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Vietnamese Grammar Bank

VIETNAMESE PRESENT TENSE

Unlike English, the Vietnamese language doesn’t have specific verb conjugations to indicate tenses.

Instead, time adverbs are used to indicate when the action is occurring. 

We teach you a few time adverbs and the marker “đang”.

AFFIRMATIVE – PRESENT SIMPLE

Present simple tense is considered the default tense in Vietnamese.

The typical sentence structure for a present simple tense phrase is as follows:

PATTERN

Subject + Verb + (present time adverb)

Here are few common time adverbs which are used to describe an action in a present tense: 

Hôm nayToday
Mỗi ngàyEvery day
Mỗi thángEvery month
Mỗi nămEvery year 
Lúc + number + giờAt + hour

NOTE || Learn more time adverbs in our lesson about Time in Vietnamese.

Tôi ăn cơm mỗi ngàyI eat rice every day
Tôi uống nước mỗi ngàyI drink water every day
View More Examples:
Anh ấy đi ngủ lúc 10 giờ tốiHe goes to bed at 10 pm
Cô ấy làm việc hôm nayShe goes to work today
Chị ấy học bài mỗi thángShe studies every month

Using đang

To express that the action is occurring right now, you can use “đang” which means “being/be doing”

PATTERN

Subject + đang + verb + (present time adverb)

To say that the action is occurring right now, you can use any time adverbs from the table below:

Bây giờNow
Hiện tạiAt the present
Ngay lúc nàyRight now

Let’s see some sentence examples:

Bây giờ, tôi đang ăn cơmI am eating rice now
Hiện tại, tôi đang uống nước At present, I am drinking water
View More Examples:
Anh ấy đang ngủ ngay lúc nàyHe is sleeping now
Cô ấy đang làm việc bây giờShe is working now
Chị ấy đang học bài ngay lúc nàyShe is studying now

NEGATIVE – PRESENT SIMPLE

In the present tense, you just need to add “không” (“not”) before the verb to make a negative sentence: 

PATTERN

Subject + (đang) + không +  Verb + (present time adverb)

NOTE || Review the Vietnamese negative form in this lesson.

Tôi không ăn cơm mỗi ngàyI don’t eat rice everyday 
Tôi không uống nướcI don’t drink water yet
View More Examples:
Anh ấy đang không ngủ He is not sleeping 
Cô ấy không làm việc hôm nayShe doesn’t work today
Chị ấy không học bàiShe doesn’t study 

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FAQs

How to use the Vietnamese present tense?

Present simple tense is considered the default tense in Vietnamese.

The typical sentence structure for a present simple tense phrase is as follows:

Subject + Verb + (present time adverb)

Tôi ăn cơm mỗi ngày
I eat rice every day

Tôi uống nước mỗi ngày
I drink water every day

What is a time adverb in Vietnamese?

A time adverb is a type of adverb that provides information about when an action takes place or for how long and how often it occurs.

In Vietnamese some of the most common time adverbs are:

Hôm nay – Today

Mỗi ngày – Every day

Mỗi tháng – Every month

Mỗi năm – Every year 

How to make a negative sentence?

This is one of the easiest ways to make a negative sentence in Vietnamese. 

You only need to add “KHÔNG” in front of the verb or adjective, or “KHÔNG PHẢI LÀ” in front of the noun. 

#1 không + Verb / Adjective

#2 không phải là + Noun 

For example:

Tôi không thích mưa. I don’t like rain

Anh ấy không ăn kem. He doesn’t eat ice cream

Chị ấy không có tiền. She doesn’t have money 

Learn more about the Vietnamese Negative Form here.

Is Vietnamese SVO or SOV?

The Vietnamese language structure is SVO, meaning sentences are built according to Subject + Verb + Object.

Learn more about the Vietnamese Sentence Structure here.

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