Duration + nữa

In (A Length of Time)

Level 2

Expresses that something will happen 'in' a certain amount of time, or will take that much 'more' time.

How It Works

In Vietnamese, adding nữa after a duration of time can express two related ideas: the future time 'in' (e.g., 'in five minutes') or an additional duration 'for... more' (e.g., 'for five more minutes').

Structure:

  • [Duration] + nữa (In [Duration])
  • (thêm) + [Duration] + nữa (For [Duration] more)

Placement and Meaning:
Where you place the phrase determines the exact meaning:

  • Meaning "In [Duration]": Place the time phrase at the beginning of the clause.
    - Ba ngày nữa tôi đi Hà Nội. (In three days, I am going to Hanoi.)
    - Ba ngày nữa tôi sẽ đi Hà Nội. (In three days, I will go to Hanoi.)
  • Meaning "For [Duration] more": Place the phrase at the end of the sentence. You will frequently see the word thêm (more/additional) used alongside it.
    - Anh hãy chờ tôi thêm năm phút nữa. (Please wait for me for five more minutes.)

Do I need to use 'sẽ' (will)?
When pointing forward from the present, nữa already establishes a future context, so adding sẽ is optional. Note that the placement of the time phrase dictates the meaning (punctual vs. continuous) much more than the presence or absence of sẽ. Putting the time phrase at the end of the sentence without a preposition changes the meaning to 'For [Duration] more'.

Important Notes:

  • Placing the phrase at the end: If you must place the time phrase at the end of a sentence to mean 'In [Duration]', you must add a preposition like sau or trong (e.g., Hẹn gặp lại sau hai ngày nữa = 'See you in two days'). Native speakers frequently use trong + [Duration] + nữa to mean the punctual 'in' when the time phrase is at the end of a sentence.
  • Time remaining with 'còn': A highly common way to talk about time remaining until a future event is còn + [Duration] + nữa (e.g., Còn ba ngày nữa là đến Tết = 'There are three days left until Tet').
  • Pairing with 'mới': A very common conversational pattern is [Duration] nữa + mới + Verb, meaning 'it will be [duration] before...' or 'not until [duration] from now' (e.g., Hai tiếng nữa mới xong = 'It will be two hours before it is finished').
  • Not just for the future: Because nữa fundamentally means 'more' or 'additional', you can also use this pattern in the past if the reference point is in the past (e.g., Tôi đã đợi thêm ba ngày nữa = 'I waited for three more days').

Examples (5)

  1. Ba ngày nữa tôi đi Hà Nội.

    In three days, I am going to Hanoi.

    Word by Word: Three day more I go Hanoi.

    The time phrase is placed at the beginning of the sentence to establish the future context. Here, the future marker 'sẽ' is safely dropped.

  2. Anh hãy chờ tôi thêm năm phút nữa.

    Please wait for me for another five minutes.

    Word by Word: Brother do wait me add five minute more.

    Here, the pattern is placed at the end of the clause and paired with 'thêm' to indicate how much longer an ongoing state should last.

  3. Còn ba ngày nữa là đến Tết.

    There are three days left until Tet.

    Word by Word: Remain three day more is arrive Tet.

    Using 'còn' with this pattern is the standard way to express how much time is left until a future event.

  4. Hai tiếng nữa mới xong.

    It will be two hours before it is finished.

    Word by Word: Two hour more just finish.

    Pairing the time phrase with 'mới' is a very common conversational way to express 'not until' or 'it will be [duration] before'.

  5. Mười lăm phút nữa xe buýt đến.

    The bus arrives in fifteen minutes.

    Word by Word: Ten five minute more vehicle bus arrive.

    A very common, everyday usage for schedules and arrivals.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the time phrase at the end of the sentence without a preposition to mean 'In [Duration]'.

    Tôi sẽ đi Hà Nội ba ngày nữa.
    Ba ngày nữa tôi sẽ đi Hà Nội.

    If you place '[Duration] + nữa' at the end of a sentence without a preposition, it changes the meaning to the continuous 'for [Duration] more' (e.g., 'I will go to Hanoi for three more days'). To mean 'in [Duration]', place the time phrase at the beginning of the sentence. If it must go at the end, you must add a preposition like 'trong' or 'sau' (e.g., 'Tôi sẽ đi Hà Nội trong ba ngày nữa').

  • Confusing 'sau' (after) with 'nữa' (in) when specifying an exact future time at the beginning of a sentence.

    Sau ba ngày tôi đi Hà Nội.
    Ba ngày nữa tôi đi Hà Nội.

    While 'sau ba ngày' is grammatically correct, it means 'after three days' (any time subsequent to the 3 days elapsing). If you want to say exactly 'in three days' (at the 3-day mark), you should use 'ba ngày nữa' at the beginning of the sentence.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Duration + nữaLevel 2In (A Length of Time)

Learn This First

To use 'Duration + nữa', a learner must first know how to express an amount of time using numbers and time-related nouns. They also need to understand basic word order, as 'nữa' functions as a post-modifier to the time phrase to indicate a point in the future.

Words in This Pattern

nữa