Chúng ta mở ổ khóa.

Chúng ta means we including the person being spoken to.

So in this sentence, the speaker is including the listener: you and I / we all open the lock.

This is different from chúng tôi, which means we but not including the listener.

• Chúng ta mở ổ khóa. = We (including you) open the lock.
• Chúng tôi mở ổ khóa. = We (not including you) open the lock.

This inclusive vs. exclusive distinction is very important in Vietnamese and often surprises English speakers, because English just uses we for both.

Vietnamese usually follows Subject + Verb + Object, much like English.

Here:

• Chúng ta = subject = we
• mở = verb = open / unlock
• ổ khóa = object = lock

So the structure is very straightforward:

• Chúng ta → who does it
• mở → what action happens
• ổ khóa → what receives the action

That is why the sentence looks so close to English word order.

Mở basically means to open.

Depending on the object, English may translate it differently:

• mở cửa = open the door
• mở hộp = open the box
• mở ổ khóa = open/unlock the lock

So in this sentence, mở can be understood as open or unlock, depending on the context and the translation style being used.

Vietnamese often uses one general verb where English might choose a more specific one.

Ổ khóa is the noun meaning lock, especially the physical lock device.

• ổ khóa = the lock itself
• khóa by itself can be a verb meaning to lock, and it can also appear in nouns/compounds related to locks

So:

• mở ổ khóa = open/unlock the lock
• khóa cửa = lock the door

The word ổ appears in many compounds and can refer to a socket, holder, or housing for something. In ổ khóa, it is part of the fixed expression for lock.

For learners, it is best to remember ổ khóa as a vocabulary item meaning lock.

Vietnamese often does not mark tense directly on the verb.

The verb mở stays the same. Time is usually understood from:

• context
• time words
• optional markers

So Chúng ta mở ổ khóa. could mean different things depending on context, such as:

• We open the lock
• We are opening the lock
• We opened the lock
• We will open the lock

If you want to make time clearer, you can add markers such as:

• đã for past: Chúng ta đã mở ổ khóa. = We opened the lock.
• đang for ongoing action: Chúng ta đang mở ổ khóa. = We are opening the lock.
• sẽ for future: Chúng ta sẽ mở ổ khóa. = We will open the lock.

Yes, it can be understood that way in the right context, because chúng ta includes the listener.

However, by itself, Chúng ta mở ổ khóa. is more like a plain statement: We open the lock.

If you want a clearer suggestion like Let’s open the lock, Vietnamese often uses something extra, for example:

• Chúng ta mở ổ khóa đi.
• Chúng ta hãy mở ổ khóa.

These sound more naturally like a proposal or encouragement.

So:

• Chúng ta mở ổ khóa. = neutral statement
• Chúng ta mở ổ khóa đi. = Let’s open the lock.

Yes, it is understandable and natural enough, meaning to open/unlock the lock.

That said, in real-life situations, Vietnamese speakers may also use other expressions depending on what they want to emphasize:

• mở khóa = unlock
• mở ổ khóa = open the lock
• mở khóa cửa = unlock the door lock

So mở ổ khóa focuses on the physical lock itself.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• chúng ≈ choong with a rising tone and a final ng
• ta ≈ ta
• mở ≈ muh with a dipping-creaky rising tone
• ổ ≈ a short oh sound with a similar dipping-creaky tone
• khóa ≈ khwah with a rising tone

A few helpful notes:

• ch in chúng is like ch in English chew, but lighter.
• kh is a breathy sound, somewhat like a strong k with air.
• Vietnamese tones matter a lot, so it is best to listen to native audio if possible.
• The sentence has several different tones, which is one reason it may feel hard at first.

No. Vietnamese does not use articles the same way English does.

So ổ khóa can mean:

• a lock
• the lock

The exact meaning depends on context.

If context already makes it clear which lock is meant, then English may translate it as the lock. If it is new information, English may use a lock.

Vietnamese often leaves this unspecified unless there is a reason to be more precise.

Classifiers are common in Vietnamese, but they are not always required.

In a basic sentence like this, ổ khóa can appear directly as the object with no classifier.

A classifier would usually appear when you are counting or specifying:

• một ổ khóa = one lock
• hai ổ khóa = two locks
• cái ổ khóa = the lock / a particular lock, with a general classifier

So Chúng ta mở ổ khóa. is perfectly fine without one.

Yes, ta can sometimes mean I, we, or even have a literary or poetic flavor depending on context.

But chúng ta is the clearer, standard form for we including the listener.

For learners, it is best to treat:

• ta = context-dependent, sometimes literary or stylistic
• chúng ta = normal, clear we inclusive

So in everyday learning, chúng ta is the safer form to use.

To make it negative, you usually put không before the verb:

• Chúng ta không mở ổ khóa.

This means:

• We do not open the lock
• We are not opening the lock
• We did not open the lock

Again, the exact time depends on context unless another time marker is added.

Examples:

• Chúng ta đã không mở ổ khóa. = We did not open the lock.
• Chúng ta sẽ không mở ổ khóa. = We will not open the lock.

A common way is to add không at the end for a yes/no question:

• Chúng ta mở ổ khóa không?

This means:

• Do we open the lock?
• Are we opening the lock?
• Shall we open the lock?

Another common spoken pattern is:

• Chúng ta có mở ổ khóa không?

This is also a standard yes/no question structure.

So the statement and question forms are quite similar, which is typical in Vietnamese.