Lại (Adv 1)

Situations

S1: Nam got a letter from his girlfriend. He read it, and now he is reading it a second time.

Nam đọc lại thư của bạn gái.
(Nam reads his girlfriend's letter again.)

In this situation, lại is used after the verb to express the idea that both the action and the object are repeated one more time.

S2: Nam finished writing to Lan. Nam had a meal. Then Nam wrote a letter to Thu.

Sau khi ăn cơm xong, Nam lại viết thư.
(After having a meal, Nam resumed writing another letter.)

In this situation, lại is used before the verb to indicate an action which is carried out one more time, but it doesn't absolutely have to be the same object.

S3: Nam read his girlfriend's letter a second time. And now he is reading it a third time.

Nam lại đọc lại thư của bạn gái.
(Nam read and reread his girlfriend's letter.)

In this situation, lại is used both before and after the verb to indicate carrying out an action once more with the same object.

S4: The company works from 8 o'clock to 12 o'clock. From 12 o'clock to 1 o'clock is lunch time.

Buổi chiều, công ty làm việc lại lúc 13 giờ.
(In the afternoon, the company resumes working at 1 o'clock.)

In S3 and S4, lại is used to express the resumption of an action after a period of time in which the action had been interrupted.

Definition

Lại, as an adverb, indicates the resumption or continuation of an action or state.

  • lại and nữa:
    • Cô hát lại đi. (Sing again, please.) (Sing that song one more time.)
    • Cô hát nữa đi. (Keep on singing, please.)
    • Cô ấy lại hát. (She sings again and again.) (Singing many times.) Lại indicates an action which is carried out once more, and nữa indicates an action / state which is continued.

Combinations

  • lại... nữa:
[1] Trời nóng quá. Tắm xong, Nam lại tắm nữa.
    (It's so hot! After bathing, Nam takes another bath.)
  • ... đi... lại: Do over again and again.
[2] Sửa đi sửa lại mấy lần Tân mới hài lòng về bài viết của mình.
    (Tân corrected his composition over and over until he was satisfied with it.)
  • hễ... lại...: Whenever... again.
[3] Nó nghiện rượu, hễ có tiền nó lại đi uống rượu.
    (He is addicted to alcohol. Whenever he has some money, he goes to drink alcohol again.)