Lesson 14: Time words and time placement

In Vietnamese, talking about when something happens is very flexible. You can place time information at the start or the end of the sentence.

Anchoring with Time

Putting the time word at the very beginning sets the context for the whole sentence. This is the most common way to "anchor" your statement.

Hôm qua tôi đi Hà Nội.
"Yesterday I went to Hanoi."

Năm sau chúng tôi kết hôn.
"Next year we get married."

Time as a Detail

You can also switch the position and put the time at the end. This treats the time as a secondary detail.

Tôi đi Hà Nội hôm qua.
"I went to Hanoi yesterday."

Broad to Narrow Timing

When you have multiple time words, Vietnamese lists the larger unit before the smaller unit (e.g., "Morning" then "8 o'clock").

Sáng nay lúc 9 giờ.
"This morning at 9 o'clock."

Time as a Tense Marker

Since verbs don't conjugate, the time word itself does the job of showing past or future. You don't need extra words like "will" or "did" if the time is stated.

Ngày mai tôi làm việc.
"Tomorrow I (will) work."

Examples

Bây giờ em bận rồi.
"I am busy now."

Anh ăn cơm lúc 7 giờ.
"I eat rice at 7 o'clock."

Gặp lại bạn sau nhé!
"See you later!"

While both positions work, placing time at the front is a great habit for beginners because it clearly establishes "when" before you get into "what." Also, notice that if the time is obvious from context, Vietnamese speakers often drop the time word entirely.