đã ... rồi

In Vietnamese, verbs never change form. To show that something has already happened, we use time and completion markers.

The structure is: Subject + (đã) + Verb + [Object] + rồi. Note that rồi is placed after the verb and object, at the end of the core clause, though it can be followed by final particles like ạ or nhé. Time phrases typically go at the very beginning of the sentence, or at the end of the sentence before rồi, but they can also be placed directly after the subject (e.g., Hôm qua tôi ăn cơm rồi, Tôi hôm qua đã ăn cơm rồi, or Tôi ăn cơm hôm qua rồi).

For example: Tôi đã ăn cơm rồi (I have already eaten).

Change of State:
While often used with verbs, rồi is also frequently used with adjectives to indicate a change of state (e.g., Tôi đói rồi - I am hungry now).

Questions and Negation:
To ask if someone has done something yet, replace rồi with chưa: Subject + (đã) + Verb + [Object] + chưa? (e.g., Bạn đã ăn cơm chưa?). To answer, use the standard short responses: Rồi (Yes / Already did) or Chưa (No / Not yet).

The "Không" Trap: Generally, do not answer a chưa question with không if you mean "not yet" (always answer with Chưa). However, you can use Không to completely reject the premise or indicate a habitual refusal (e.g., Q: Bạn ăn thịt chó chưa? A: Không, tôi không ăn).

To say you haven't done something yet, drop rồi and place chưa before the verb: Subject + chưa + Verb + [Object] (e.g., Tôi chưa ăn cơm). Note the difference between chưa and không: use chưa to mean "have not yet" (the action might still happen), and use không to mean "did not" (the event is over). Note that Tôi không ăn relies on established past context to mean "I did not eat" (otherwise it defaults to present or future). While native speakers often just use không before the verb and drop the đã entirely in casual speech, đã không can still be used for clarity or in formal contexts.

Key Notes:

• Standard Form & Emphasis: Using both words together is the standard, grammatically complete form often used in formal writing and polite speech. In everyday conversation, it can also be used emphatically to confirm completion or correct someone's assumption that an action hasn't happened yet.
• Casual Speech: In everyday spoken Vietnamese, people often drop đã and just use rồi at the end of the sentence (e.g., Tôi ăn cơm rồi). Furthermore, native speakers frequently drop the subject entirely if the context is clear (e.g., answering a question with just Ăn cơm rồi or Ăn rồi).
• Time Words: Do not use this pattern for every past action. If you already have a specific time word like "yesterday," adding both đã and rồi can sound heavy unless you specifically want to stress the word "already." Remember that time words usually go at the very beginning or the very end of the sentence (see where time words go).
• Sequence of Actions: Rồi can also be used in the middle of a sentence to connect a sequence of actions, meaning "and then" (e.g., Tôi ăn cơm rồi đi ngủ - I ate and then went to sleep). See And Then.
• "First" or "For Now": When đã is placed at the end of a sentence, it means "first" or "for now" (e.g., Ăn đã - Eat first). See Let Me Do This First.