Thợ máy đang kiểm tra xe máy.

Here is a word-by-word breakdown:

• thợ máy = mechanic
• đang = marks an action that is in progress, like is/are ...-ing
• kiểm tra = to check, inspect, examine
• xe máy = motorbike, motorcycle, scooter

So the sentence means The mechanic is checking the motorbike.

Vietnamese word order here is actually quite straightforward:

• Thợ máy = subject
• đang kiểm tra = verb phrase
• xe máy = object

So the structure is:

Subject + đang + Verb + Object

That matches English fairly closely:

• The mechanic
  • is checking
    • the motorbike

The main difference is that Vietnamese uses đang to show an ongoing action instead of changing the verb form the way English does.

đang shows that the action is happening right now or is in progress.

So:

• Thợ máy kiểm tra xe máy = The mechanic checks / is checking the motorbike
• Thợ máy đang kiểm tra xe máy = The mechanic is checking the motorbike

In everyday Vietnamese, đang is often used when you want to emphasize the ongoing nature of the action, but it can sometimes be left out if the context already makes the timing clear.

Yes, often you can.

• Thợ máy đang kiểm tra xe máy = The mechanic is checking the motorbike
• Thợ máy kiểm tra xe máy = The mechanic checks / checked / is checking the motorbike, depending on context

Vietnamese does not always mark tense as explicitly as English. Time is often understood from context or from time words such as hôm qua (yesterday), bây giờ (now), or ngày mai (tomorrow).

So đang is useful when you specifically want to say the action is ongoing.

Because it is part of two different fixed expressions:

• thợ máy = mechanic
• xe máy = motorbike

Even though both contain máy, they are not repetitive in the way an English learner might first think.

In these expressions:

• thợ = worker/craftsman
• xe = vehicle
• máy relates to machinery or engine-powered things

So:

• thợ máy is someone who works with machines/engines
• xe máy is a machine-powered vehicle, meaning a motorbike

It means specifically a motorbike or scooter, not a regular bicycle.

A regular bicycle is:

• xe đạp = bicycle

So:

• xe máy = motorbike/scooter
• xe đạp = bicycle

This is an important distinction because English learners may see xe as vehicle and wonder whether xe máy is broad. In normal usage, it specifically refers to the kind of motorbike commonly seen in Vietnam.

Vietnamese usually does not use articles like English a, an, and the.

So:

• thợ máy can mean a mechanic or the mechanic
• xe máy can mean a motorbike or the motorbike

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English naturally translates it as The mechanic is checking the motorbike, but Vietnamese does not need separate words for those articles.

Classifiers are common in Vietnamese, but they are not required in every sentence.

You might also hear:

• Thợ máy đang kiểm tra chiếc xe máy.

Here, chiếc is a classifier used for vehicles and certain objects.

Both are natural, but they feel slightly different:

• xe máy = plain, neutral
• chiếc xe máy = a bit more specific or more complete-sounding

In simple statements, leaving out the classifier is very common.

It is written as two syllables, kiểm tra, but it functions as a single verb meaning to check or to inspect.

This is very common in Vietnamese: many words, especially Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary, are made of two syllables separated by a space but work together as one unit.

So in this sentence, treat kiểm tra as one verb:

• đang kiểm tra = is checking

Do not try to translate kiểm and tra separately in normal learning at this stage; the useful unit is the whole verb kiểm tra.

No. Vietnamese does not need a verb equivalent to English is in progressive sentences like this.

English says:

• The mechanic is checking the motorbike

Vietnamese says:

• Thợ máy đang kiểm tra xe máy

Here, đang helps show the ongoing action, so there is no separate word corresponding exactly to English is.

This is normal in Vietnamese grammar.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Thợ máy ≈ tuh maw-y
• đang ≈ zahng or dang with a level tone
• kiểm tra ≈ gyeerm cha
• xe máy ≈ seh maw-y

A few important points:

• thợ has a heavy, low-falling tone
• máy has a rising tone with a glottal break
• đang has a level tone
• kiểm has a dipping tone
• tra is level
• xe is level

If you are learning pronunciation seriously, it is better to listen to native audio, because English-style spelling guides can only be approximate.

Yes, in some contexts it could be understood more generally, because Vietnamese nouns often do not explicitly mark singular vs. plural or definite vs. indefinite.

However, in a simple sentence like this, the most natural interpretation is:

• The mechanic is checking the motorbike or
• A mechanic is checking a motorbike

Context decides which one fits best.

If you want to make it clearly plural, Vietnamese would usually add something such as:

• các xe máy = motorbikes
• những xe máy = motorbikes

So without those markers, the sentence is usually understood as referring to one motorbike or to a general situation depending on context.