Lan cố nâng xe đạp.

Here cố means to try hard, to make an effort, or to struggle to do something.

So cố nâng xe đạp is not just lift the bicycle. It suggests that lifting it takes effort, and Lan is trying hard to do it.

A useful comparison:

• nâng xe đạp = lift the bicycle
• cố nâng xe đạp = try hard to lift the bicycle

So cố adds the idea of effort or difficulty.

Because Vietnamese often puts words like cố before the main verb they modify.

The structure here is:

• Lan = subject
• cố = tries / makes an effort
• nâng = lift
• xe đạp = bicycle

So the word order is:

Subject + cố + main verb + object

This is very natural in Vietnamese.

It is very close, but not always exactly the same in feeling.

Cố often suggests:

• real effort
• difficulty
• determination

So it can feel stronger than a neutral English try.

For example:

• Lan cố nâng xe đạp = Lan tries hard to lift the bicycle

If you want a more general try, Vietnamese also often uses cố gắng or sometimes thử, depending on the meaning.

• cố / cố gắng = make an effort
• thử = try something out / test whether it works

So cố nâng xe đạp is about effort, not experimentation.

Nâng means to lift, to raise, or to move something upward.

In this sentence, it means physically lifting the bicycle.

It is different from verbs like:

• mang = carry / bring
• đẩy = push
• kéo = pull
• đạp = pedal

So nâng xe đạp specifically means lift the bicycle, not ride it or push it.

Vietnamese does not use articles like a, an, or the the way English does.

So xe đạp can mean:

• a bicycle
• the bicycle
• bicycles

The exact meaning depends on context.

Also, classifiers are often omitted when they are not needed. You could say:

• chiếc xe đạp = the bicycle / a bicycle

But after a verb, just xe đạp is very normal and natural.

So Lan cố nâng xe đạp is perfectly fine without chiếc.

It is written as two separate written syllables: xe đạp.

Vietnamese writing usually separates syllables with spaces, even when they belong to one vocabulary item.

As a unit, xe đạp means bicycle.

Literally:

• xe = vehicle
• đạp = pedal

So the literal idea is something like pedal vehicle, but you should learn xe đạp as one vocabulary item meaning bicycle.

No, Vietnamese verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So Lan cố nâng xe đạp does not by itself mark past, present, or future.

It could mean things like:

• Lan is trying to lift the bicycle
• Lan tried to lift the bicycle
• Lan tries to lift the bicycle

The time is understood from context.

If needed, Vietnamese can add time words or aspect markers, for example:

• Lan đang cố nâng xe đạp. = Lan is trying to lift the bicycle.
• Lan đã cố nâng xe đạp. = Lan tried / had tried to lift the bicycle.
• Lan sẽ cố nâng xe đạp. = Lan will try to lift the bicycle.

Yes. Lan cố gắng nâng xe đạp is also natural.

Both cố and cố gắng express effort, but there is a slight difference in style:

• cố = shorter, more compact, often feels direct
• cố gắng = a bit fuller and more explicitly make an effort

So:

• Lan cố nâng xe đạp = Lan tries hard to lift the bicycle
• Lan cố gắng nâng xe đạp = Lan makes an effort to lift the bicycle

Both are correct.

No. Lan is a proper name.

It is the subject of the sentence, just like Lan in English.

Vietnamese often uses names directly instead of pronouns, especially when the person is clearly identified.

So this sentence is simply:

• Lan = the person
• cố nâng xe đạp = tries hard to lift the bicycle

Also, Lan is commonly a female name.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Lan → similar to lahn
• cố → roughly koh with a rising tone
• nâng → roughly nuhng with a level tone
• xe đạp → roughly syeh dap with a heavy falling tone on đạp

A few tone notes:

• cố has the sắc tone, so the pitch rises
• nâng has no tone mark, so it has the default level tone
• đạp has the nặng tone, which is low and short

The full sentence has a rhythm like:

Lan | cố nâng | xe đạp

Not by itself.

Cố nâng xe đạp focuses on the effort to lift it, not the result.

It tells us Lan tried hard, but it does not say whether she succeeded.

If you want to show success, Vietnamese could say something like:

• Lan cố nâng xe đạp lên. = Lan tried to lift the bicycle up.
• Lan nâng được xe đạp. = Lan managed to lift the bicycle.
• Lan cố nâng xe đạp nhưng không được. = Lan tried to lift the bicycle but couldn’t.

So the original sentence emphasizes effort, not outcome.