Basic Time Words in Vietnamese

Overview

Vietnamese time expressions use a set of compound words built from logical components. "Hôm nay" (today) combines "hôm" (day) with "nay" (this/now), "hôm qua" (yesterday) combines "hôm" with "qua" (past/passed), and "ngày mai" (tomorrow) uses "ngày" (day) with "mai" (future/tomorrow). This compositionality makes the system predictable once you learn the building blocks.

At the CEFR A1 level, basic time words are essential because Vietnamese relies heavily on time expressions to indicate when actions occur, often replacing or supplementing tense markers. Placing "hôm qua" at the beginning of a sentence signals past tense without needing "đã."

The day is divided into "sáng" (morning), "trưa" (noon/midday), "chiều" (afternoon), and "tối" (evening/night), which are used both independently and in combination with clock time.

How It Works

Vietnamese	English	Components
hôm nay	today	hôm (day) + nay (now)
hôm qua	yesterday	hôm (day) + qua (past)
ngày mai	tomorrow	ngày (day) + mai (tomorrow)
bây giờ	now	bây (this) + giờ (time/hour)
sáng	morning	early morning to ~11 AM
trưa	noon/midday	~11 AM to ~1 PM
chiều	afternoon	~1 PM to ~6 PM
tối	evening/night	~6 PM onward
đêm	late night	late night/midnight

Time words in sentences (typically at beginning or end):

Position	Example	Meaning
Beginning	Hôm nay tôi đi.	Today I go.
End	Tôi đi hôm nay.	I go today.
With buổi	Buổi sáng tôi tập thể dục.	In the morning I exercise.

Examples in Context

Vietnamese	English	Note
Hôm nay là thứ hai.	Today is Monday.	time word as subject
Hôm qua trời đẹp.	Yesterday the weather was nice.	past implied by hôm qua
Ngày mai tôi đi.	Tomorrow I go.	future implied by ngày mai
Buổi sáng tôi tập thể dục.	In the morning I exercise.	buổi + time of day
Bây giờ mấy giờ?	What time is it now?	bây giờ = now
Tối nay bạn rảnh không?	Are you free this evening?	tối nay = this evening
Sáng mai tôi đi.	Tomorrow morning I go.	sáng + mai
Trưa tôi ăn cơm.	At noon I eat.	trưa = noon
Chiều qua trời mưa.	Yesterday afternoon it rained.	chiều + qua
Đêm qua tôi không ngủ được.	Last night I couldn't sleep.	đêm + qua

Common Mistakes

Mixing Up Hôm Qua and Hôm Kia

• Wrong: Using "hôm qua" for the day before yesterday
• Right: "Hôm qua" = yesterday; "hôm kia" = the day before yesterday
• Why: "Kia" means further away (like the demonstrative), so "hôm kia" is one day further back.

Adding Tense Markers Redundantly with Time Words

• Wrong: Hôm qua tôi đã đi chợ đã mua đồ.
• Right: Hôm qua tôi đi chợ, mua đồ.
• Why: The time word already establishes the timeframe; explicit markers become redundant and can sound heavy.

Confusing Sáng/Chiều/Tối Placement

• Wrong: Tôi sáng tập thể dục.
• Right: Sáng tôi tập thể dục. or Buổi sáng tôi tập thể dục.
• Why: Time-of-day words go at the beginning of the sentence (with or without "buổi") or after "hôm nay/ngày mai."

Usage Notes

"Buổi" (period/session) is optionally added before sáng/trưa/chiều/tối to be more formal or explicit. Casual speech often drops "buổi." Vietnamese speakers frequently use time words as conversation starters and greetings, similar to how English speakers might say "Good morning."

Practice Tips

• Build a daily schedule using time words: "Sáng tôi ăn, trưa tôi làm việc, chiều tôi học, tối tôi xem phim." This reinforces both time vocabulary and the role of time words in establishing tense.
• Practice combining time-of-day words with "nay" (this), "qua" (past), and "mai" (tomorrow): "sáng nay" (this morning), "chiều qua" (yesterday afternoon), "tối mai" (tomorrow evening).

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Numbers and Time — clock time and number foundations