Tôi nâng xe đạp rồi đạp xe.

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Breakdown of Tôi nâng xe đạp rồi đạp xe.

• rồi: and then
• xe đạp: the bicycle
• đạp xe: to cycle

Questions & Answers about Tôi nâng xe đạp rồi đạp xe.

What does rồi mean in this sentence?

Here rồi links two actions and means something like and then, after that, or once that is done.

So the structure is:

• Tôi nâng xe đạp = I lift the bicycle
• rồi
• đạp xe = ride/pedal the bicycle

It shows sequence: first one action happens, then the next one happens.

Why does the sentence use xe đạp first, but then đạp xe afterward?

This is a very common thing in Vietnamese.

• xe đạp is the noun bicycle
• đạp xe is a verb phrase meaning to ride a bicycle or to cycle

So even though đạp can literally mean pedal, the expression đạp xe functions as a normal way to say ride a bike.

That means the sentence is not repeating the exact same structure twice. It is using:

• nâng xe đạp = lift the bicycle
• đạp xe = ride the bike / cycle

Does đạp xe literally mean pedal vehicle?

Literally, yes, the parts are:

• đạp = pedal, step on
• xe = vehicle

But as a whole, đạp xe is an established expression that means ride a bicycle or go cycling.

Native English speakers often want to translate each word separately, but with Vietnamese it is often better to learn common combinations as full expressions. Here, đạp xe should usually be understood as one unit.