Lan thường ăn sáng với cà phê.

Lan often has breakfast with coffee.

Breakdown of Lan thường ăn sáng với cà phê.

• Lan: Lan
• cà phê: the coffee
• với: with
• thường: often

Questions & Answers about Lan thường ăn sáng với cà phê.

What does the word thường mean in this sentence?

Here, thường means “often” or “usually.” It indicates that Lan’s habit is to have breakfast with coffee regularly.

Why do we say ăn sáng for “have breakfast” instead of something that literally means “have breakfast”?

In Vietnamese, ăn means “to eat,” and sáng can mean “morning.” When combined as ăn sáng, it refers to “having breakfast.” It’s a standard way of saying it even though it might look like it’s literally “eat morning.”

How is the phrase với cà phê used here?

Với cà phê literally means “with coffee.” It indicates that coffee is part of Lan’s breakfast. You can think of it as “together with coffee” in everyday English usage.

Do I need a subject pronoun before Lan?

No. In Vietnamese, proper names can serve as the subject by themselves without needing a pronoun like “she.” It’s common to just place the person’s name at the start of the sentence.

Could I replace thường with other adverbs like luôn or hay?

Yes, context allows for slight changes. Luôn (always) would mean Lan never skips having coffee at breakfast, while hay (often/frequently) has a similar meaning to thường, although thường is more formal.