từng is used when speakers want to describe things happening one by one over time in the past, step by step, or person by person.
Speakers use từng₂ to slow the scene down and highlight that events did not happen all at once, but separately and repeatedly.
The focus is on individual units (days, people, steps, moments) in a past sequence.
Speakers use từng to show something happened again and again, each time separately.
[1] – Tôi nhớ từng ngày ở đó. I remember each day there.
[2] – Cô ấy viết từng chữ rất cẩn thận. She wrote each letter very carefully.
từng is used when attention is given to each individual person or item in the past.
[3] – Thầy gọi từng sinh viên lên bảng. The teacher called each student to the board.
[4] – Anh ấy kiểm tra từng cái túi. He checked each bag.
Speakers use từng to stress that something happened slowly, carefully, or with effort.
[5] – Họ xây ngôi nhà từng bước một. They built the house step by step.
[6] – Cô ấy học từng chút tiếng Việt. She learned Vietnamese bit by bit.
từng₂ vs mỗi
– từng₂: looks back at a past sequence, often vivid or emotional – mỗi: more neutral, often general or habitual
[7a] – Tôi nhớ từng buổi tối mùa hè đó. I remember each evening of that summer.
[7b] – Mỗi buổi tối tôi học tiếng Việt. Every evening I study Vietnamese.
từng₂ vs tất cả
– từng₂: focuses on each item separately – tất cả: focuses on the whole group
[8a] – Tôi đọc từng lá thư. I read each letter (one by one).
[8b] – Tôi đọc tất cả thư. I read all the letters.
• từng₂ usually comes before a noun, classifier, or verb phrase.
• Often used in narration, memories, descriptions.
• Creates a slow, detailed, sometimes emotional tone.
• Common in both spoken and written Vietnamese.
• Often appears with words like ngày, người, bước, chút.
• từng + noun
– từng ngày each day (in the past)
– từng người each person
• từng + classifier + noun
– từng cái một each one
• từng … một
– từng bước một step by step
từng₂ lets speakers walk back through the past slowly, touching each moment one at a time.