Vietnamese Grammar Bank
VIETNAMESE FUTURE TENSE
In Vietnamese, expressing the future tense is simple and primarily done using the word “sẽ” before the verb.
We teach you how to form future tense sentences, providing examples and tips for talking about future plans or events in everyday conversation.
AFFIRMATIVE
WILL + VERB
When you want to express the action which will occur, please use “sẽ” which means “will” before verb:
PATTERN
Subject + sẽ + verb + (future time adverb)
Here are few common time adverbs which are used to describe an action in a future tense:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Ngày mai | Tomorrow |
| Tuần sau | Next week |
| Tháng sau | Next month |
| Năm sau | Next year |
| Số + …ngày/tuần/tháng/năm sau | (in the next) + number + time (days/weeks/months/years) |
For example:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Tôi sẽ ăn cơm ngày mai | I will have rice tomorrow |
| Chị ấy sẽ học bài 5 ngày sau | She will study in next 5 days |
| Chúng tôi sẽ đi Hà Nội tuần sau | We will go to Ha Noi in next week |
| Họ sẽ đi làm tháng sau | They will go to work in next month |
| Năm sau, tôi sẽ lấy vợ | Next year, I will marry |
SOON HAPPEN + VERB
PATTERN
Subject + sắp + verb + (future time adverb)
When you want to express the action which soon occur, you can use below time adverbs:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Bây giờ | Now |
| Một tí nữa | A little bit later |
For example:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Tôi sắp ăn cơm bây giờ | I will soon have rice now |
| Chị ấy sắp học bài một tí nữa | She will soon study a little bit later |
| Chúng tôi sắp đi Hà Nội bây giờ | We will soon go to Ha Noi now |
| Họ sắp đi làm một tí nữa | They will soon go to work a little bit later |
| Một tí nữa, tôi sắp lấy vợ | A little bit later, I will soon marry |
NEGATIVE FORM
In future tense, you just need to add “sẽ không” (means “will not”) before verb to make a negative sentence:
PATTERN
Subject + sẽ không + Verb + (future time adverb)
For example:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Tôi sẽ không ăn cơm ngày mai | I will not have rice tomorrow |
| Chị ấy sẽ không học bài 5 ngày sau | She will not study in next 5 days |
| Chúng tôi sẽ không đi Hà Nội tuần sau | We will not go to Ha Noi in next week |
| Họ sẽ không đi làm tháng sau | They will not go to work in next month |
| Năm sau, tôi sẽ không lấy vợ | Next year, I will not marry |
NOTE || Review the Vietnamese negative form in this free lesson.
INTERROGATIVE
In order to turn the affirmative sentence into an interrogative one, you just need to add the question words to the future tense sentence.
Here are examples of questions in future tense :
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Bạn sẽ đi học ngày mai không? | Will you go to school tomorrow? |
| Bạn sẽ làm gì tuần sau? | What will you do next week? |
| Em sẽ đi đâu tháng sau? | Where will you go next month? |
| Ai sẽ ăn cơm với tôi? | Who will eat rice with me? |
| Khi nào bạn sẽ đi Mỹ? | When will you go to America? |
| Vì sao bạn sẽ nghỉ việc? | Why will you resign? |
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FAQs
How to form the Vietnamese future tense?
The future tense is formed by adding “sẽ” before the main verb in a sentence. For example, “Tôi sẽ đi” means “I will go.”
Can “sẽ” be used for all types of future actions?
Yes, “sẽ” can be used for any future actions or events, whether they are certain or just planned.
Do Vietnamese future tense sentences need time adverbs?
While time expressions like “tomorrow” (ngày mai) or “next week” (tuần sau) can clarify when something will happen, they are not necessary if the context is clear.
What is the difference between “sắp” and “sẽ”?
“Sắp” indicates that something is going to happen very soon, implying immediacy, while “sẽ” is used for future actions in general, without specifying when they will occur.
For example, “Tôi sắp đi” means “I am about to go,” whereas “Tôi sẽ đi” means “I will go.”
Can “sắp” and “sẽ” be used together?
No, “sắp” and “sẽ” are not used together because they serve different purposes. “Sắp” emphasizes an action that is about to happen, while “sẽ” is used for general future actions.
For example, you would say “Tôi sắp đến” (I am about to arrive) or “Tôi sẽ đến” (I will arrive), but not both.
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