Good news for anyone who's fought with French or Spanish verbs: Vietnamese verbs never change. ăn ("eat") is ăn in the past, present and future. Instead of conjugating, you drop in a tiny time word — đã, đang, sẽ, rồi, chưa — and you're done. This is one of the easiest, most satisfying parts of the whole language, and this guide gives you every one you need with lots of Saigon examples.
Quick answer: Vietnamese verbs don't conjugate. To show time you add a marker: đã (already/past), đang (happening now, "-ing"), sẽ (future, "will"), rồi (done, goes at the end), and chưa (not yet / "…yet?"). The verb itself never changes.
The whole system on one timeline
| Marker | Meaning | Where it goes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| đã | already / past | before the verb | đã ăn — ate / have eaten |
| đang | -ing / right now | before the verb | đang ăn — am eating |
| sẽ | will / future | before the verb | sẽ ăn — will eat |
| rồi | already (done) | end of sentence | ăn rồi — already ate |
| chưa | not yet / …yet? | before verb, or end for a question | chưa ăn — haven't eaten |
One by one, with real sentences
đang — happening right now
sẽ — the future
rồi — done already (the everyday favorite)
This is the one you'll hear most. It sits at the end and means "already / and that's done."
chưa — "not yet" and the famous question
chưa does double duty: "not yet," and — at the end of a sentence — it turns a statement into "…yet?"
đã — the past (often optional)
Here's a relief: if the time is already clear from context (you said "yesterday," or you added rồi), you usually drop đã in speech. It's most common in more formal or written Vietnamese.
Two more you'll want fast: "just" and "about to"
Local tip
In everyday Saigon speech, rồi and chưa do most of the heavy lifting. If you only drill two markers, drill these — they cover "done" and "not yet / yet?", which is half of daily conversation.
The best part: the verb never changes
Look at ăn ("eat") across every tense — it never moves:
| English | Vietnamese |
|---|---|
| I eat / I'm eating | Tui ăn / Tui đang ăn |
| I ate / I already ate | Tui ăn rồi |
| I will eat | Tui sẽ ăn |
| I haven't eaten yet | Tui chưa ăn |
Common mistake
Trying to "conjugate" like in English — there's nothing to conjugate! Also, don't stack đã onto everything past; if you already said "yesterday" or ended with rồi, the extra đã sounds heavy. Let the time word do the work.
Try it yourself
- Say "I'm drinking coffee" (uống cà phê).
- Answer the greeting "Ăn cơm chưa?" two ways — "already ate" and "not yet."
- Say "Tomorrow we will go to the market" (đi chợ).
Answers: 1. Tui đang uống cà phê. 2. Ăn rồi / Chưa. 3. Mai tụi mình sẽ đi chợ.
Frequently asked questions
Do I always need a time marker?
No — Vietnamese loves context. If the time is obvious ("yesterday," "tomorrow"), you can drop the marker entirely and just use the plain verb.
What's the difference between rồi and đã?
đã goes before the verb and is more formal/written; rồi goes at the end and is the natural spoken choice for "already/done." In daily Saigon speech, rồi wins.
Is "Ăn cơm chưa?" really a greeting?
Yes — it's a warm, everyday way to say hello in the South, a bit like "you good?" You're not literally being offered food; just answer Ăn rồi or Chưa and smile.
Learn Southern Vietnamese online with people who actually speak it
Grammar this clean is a joy to practise out loud. SVFF teaches the Southern (Saigon) dialect with native teachers from Ho Chi Minh City, since 2014.
- Listen to the SVFF podcast — hear these markers in real speech, free.
- Book a free trial lesson — 30 minutes 1-on-1 with a native Saigon teacher.
- Browse our courses — structured A0–C1, all Southern dialect.
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