Hễ sách sắp quá hạn là tôi gia hạn.

the book

Breakdown of Hễ sách sắp quá hạn là tôi gia hạn.

• tôi: me
• sắp: about to
• hễ ... là ...: whenever ... then ...

Questions & Answers about Hễ sách sắp quá hạn là tôi gia hạn.

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

It is a common Vietnamese pattern meaning whenever ... then ..., every time ..., or sometimes as soon as ....

So the structure is:

• hễ + situation/trigger
• là + result/action

In this sentence:

• hễ sách sắp quá hạn = whenever the book/books are about to become overdue
• là tôi gia hạn = then I renew them / I extend the loan

It usually describes a regular or predictable response.

Why is là used here? Doesn’t là usually mean to be?

Yes, là often means to be, but not here.

In hễ ... là ..., là is not the normal copula. It works more like a linker introducing the result, similar to then in English:

• Whenever X happens, then I do Y

So in this sentence, you should not read là as is. It is just part of the pattern hễ ... là ....

Does sách mean book or books here?