Finished doing: verb + xong

Xong after a verb means you've finished doing it: Tôi ăn xong rồi. I've finished eating. It goes after the verb, not before it like English "finish", and it usually comes with rồi.

With an object, both orders work: ăn cơm xong and ăn xong cơm. With a long object, xong straight after the verb is easier to follow: làm xong bài tập tiếng Việt, finish the Vietnamese homework.

To ask whether someone's done, end with chưa: Làm xong chưa? Are you done? Answer Xong rồi (done) or Chưa xong (not yet). Xong also works on its own: Xong! Done!

A verb with xong can lead into the next step, like English "after …": Ăn cơm xong, mình đi cà phê. After we eat, let's go for coffee. Here xong usually comes after the object. In everyday speech, xong (or xong rồi) at the start of the next part also means "and then": Em ăn cơm, xong đi học. I eat, and then I go to school.

Compare rồi: Tôi ăn rồi just says it has happened; Tôi ăn xong rồi says you've got to the end. Hết is different again: ăn hết means you ate it all, with nothing left.