# Mãi: interminably / finally in Vietnamese (B1)

> After a verb, mãi means "on and on, endlessly". In Saigon the everyday word is hoài: Sao em hỏi hoài vậy? Why do you keep asking?

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/mai-on-and-on/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**interminably / finally**

Pattern: `[verb] + mãi · [verb] + mãi + (person) + mới + [verb 2] · [verb] + mãi mà không + [verb 2]`

Level: B1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: mai, hoai, mai … moi

Saigon: [verb] + hoài · [verb] + hoài / mãi + mới + [verb 2] | Hà Nội: [verb] + mãi · [verb] + mãi + mới + [verb 2]

After a verb, *mãi* means "on and on, endlessly". In Saigon the everyday word is *hoài*: *Sao em hỏi hoài vậy?* Why do you keep asking? In Hà Nội it's *hỏi mãi thế*. It's often a complaint or a sigh.

Add *mà không* and a second verb for "keep doing something, with no result": *Gọi hoài mà không ai bắt máy.* I keep calling, but nobody picks up.

With *mới* before a second verb, it means "only after a long time, at last": *Tìm hoài mới thấy cái chìa khóa.* I searched for ages before I found the key. *Mới* is the same "only then" as in *mười giờ mới tới*. Saigon speakers use both *hoài* and *mãi* here.

Before a time, *mãi* stresses how late something came: *Mãi tới khuya anh ấy mới về.* He didn't get home till late at night. *Mãi mãi* means "forever", and you'll hear it a lot in songs.

## Examples

- Saigon: Sao em hỏi hoài vậy? | Hà Nội: Sao em hỏi mãi thế? — Why do you keep asking?
- Saigon: Gọi hoài mà không ai bắt máy. | Hà Nội: Gọi mãi mà không ai nghe máy. — I keep calling, but nobody picks up.
- Saigon: Tìm hoài mới thấy cái chìa khóa. | Hà Nội: Tìm mãi mới thấy cái chìa khóa. — I searched for ages before I found the key.
- Saigon: Mãi tới khuya anh ấy mới về. | Hà Nội: Mãi đến khuya anh ấy mới về. — He didn't get home till late at night.

## Words in this pattern

- [hoài](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/hoai-on-and-on/#s_hoai_on_and_on): on and on
- [mãi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/mai-forever/#s_mai_forever): forever

## Compare

- [Not until, only then: time + mới](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/moi-not-until/): only then
- [All the way to, as late as: tận](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tan-all-the-way/): all the way / as late as

Previous in Time and when things happen: [Left half done: verb + dở](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/do-half-done/)
Next in Time and when things happen: [On the occasion of: nhân (dịp) + occasion](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nhan-occasion/)

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