Chúng tôi phải đợi ở đó vì cửa đã đóng.

We have to wait there because the door is closed.

Breakdown of Chúng tôi phải đợi ở đó vì cửa đã đóng.

• là: to be
• ở: at
• vì: because
• chúng tôi: we

Questions & Answers about Chúng tôi phải đợi ở đó vì cửa đã đóng.

What is the basic structure of this sentence?

A simple breakdown is:

• Chúng tôi = subject
• phải = modal verb, have to / must
• đợi = main verb, wait
• ở đó = location, there
• vì cửa đã đóng = reason clause, because the door was closed / had already closed

So the pattern is:

subject + modal + verb + location + reason

That is a very common Vietnamese sentence pattern.

Why is chúng tôi used here?

Chúng tôi means we, but it is exclusive: it does not include the listener.

So:

• chúng tôi = we, not including you
• chúng ta = we, including you

This is something English does not normally mark, so it is very common for learners to ask about it.

Also, chúng tôi sounds fairly neutral or somewhat formal. In casual speech, people may also say things like tụi tôi or bọn tôi, depending on region and style.

What does phải mean here?