Từng (N)

Situations

S1: Yesterday, I spent 100,000 VND on books.

Tôi đã mua từng ấy tiền sách.
(I spent that amount of money on books.)

Từng ấy indicates an amount already known to both speaker and listener.

S2: He is thirty but still depends on his parents.

Anh ta từng đó tuổi mà không tự lo được à?
(He is at that age; why can't he manage on his own?)

Từng đó refers to the age (30 years) which is known.

Definition

Từng, as a noun, indicates a quantity or specific amount known to both the speaker and the listener.

Related Expressions

• từng and ngần / chừng: Từng can be replaced by ngần or chừng.

Tôi đã mua từng / ngần / chừng ấy tiền sách mà vẫn không đủ.
(I bought that amount of books, but it's still not enough.)

Combinations

• Từng is always followed by demonstratives like ấy, đó, or này. Cf. ấy (p. 11).