Vietnamese Verb "làm" — to do / to make

làm

to do / to make

Type

Action verb

Patterns

6 tense/aspect forms

Simple / Bare Verb

The bare verb with no marker. Context determines whether it refers to present, past, or habitual action.

Simple statement

Structure: Subject + làm

Tôi làm.

I do / I did.

Past / Completed (đã)

The marker "đã" before the verb explicitly marks a completed action or past event.

Completed marker: đã

Structure: Subject + đã + làm

Tôi đã làm.

I did / I have done.

Progressive (đang)

The marker "đang" expresses an action currently in progress.

Progressive marker: đang

Structure: Subject + đang + làm

Tôi đang làm.

I am doing.

Future (sẽ)

The marker "sẽ" expresses a future action or intention.

Future marker: sẽ

Structure: Subject + sẽ + làm

Tôi sẽ làm.

I will do.

Negative (không / chưa)

"Không" negates the verb generally. "Chưa" means "not yet" — implying the action may happen later.

Negative marker: không

Structure: Subject + không + làm

Tôi không làm.

I don't do / I didn't do.

Not yet marker: chưa

Structure: Subject + chưa + làm

Tôi chưa làm bài.

I haven't done the assignment yet.

Experience / Other (đã từng / vẫn)

"Đã từng" marks past experience ("have ever done"). "Vẫn" means "still" for ongoing states.

Experience marker: đã từng

Structure: Subject + đã từng + làm

Tôi đã từng làm giáo viên.

I used to work as a teacher.

Example Sentences

Bạn đang làm gì?

What are you doing?

Tôi làm việc ở đây.

I work here.

Làm ơn giúp tôi.

Please help me.