# Manner word before the verb in formal writing (B2)

> In everyday Vietnamese, a word that says how something is done comes after the verb: làm nhanh (work fast), nói rõ (speak clearly).

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/manner-before-verb/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**adverb before verb (written)**

Pattern: `[two-syllable adjective] + [verb] (= [verb] + [adjective])`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: formal · Medium: written

In everyday Vietnamese, a word that says how something is done comes after the verb: *làm nhanh* (work fast), *nói rõ* (speak clearly). In formal writing, a two-syllable describing word can move in front of the verb instead: *nhanh chóng triển khai* (swiftly roll out), *tích cực tham gia* (actively take part), *kiên quyết xử lý* (deal firmly with). The meaning is the same as with the word after the verb; the style is not.

You'll meet this order constantly in news reports, government instructions and official plans, which are full of agencies that *chủ động* (proactively), *kịp thời* (promptly) or *nghiêm túc* (seriously) do something. In front of the verb, the word reads as part of the instruction: not just "deal with it", but "deal with it firmly".

As a rule, only two-syllable words move. A one-syllable word like *nhanh* or *rõ* stays after the verb, in speech and in writing. The few one-syllable words that do sit in front, such as *vội* (hurriedly) in *vội chạy ra* and *lén* (secretly) in *lén nhìn*, are everyday words you learn one by one.

In conversation, keep the everyday order: *Anh làm nhanh giùm em.* When a writer wants the word after the verb, *một cách* often joins them: *giải quyết một cách nhanh chóng*.

## A common mistake

✗ Em nhanh ăn rồi đi làm.

✓ Em ăn nhanh rồi đi làm.

Words like *nhanh chóng* go before the verb only in formal writing, and one-syllable *nhanh* stays after the verb in any case.

## Examples

- Lực lượng cứu hộ đã nhanh chóng tiếp cận hiện trường. — Rescue teams quickly reached the scene.
- Người dân tích cực tham gia phân loại rác tại nguồn. — Residents are actively taking part in sorting waste at source.
- Thành phố yêu cầu các phường kiên quyết xử lý tình trạng lấn chiếm vỉa hè. — The city has told the wards to deal firmly with encroachment on pavements.
- Các trường cần chủ động điều chỉnh lịch học khi có bão. — Schools need to adjust their timetables proactively when a storm is coming.

## Compare

- [How you do it: adjective after the verb (nói giỏi, chạy nhanh)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/manner-adj-after-verb/): how: well, fast, slowly

Previous in How much, and comparing: [In a … way: một cách + adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/mot-cach/)
Next in How much, and comparing: [No less than: không kém (gì)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-kem-gi/)

---

Add to Vietnamese Buddy: https://app.vietnamesebuddy.com/waitlist?source=grammar%3Au_manner_before_verb
In the app, the grammar points from your own class material are kept with their status, and any word you meet while reading can go into your lexicon with its audio, ready to study.