Future form in Vietnamese with “sắp, sẽ, định”

In Vietnamese, there are several ways to talk about future events or actions, and three of the most commonly used words are “sắp,” “sẽ,” and “định.” Each of these words has a slightly different nuance and usage, and understanding their distinctions can help learners to express themselves more accurately and effectively in Vietnamese.

Grammar and example

a. “sắp”

Subject + sắp + action/ state

Sắp (Adverb): Used before a verb to indicate near future. Sắp ~ be about to

For example: – Sắp hết một năm rồi. (One year is about to end.) – Trời sắp mưa. (It’s about to rain.) – Anh ấy sắp về nước. (He is about to come back to his country.)

“Sắp” can be combined with “chưa” to form “sắp…chưa?”

For example: A: Sắp đi chưa? (Are you about to go?) B: Rồi, 2 phút nữa. (Yes, in 2 minutes.)

b. “sẽ”

Expresses something that will happen in the future, according to the speaker, or something that will happen in a certain condition. (use as an adverb)

Subject + sẽ+ action/ state

Anh ấy sẽ chuyển nhà mới.	He will move to new house
Tuần sau, anh sẽ thăm bố mẹ.	Next week, I will visit parent
Công ty của anh ấy sẽ có nhân viên mới	His company will have new employee
Chị gái sẽ sinh em bé vào tháng 9	My sister will give birth in september

c. "định"

"định" is an auxiliary verb that precedes the main verb to indicate planned actions or is used to describe a prediction

- ‘will or be going to + infinitive’

- ‘plan to or intend to + infinitive’

- ‘English lexical verb in the continuous present’

Subject + định+ action/ state

Anh ấy định đi du lịch Đà Nẵng	He plans to travel Danang
Họ định đi xem phim tối nay	They are going to the cinema
Cô ấy định đặt 1 phòng đơn	She is going to book a single room
Tôi định bỏ việc này	I am going to quit my job

Words

bỏ việc	quit job
phòng đơn	single room
sinh em bé	give birth (have a baby)
nhân viên	employee
công ty	company
thăm	visit
mới	new
chuyển nhà	move house
năm	year
hết	end, finish
về nước	return the contry (back the contry)
chị gái	older sister