Verb + xong

In Vietnamese, to express that you have "finished" an action, you place xong directly after the verb. It shows that a process has been carried through to its natural conclusion.

Affirmative Statements:

• Verb + xong + (Object) + rồi: To lock in the completion of the action in full affirmative statements, xong is highly complementary with rồi. You will frequently hear the pattern Verb + xong + (Object) + rồi (e.g., Tôi làm xong bài tập rồi - "I have finished my homework").

Word Order with Objects:

• Short objects: xong can sit between the verb and the object, or at the very end of the phrase. (e.g., làm xong bài tập OR làm bài tập xong)
• Long objects: xong is strongly preferred immediately after the verb, but native speakers also place it at the end of the phrase. (e.g., làm xong bài tập tiếng Việt khó này OR đọc quyển sách này xong)

Negation and Questions:

• Negation: To say an action is not finished, you can place chưa before the verb, place the block chưa xong at the end of the phrase, or wrap chưa and xong around the object (e.g., Tôi chưa làm xong bài tập, Bài tập này, tôi làm chưa xong, Tôi làm bài tập chưa xong, or Tôi chưa làm bài tập xong).
• Using không: While chưa means "not yet", using không changes the meaning. Verb + không xong implies an inability or failure to complete the task (e.g., Làm không xong - "Cannot manage to finish it"). Không + Verb + xong simply states the task is not finished, without the expectation that it will be (e.g., Tôi không làm xong - "I didn't finish it").
• Questions: To ask if someone has finished, place chưa at the end of the sentence (e.g., Làm xong chưa?). If there is an object, it can precede xong chưa or follow xong (e.g., Làm bài tập xong chưa? or Làm xong bài tập chưa?).
• Short Answers: In conversation, you can answer a question like Làm xong chưa? with a short phrase: Xong! (Finished!), Xong rồi! (Finished already!), or Chưa! (Not yet!).

Sequence of Events:

• Verb 1 + xong + Verb 2: Xong can act as a direct bridge between two actions without conjunctions (e.g., Ăn xong đi ngủ - "Eat then go to sleep").
• With sau khi: Xong is frequently paired with sau khi (after) to emphasize that an action was fully completed before the next one began (e.g., Sau khi làm xong bài tập, tôi đi chơi).
• Xong as a conjunction: In strictly informal/conversational contexts, xong or xong rồi is often used to mean "and then" or "after that". It can connect clauses (e.g., Tôi đi làm, xong tôi đi siêu thị) or be used as a standalone conjunction at the beginning of a new sentence as a conversational bridge (e.g., Tôi ăn cơm. Xong rồi, tôi đi ngủ.). In written or formal Vietnamese, native speakers use sau đó or rồi instead.
• Xong thì...: You can use the sequence Verb + Object + xong thì... to set up a sequence of events (e.g., Làm bài tập xong thì đi chơi nhé).

Important Distinctions:

• Standalone usage: Xong can also act as an independent adjective or verb meaning "to be finished" or "done" (e.g., Mọi việc đã xong - "Everything is done").
• Slang usage: In casual speech, xong can mean "ruined" or "doomed" (e.g., Thế là xong! or Xong đời! - "I'm doomed!").
• Not a past tense marker: Because Vietnamese uses aspect rather than tense, xong simply marks completion. It is frequently used for future events (e.g., "When will you finish reading?").
• Xong vs. Rồi: rồi means an action happened or a state changed, but the task might not be complete (e.g., Tôi làm bài tập rồi - "I did my homework", but I might not have finished it). Xong specifically means the task is done (e.g., Tôi làm bài tập xong - "I finished my homework"). They are often combined as xong rồi (finished already). To create the strongest frame of completion, speakers frequently stack multiple markers: đã + Verb + xong + Object + rồi (e.g., Tôi đã làm xong bài tập rồi).
• Xong vs. Hết: Verb + hết focuses on the quantity being used up, while xong focuses on the process ending. For example, Ăn xong means "Finished eating" (the mealtime is over), whereas Ăn hết means "Ate everything" (the food is gone).