Tôi dành thời gian đọc.

Here, dành means to set aside, to devote, or to reserve.

So dành thời gian is a very common phrase meaning to devote time or to make time for something.

In Tôi dành thời gian đọc, the idea is not just that time passes while I read, but that I intentionally set aside time to read.

Vietnamese often does not need a separate word where English would use to or for.

In this sentence, đọc comes after dành thời gian to show the activity that the time is devoted to:

• Tôi dành thời gian đọc = I devote time to reading

You can also say:

• Tôi dành thời gian để đọc

Adding để makes the purpose more explicit, like in order to read, but the shorter version is also natural.

Đọc is still a verb here. It means to read.

Vietnamese often lets a verb follow another verb phrase directly, without changing its form. So unlike English, you do not need something like reading or to read as a special form.

That is why:

• đọc = read
• dành thời gian đọc = spend/devote time reading

It can, but it does not have to.

In Vietnamese, just like in English, you can sometimes leave the object unstated if it is general or understood from context.

So:

• Tôi dành thời gian đọc = I spend time reading
• Tôi dành thời gian đọc sách = I spend time reading books

The shorter sentence sounds natural if the speaker just means reading in general.

By itself, it does not mark a specific tense.

Vietnamese verbs do not change form for present, past, or future the way English verbs do. The time is usually understood from context or shown with time words or markers.

So Tôi dành thời gian đọc could mean things like:

• I spend time reading
• I make time to read
• I am spending time reading
  depending on context

If needed, Vietnamese can add markers such as:

• đã for past
• đang for ongoing action
• sẽ for future

For example:

• Tôi đã dành thời gian đọc.
• Tôi đang dành thời gian đọc.
• Tôi sẽ dành thời gian đọc.

Both are natural.

• Tôi dành thời gian đọc is concise and common.
• Tôi dành thời gian để đọc is slightly more explicit because để shows purpose.

A rough difference is:

• without để: more compact
• with để: a little clearer, a little more formal or careful

In everyday speech, both are fine.

This is an important difference.

• dành thời gian = to set aside / devote time
• mất thời gian = to take time / waste time / cost time

So:

• Tôi dành thời gian đọc = I make time to read
• Việc này mất thời gian = This takes time

Dành suggests intention and choice.
Mất focuses more on how much time something requires or uses up.

The basic pattern is:

• dành + thời gian + activity

So first comes the verb dành, then the thing being devoted (thời gian), then the activity (đọc).

You can think of it as:

• devote + time + read

This is a normal Vietnamese structure. Vietnamese often uses straightforward word order without adding extra linking words unless needed.

Yes, in some contexts.

Vietnamese often drops the subject when it is already clear from the conversation. So if everyone knows you are talking about yourself, you might simply say:

• Dành thời gian đọc.

However, as a full standalone sentence for a learner, Tôi dành thời gian đọc is clearer and more complete.

You can add frequency words, degree words, or an object. For example:

• Tôi dành nhiều thời gian đọc sách.
  I spend a lot of time reading books.

• Tôi dành thời gian để đọc mỗi ngày.
  I make time to read every day.

• Tôi thường dành thời gian đọc vào buổi tối.
  I usually set aside time to read in the evening.

These are all built from the same core pattern as Tôi dành thời gian đọc.