Lesson 15: Aspect markers: đã, đang, sẽ, rồi, từng

Since verbs don't change form, Vietnamese uses "aspect markers"—small words placed before or after the verb—to clarify the status of an action.

Process markers

Three common markers go before the verb:

đang (ongoing / -ing)
đã (past / completion)
sẽ (future / will)

Tôi đang học.
"I am studying."

Tôi sẽ đi.
"I will go."

Completion with "rồi"

Rồi goes at the end of a sentence to show that something is already finished or a state has changed ("already").

Tôi ăn rồi.
"I (have) eaten already."

Em làm xong rồi.
"I finished already."

Experience with "từng"

Use từng before a verb to express that you have "once" or "ever" done something in the past.

Tôi từng đến Pháp.
"I have once been to France."

These markers are often optional. If you say "Tomorrow I go," the word "Tomorrow" is enough; you don't strictly need sẽ. Vietnamese tends to drop đã and sẽ if the context is clear, but đang and rồi are used frequently to emphasize the flow of events.

Examples

Mẹ đang nấu cơm.
"Mom is cooking."

Bạn từng ăn món này chưa?
"Have you ever eaten this dish?"

Anh ấy sẽ gọi lại sau.
"He will call back later."

Note on nuance

Think of these words as highlighters. You use them when you want to spotlight when or how the action is happening. If the timing isn't the point, you can often leave them out.