Chúng ta lục tìm manh mối.

Chúng ta means we including the person you are speaking to. It is the inclusive we.

So in this sentence, Chúng ta lục tìm manh mối, the speaker means you and I / all of us here are searching for clues.

By contrast, chúng tôi means we but not including the listener. It is the exclusive we.

• Chúng ta đi thôi. = Let’s go. / We’re going. (including you)
• Chúng tôi đi thôi. = We’re leaving. (not including you)

This is a very important distinction in Vietnamese.

By itself, it is most naturally a statement:

Chúng ta lục tìm manh mối. = We search / are searching / searched for clues, depending on context.

But in real conversation, chúng ta can sometimes sound a bit like a suggestion in the right context, especially if someone is proposing a plan.

If you want a clearer Let’s ... meaning, Vietnamese often adds something like:

• Chúng ta hãy lục tìm manh mối. = Let’s search for clues.
• Cùng lục tìm manh mối nhé. = Let’s search for clues, okay?

So the basic sentence can work in context, but it is not the strongest or clearest way to say Let’s ....

Because lục tìm is a common verb combination.

• lục = to rummage through, dig around in, search through things
• tìm = to look for, search for

Together, lục tìm means something like:

• to rummage around looking for
• to search through carefully for
• to dig through in order to find

So it is stronger and more physical than just tìm.

Compare:

• tìm manh mối = look for clues
• lục tìm manh mối = rummage around for clues / search thoroughly for clues

This suggests a more active, detailed search.

Because Vietnamese often does not use a preposition where English does.

In English, we say search for clues.
In Vietnamese, the verb can take the object directly:

• tìm manh mối
• lục tìm manh mối

So manh mối is just the direct object of the verb phrase.

This is very normal in Vietnamese:

• tìm việc = look for a job
• tìm nhà = look for a house
• tìm chìa khóa = look for the key
• lục tìm manh mối = search for clues

Manh mối means clue, lead, or hint that helps you figure something out.

It is often used in:

• detective or crime contexts
• investigations
• problem-solving
• trying to trace the cause of something

Examples:

• Cảnh sát tìm manh mối. = The police look for clues.
• Đây là manh mối quan trọng. = This is an important clue.
• Chúng tôi chưa có manh mối nào. = We don’t have any clues yet.

So it is not just any random detail; it is something that may help lead to an answer.

It can be understood as either clue or clues, depending on context.

Vietnamese nouns usually do not have a special plural form the way English nouns do. So a bare noun like manh mối does not automatically tell you singular or plural.

Context decides.

If you want to be more specific, you can say:

• một manh mối = one clue
• những manh mối = clues
• các manh mối = the clues / various clues
• manh mối nào = any clue

So in this sentence, manh mối could mean:

• a clue
• clues

depending on the situation.

Because this is the normal Vietnamese pattern:

subject + verb + object

Here:

• Chúng ta = subject
• lục tìm = verb phrase
• manh mối = object

So the structure is very similar to basic English word order:

• We
  • search for
    • clues

Vietnamese is often quite straightforward in simple sentences like this.

Vietnamese verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So lục tìm can refer to present, past, or future depending on context.

This sentence could mean:

• We are searching for clues.
• We searched for clues.
• We will search for clues.

To make time clearer, Vietnamese often adds time words or aspect markers:

• Bây giờ chúng ta lục tìm manh mối. = Right now we are searching for clues.
• Hôm qua chúng ta đã lục tìm manh mối. = Yesterday we searched for clues.
• Ngày mai chúng ta sẽ lục tìm manh mối. = Tomorrow we will search for clues.

Useful markers:

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

Because Vietnamese does not use articles the same way English does.

A bare noun in Vietnamese can often mean:

• a clue
• the clue
• clues
• some clues

The exact meaning depends on context.

If speakers want to be more specific, they add other words:

• một manh mối = a clue
• manh mối đó = that clue
• những manh mối này = these clues
• một vài manh mối = a few clues

So manh mối by itself is completely normal.

Yes, tìm manh mối is absolutely correct and often more neutral.

The difference is nuance:

• tìm manh mối = look for clues
• lục tìm manh mối = rummage around / search thoroughly for clues

Using lục tìm makes the search sound more active, more effortful, and often more physical. It suggests going through things carefully, maybe in a room, a bag, documents, or evidence.

So if the scene is investigative and hands-on, lục tìm is a vivid choice.

Yes, if the context already makes the subject clear.

Vietnamese often drops subjects when they are understood.

For example, in conversation:

• Lục tìm manh mối đi. = Search for clues.
• Đang lục tìm manh mối. = We’re searching for clues. / I’m searching for clues.

But when you want to be explicit, especially in a full standalone sentence, keeping chúng ta is natural and clear.

The tones matter a lot:

• chúng — rising tone (sắc)
• ta — level tone
• lục — heavy low tone (nặng)
• tìm — falling tone (huyền)
• manh — level tone
• mối — rising tone (sắc)

A rough breakdown:

• chúng ta
• lục tìm
• manh mối

A few pronunciation notes:

• lục ends in a final c, so it stops sharply.
• tìm has the ì falling tone.
• mối has a rising tone and sounds roughly like moy with the correct Vietnamese vowel quality.

If you want to sound natural, it is better to learn the tones together with the whole phrase rather than word by word.