Lễ tân ở phòng khám.

The receptionist is at the clinic.

Breakdown of Lễ tân ở phòng khám.

• ở: at
• phòng khám: the clinic
• lễ tân: the receptionist

Questions & Answers about Lễ tân ở phòng khám.

What does each word in Lễ tân ở phòng khám. do?

A simple breakdown is:

• lễ tân = receptionist or reception/front desk, depending on context
• ở = to be at / in, or more broadly at / in for location
• phòng khám = clinic

So the structure is basically [subject/topic] + [location].

Why isn’t there a word for is, like English is?

Vietnamese does not always use a separate verb like English to be.

In this sentence, ở already expresses location, so Lễ tân ở phòng khám naturally means the receptionist is at the clinic. You do not normally add là here.

Why not use là?

Là is mainly used for identity or classification, like:

• Anh ấy là bác sĩ. = He is a doctor.

But location is usually expressed with ở:

• Anh ấy ở nhà. = He is at home.

So Lễ tân ở phòng khám is correct for location, while using là here would sound wrong.

Does ở mean at, in, or something else?