# Tự / lấy / một mình: by oneself in Vietnamese (A1)

> Tự before a verb means you do it yourself, without help: Em tự nấu. I cook for myself. Con tự làm được. I can do it myself. It's about who does the work.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tu-lay-by-oneself/ · Updated 2026-11-10

**by oneself**

Pattern: `[person] + tự + [verb] (+ lấy) · [verb] + lấy · [person] + [verb] + một mình`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: tu, lay, mot minh

*Tự* before a verb means you do it yourself, without help: *Em tự nấu.* I cook for myself. *Con tự làm được.* I can do it myself. It's about who does the work.

*Một mình* after the verb means "alone, on your own", with nobody else there: *Tôi sống một mình.* I live alone. *Em thích đi du lịch một mình.* I like travelling on my own. It's about company, not help.

*Tự* also starts some everyday words: *tự học* (teach yourself, study on your own) and *tự giới thiệu* (introduce yourself).

In Hà Nội, and in older or written Vietnamese, you'll also meet *lấy* after the verb, which stresses that nobody helped: *tự làm lấy*. In Saigon people usually just say *tự làm*.

Don't confuse *một mình* (alone) with *mình*, the friendly word for "I" or "we".

## A common mistake

✗ Tôi sống tự.

✓ Tôi sống một mình.

*Tự* goes before the verb and means "without help". For "alone", put *một mình* after the verb.

## Examples

- Em tự nấu ăn mỗi ngày. — I cook for myself every day.
- Tôi sống một mình. — I live alone.
- Saigon: Chị đi du lịch một mình hả? | Hà Nội: Chị đi du lịch một mình à? — You're travelling on your own?
- Em tự học tiếng Việt. — I'm teaching myself Vietnamese.
- Con tự làm được mà mẹ. — I can do it myself, Mum.

## Words in this pattern

- [một mình](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/mot-minh/#s_mot_minh): alone
- [tự](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/tu-oneself/#s_tu_oneself): oneself

## Compare

- [mình: friendly I, we with you, and oneself](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/minh-i-we/): I (friendly) / we / oneself

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Also, too: cũng before the verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cung-also/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Have: có](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/co-have/)

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