Subject, verb, object: Tôi ăn cơm

The basic order is the same as in English: first the person doing it, then the verb, then the thing: Tôi học tiếng Việt. I'm learning Vietnamese. Mẹ em nấu phở. My mum's cooking phở.

Unlike English, the words never change shape. The verb stays the same for everyone and for any time, with no "-s", "-ed" or "-ing". The word for a person stays the same whether it does the action or receives it, so em is both "I" and "me". Only the order tells you who does what: Anh Minh gọi em (Minh called me), Em gọi anh Minh (I called Minh). In speech the thing is often moved to the front as the topic, but the doer still comes before the verb: Cái áo này em mua ở chợ. This shirt, I bought at the market.

Questions keep the same order too: the question word goes where the answer will go. Mẹ em nấu gì? What's your mum cooking?

When it's clear who you mean, the person is often left out: Ăn cơm chưa? Have you eaten? Ăn cơm, literally "eat rice", is also the everyday way to say "have a meal".

Time words usually come before the verb, often at the very start: Hôm nay tôi đi làm. I'm going to work today.