# Vừa … đã: no sooner … than in Vietnamese (B2)

> Vừa … đã says the second thing came almost at once after the first, like English "no sooner … than" or "had barely … when": Thằng nhỏ vừa ăn xong đã đòi…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/vua-da-no-sooner/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**no sooner … than**

Pattern: `[person] + vừa (mới) / chưa + [verb 1] + (person 2) + đã + [verb 2] · vừa + [verb 1] + thì + [verb 2] (just as)`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: vua … da, chua … da, vua … thi

*Vừa … đã* says the second thing came almost at once after the first, like English "no sooner … than" or "had barely … when": *Thằng nhỏ vừa ăn xong đã đòi đi chơi*, the little boy had barely finished eating when he asked to go out and play. *Vừa* (or *vừa mới*) goes before the first verb, *đã* before the second. With two people, the second person goes before *đã*: *Anh vừa tới, chị ấy đã về*, no sooner had I arrived than she left.

*Chưa … đã* goes a step further: the second thing happened before the first was even done. *Chưa tới giờ mở cửa đã thấy khách xếp hàng*, before opening time there was already a queue. Both often carry surprise or a mild complaint: too soon, too fast.

*Mới … đã* is common in speech for something that comes earlier than expected: *Mới đầu tháng mà em đã hết tiền*, it's only the start of the month and I'm already out of money.

When the second thing simply happened at that moment, often something nobody planned, use *vừa … thì*: *Em vừa ra khỏi nhà thì trời đổ mưa*, I'd just stepped out when it started pouring.

All of these are everyday in speech, and news reports use them too for events that followed quickly.

## Examples

- Saigon: Thằng nhỏ vừa ăn xong đã đòi đi chơi. | Hà Nội: Thằng bé vừa ăn xong đã đòi đi chơi. — The little boy had barely finished eating when he asked to go out and play.
- Saigon: Chưa tới giờ mở cửa đã thấy khách xếp hàng dài. | Hà Nội: Chưa đến giờ mở cửa đã thấy khách xếp hàng dài. — Before opening time there was already a long queue of customers.
- Mới đầu tháng mà em đã hết tiền. — It's only the start of the month and I'm already out of money.
- Em vừa ra khỏi nhà thì trời đổ mưa. — I'd just stepped out of the house when it started pouring.

## Compare

- [As soon as: ngay khi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/ngay-khi-as-soon-as/): as soon as
- [Just happened: vừa / mới / vừa mới](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/vua-moi-just/): has just

Previous in Time and when things happen: [All the way to, as late as: tận](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/tan-all-the-way/)
Next in Time and when things happen: [Once (when and if): một khi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/mot-khi-once/)

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