *Cái này là gì?* What's this?

## A common mistake

✗ Anh ở đâu làm?

✓ Anh làm ở đâu?

The place, and *đâu*, come after the verb: *làm ở đâu*, "work at where".

## Examples

- Chị làm nghề gì? — What do you do for a living?
- Dạ, em là y tá. — I'm a nurse.
- Saigon: Ba em làm tài xế taxi. | Hà Nội: Bố em làm lái xe taxi. — My dad's a taxi driver.
- Anh làm ở đâu? — Where do you work?
- Tôi làm ở một công ty du lịch. — I work at a travel company.

## Words in this pattern

- [là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/la-be/#lx_la): to be
- [làm](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/lam-do/#lx_lam_work): to work

## Compare

- [Is (a noun): là links two nouns](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/la-noun/): to be (+ noun)
- [Counting things: number + classifier + noun (hai con chó)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/num-clf-noun/): counting with a classifier
- [Become: trở thành + noun, trở nên + adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tro-thanh-nen/): become

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Is (a noun): là links two nouns](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/la-noun/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Me too, so do I: cũng vậy / cũng thế](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cung-vay-me-too/)

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