# No đã or sẽ needed when a time word says when (A1)

> Vietnamese verbs never change for time, and you don't have to add đã or sẽ either. When a time word already says when, people usually leave them out.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/time-word-no-marker/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**time from time words**

Pattern: `[time word] + [person] + [verb]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Vietnamese verbs never change for time, and you don't have to add *đã* or *sẽ* either. When a time word already says when, people usually leave them out. *Hôm qua em ăn phở* is "I had phở yesterday"; *Mai em ăn phở* is "I'm having phở tomorrow". Only the time word changes.

The same goes for states and habits: *Bây giờ tôi ở Sài Gòn.* I live in Saigon now. *Năm ngoái em học ở Úc.* Last year I studied in Australia.

Even without a time word, the situation often says enough. Telling a friend about your weekend, *Tôi đi biển* already means "I went to the beach".

Adding *đã* or *sẽ* anyway isn't wrong. *Đã* stresses that something really did happen, and *sẽ* makes the future explicit and can sound more definite: *Mai em sẽ gọi.* I will call tomorrow. *Đang* is different: people often keep it even with a time word, when they mean "right in the middle of it": *Lúc đó tôi đang ngủ.* I was asleep at that moment. What English speakers have to unlearn is the feeling that every past sentence needs *đã*: it doesn't. To say something is already done, people usually add *rồi* at the end: *Em ăn rồi.* I've already eaten.

## Examples

- Hôm qua em ăn phở. — I had phở yesterday.
- Mai tôi nghỉ làm. — I'm off work tomorrow.
- Bây giờ tôi ở Sài Gòn. — I live in Saigon now.
- Năm ngoái em học ở Úc. — Last year I studied in Australia.
- Saigon: Tối qua anh coi phim gì? | Hà Nội: Tối qua anh xem phim gì? — What film did you watch last night?

## Compare

- [Saying it already happened: đã](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/da-past/): did / has done
- [Saying it will happen: sẽ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/se-future/): will
- [Saying it is happening now: đang](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/dang-ongoing/): is doing

Previous in Time and when things happen: [này or nay in time words: tuần này, năm nay](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nay-vs-nay/)
Next in Time and when things happen: [Not yet: chưa](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chua-not-yet/)

---

Add to Vietnamese Buddy: https://app.vietnamesebuddy.com/waitlist?source=grammar%3Au_time_word_no_marker
In the app, the grammar points from your own class material are kept with their status, and any word you meet while reading can go into your lexicon with its audio, ready to study.