Hễ tôi hoàn trả bản in là thủ thư kiểm tra.

Whenever I return a printed copy, the librarian checks it.

Breakdown of Hễ tôi hoàn trả bản in là thủ thư kiểm tra.

• tôi: me
• kiểm tra: to check
• hễ ... là ...: whenever ... then ...
• thủ thư: the librarian

Questions & Answers about Hễ tôi hoàn trả bản in là thủ thư kiểm tra.

What does hễ ... là mean in this sentence?

Hễ ... là is a pattern meaning whenever / every time / as soon as.

In this sentence:

• Hễ tôi hoàn trả bản in = whenever I return the printout
• là thủ thư kiểm tra = the librarian checks it

So hễ introduces the repeated condition or trigger, and là introduces what happens as a result.

A useful way to think of it is:

• Hễ X là Y = Whenever X happens, Y happens

This pattern often suggests something happens regularly or without exception.

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Does là mean is here?

No. In this sentence, là is not the normal copula meaning to be.

Here, là is part of the pattern hễ ... là ..., where it links the first clause to the result clause. In English, you might translate it as:

• then
• it is that
• or often just leave it untranslated

So:

• Hễ tôi hoàn trả bản in là thủ thư kiểm tra. = Whenever I return the printout, the librarian checks it.

You should learn là here as a structural marker, not as the verb to be.

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Is hễ common in everyday Vietnamese?