# Doing X is … in Vietnamese (A2)

> An activity can be the subject of a sentence just as it is: Học tiếng Việt khó. Learning Vietnamese is hard.

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

**verb as subject**

Pattern: `[verb phrase] + là / thì + …`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

An activity can be the subject of a sentence just as it is: *Học tiếng Việt khó.* Learning Vietnamese is hard. English needs "learning" or "to learn"; Vietnamese simply starts with the verb, which never changes, just as when two verbs sit side by side.

A describing word follows the activity directly, with no *là*, as after any other subject: *Dậy sớm mệt lắm.* Getting up early is so tiring. *Chạy xe ở Sài Gòn hơi sợ.* Riding a motorbike in Saigon is a bit scary (in Hà Nội, *đi xe máy*).

*Thì* after the activity makes it the topic, often to set up a "but": *Học tiếng Việt thì khó, nhưng vui.* Learning Vietnamese is hard, but fun.

*Là* comes in when a noun follows, saying what the activity is: *Đi du lịch là sở thích của em.* Travelling is my hobby. *Đọc sách là cách học tốt nhất.* Reading is the best way to learn.

In formal writing, *việc* often goes in front to make the activity a clear thing: *Việc học tiếng Việt cần nhiều thời gian.* Learning Vietnamese takes a lot of time.

## Examples

- Học tiếng Việt thì khó, nhưng vui. — Learning Vietnamese is hard, but fun.
- Dậy sớm mệt lắm. — Getting up early is so tiring.
- Saigon: Chạy xe ở Sài Gòn hơi sợ. | Hà Nội: Đi xe máy ở Sài Gòn hơi sợ. — Riding a motorbike in Saigon is a bit scary.
- Đi du lịch là sở thích của em. — Travelling is my hobby.

## Compare

- [The doing of something: việc + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/viec-nominal/): the act of …ing
- [Hearing this, seeing that: a verb phrase before the subject (Nghe tin, cô ấy khóc)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/fronted-verb-phrase/): on hearing / seeing …, the subject …

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Did indeed: stressed có before the verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/co-emphatic/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Each other: nhau](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nhau-each-other/)

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