Definition

1. Adverb:

   • Again; once more: Indicates repetition of an action or state.
   • Back; in return: Indicates a reciprocal action or a return to a previous state or location.
   • On the contrary; but; however: Introduces a contrasting or opposing idea.
   • Also; in addition; furthermore: Adds information, often with a sense of surprise or emphasis.
   • Should; why (in rhetorical questions): Used in questions to express surprise, disapproval, or to seek an explanation for an action.

2. Verb:

   • To come; to arrive (literary/formal): To move toward or reach a specific place, often used in formal or older contexts.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:

  • Làm lại bài tập. (Do the homework again.)
  • Anh ấy đánh tôi, tôi đánh lại. (He hit me, I hit him back.)
  • Nó không giàu, lại còn rất keo kiệt. (He is not rich; on the contrary, he is very stingy.)
  • Đã đẹp lại còn thông minh. (She is beautiful and also intelligent.)
  • Sao lại khóc? (Why should you cry? / Why are you crying?)

• Verb:

  • Xin mời ông lại đây. (Please come here, sir.)

Advanced Usage

• "[Verb] + lại": This structure indicates the action is done again, returned, or reversed. The meaning depends on the main verb.

  • viết lại (to rewrite)
  • trả lại (to give back)
  • lùi lại (to step back)

• "lại còn" / "lại còn... nữa": Emphasizes an additional, often surprising or negative, fact.

  • Chậm lại còn hay cãi. (He's slow and what's more, he argues a lot.)

• "lại đây": A common phrase meaning "come here".

  • Con chó, lại đây! (Dog, come here!)

Variants and Related Words

• Lại cái: (Colloquial) A phrase used to express that a familiar, often negative, situation is recurring. It translates loosely as "here we go again" or "there it is again".

  • Lại cái thói quen đó rồi. (There's that habit again.)

• Lại bộ: (Historical noun) A clerk in the feudal administrative system.

• Thư lại: (Historical noun) A scribe or clerk.

Synonyms

• Adverb:
  • Nữa: Again, more (often for future repetition).
  • Cũng: Also.
  • Mà: But, however (for contrast).
• Verb:
  • Đến: To arrive, to come (more common in modern usage).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

As an adverb, "lại" frequently combines with verbs to form phrasal meanings. The core verb defines the action, and "lại" adds the nuance of repetition, return, or reversal. - Dừng lại: To stop (implies coming to a halt). - Quay lại: To turn back; to return. - Thu nhỏ lại: To shrink; to become smaller. - Cãi lại: To talk back; to argue in return.

Related Idioms

• Ăn miếng trả miếng, ăn miếng chả trả miếng nem: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This illustrates the reciprocal sense of "lại" in "trả lại" (to pay back).
• Đi một ngày đàng, học một sàng khôn: Travel broadens the mind. The concept of returning ("lại") with new knowledge is implicit.

adv. again

1. Still; should; back
   • cãi lại
     to talk back
   • sao lại đánh nó?
     Why should you beat him?

verb

1. to come; to arrive
   • cô ta vừa mới lại
     She has just arrived