Thợ máy kiểm tra má phanh.

Thợ máy means mechanic or machine/mechanical worker. In many contexts, it can refer to someone who repairs or works with machinery, engines, or mechanical systems.

It is not always limited to a car mechanic. If you specifically want to say car mechanic, Vietnamese may also use:

• thợ sửa xe
• thợ sửa ô tô

So in this sentence, thợ máy is a natural way to say the mechanic or a mechanic, depending on context.

Yes. The sentence follows the basic Subject + Verb + Object order:

• Thợ máy = subject
• kiểm tra = verb
• má phanh = object

So it works very much like English:

• The mechanic
  • checks/inspects
    • the brake pad(s)

This is one reason Vietnamese sentence structure often feels fairly approachable to English speakers at a basic level.

It is written as two syllables: kiểm tra, but together they function as a single verb meaning to check, to inspect, or to examine.

In this sentence, kiểm tra means something like:

• check
• inspect
• look over

It is a very common and useful verb in Vietnamese.

Examples:

• Kiểm tra xe = check the vehicle
• Kiểm tra máy = inspect the machine
• Kiểm tra vé = check tickets

Vietnamese often leaves out things that English requires, especially:

• articles like a / an / the
• tense markers like is / was / will

So Thợ máy kiểm tra má phanh can mean:

• The mechanic checks the brake pads
• A mechanic checks the brake pads
• The mechanic is checking the brake pads

The exact meaning depends on context.

If you want to be more specific, Vietnamese can add markers:

• Người thợ máy đang kiểm tra má phanh. = The mechanic is checking the brake pads.
• Người thợ máy đã kiểm tra má phanh. = The mechanic checked the brake pads.
• Người thợ máy sẽ kiểm tra má phanh. = The mechanic will check the brake pads.

In this sentence, má phanh means brake pad or brake lining, depending on context.

Although má can mean cheek in other contexts, that is not the meaning here. This is a good example of how Vietnamese words can have different meanings in compounds.

So you should learn má phanh as a set expression related to brakes, rather than trying to translate má by itself as cheek.

Yes. By itself, má phanh does not clearly mark singular or plural.

So it could mean:

• a brake pad
• brake pads
• sometimes more generally the brake lining/brake component

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

If you want to make the number clear, Vietnamese can add words such as:

• một má phanh = one brake pad
• hai má phanh = two brake pads
• các má phanh = the brake pads / brake pads in general

A few parts may be hard for English speakers:

• thợ: the vowel ơ does not exist in English; it is a central vowel. The word also has a heavy low tone.
• má: this has the sắc tone, a rising tone.
• kiểm: this has the hỏi tone, which can sound dip-like or slightly broken depending on accent.
• phanh: ends with -nh, which English speakers may need practice with.

Very roughly:

• thợ máy ≈ thuh may
• kiểm tra ≈ kee-em tra
• má phanh ≈ ma rising phanh

Those are only rough guides. It is much better to listen to native audio and imitate the tones carefully, because tones change meaning.

Yes, it is natural and grammatical. It is a straightforward, neutral sentence.

In real life, speakers might make it more specific depending on the situation:

• Người thợ máy kiểm tra má phanh. = The mechanic checks/is checking the brake pads.
• Thợ máy đang kiểm tra má phanh. = The mechanic is checking the brake pads.
• Anh thợ máy kiểm tra má phanh. = The mechanic (that man) checks the brake pads.

But the original sentence is perfectly fine as a simple example.

No. Thợ máy is not inherently male or female. It simply means mechanic.

If needed, Vietnamese can add context:

• nữ thợ máy = female mechanic
• anh thợ máy = male mechanic / that male mechanic
• chị thợ máy = female mechanic / that female mechanic

But by itself, thợ máy is gender-neutral.