Tôi muốn bay.

I want to fly.

Breakdown of Tôi muốn bay.

• tôi: I
• muốn: to want
• bay: to fly

Questions & Answers about Tôi muốn bay.

What does each word in Tôi muốn bay mean?

• Tôi = I
• muốn = want
• bay = fly

So the sentence follows a very straightforward pattern:

Tôi + muốn + bay
I + want + fly

This is one reason Vietnamese can feel quite approachable at the beginner level: many basic sentences are built with a simple subject + verb + verb/object pattern.

Why is there no word for to before bay?

In English, we say I want to fly, with to before the second verb. In Vietnamese, you do not need an extra word like that here.

So:

• muốn bay = want to fly

Vietnamese often puts two verbs together directly when one verb expresses desire, ability, beginning, continuing, etc.

Examples:

• Tôi muốn ăn. = I want to eat.
• Tôi thích học. = I like to study.
• Tôi cần đi. = I need to go.

So muốn bay is completely normal and natural.

Is the word order the same as in English?