"Đã . . . chưa (past-tense yes/no question)" in Vietnamese: meaning, usage & examples (Southern dialect)

Definition

What it means

English

For yes/no questions about past actions or completed events, Vietnamese swaps the present có . . . không frame for đã . . . chưa. đã marks past/perfective; chưa at the end asks "yet?". Reply: Rồi, (đã) V rồi (yes — already done) OR Chưa, chưa V (no — not yet). CRITICAL: never reply with Không here — *Không, họ chưa làm xong is WRONG. Không is tense-blind in English ("no") but tense-bound in Vietnamese: không for present/future, chưa for past.

Tiếng Việt

Câu hỏi yes/no về việc đã hoặc chưa hoàn thành dùng khung đã . . . chưa thay cho có . . . không. đã đánh dấu quá khứ; chưa ở cuối hỏi "đã ... chưa?". Đáp: Rồi, (đã) V rồi (đã làm) HOẶC Chưa, chưa V (chưa làm). KHÔNG được trả lời Không ở đây — phải là Chưa.

Examples

In real Southern Vietnamese

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Họ đã làm xong việc ấy chưa?

Have they finished that work?
Vâng, họ đã làm xong việc ấy rồi.

Yes, they have finished that work. (formal positive)
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Usage notes

'Subject + đã + V + chưa?' = 'Has S V-ed yet?' Past/completion frame. Answer: 'Rồi, (đã) V rồi' (yes, already done) OR 'Chưa, chưa V' (not yet). NEVER answer with 'không' — it must be 'chưa' for the 'not yet' meaning.

Đã . . . chưa (past-tense yes/no question)

What it means

In real Southern Vietnamese

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Also in "Aspect Markers — Time, Completion & Continuation"

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