Vietnamese Verb "tìm" — to find / to search for

tìm

to find / to search for

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 + tìm

Tôi tìm.

I search / I searched.

Past / Completed (đã)

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

Completed marker: đã

Structure: Subject + đã + tìm

Tôi đã tìm.

I searched / I have found.

Progressive (đang)

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

Progressive marker: đang

Structure: Subject + đang + tìm

Tôi đang tìm.

I am looking for.

Future (sẽ)

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

Future marker: sẽ

Structure: Subject + sẽ + tìm

Tôi sẽ tìm.

I will look for.

Negative (không / chưa)

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

Negative marker: không

Structure: Subject + không + tìm

Tôi không tìm thấy.

I can't find (it).

Not yet marker: chưa

Structure: Subject + chưa + tìm

Tôi chưa tìm thấy.

I haven't found (it) 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 + tìm

Tôi đã từng tìm việc ở đây.

I once looked for a job here.

Example Sentences

Bạn đang tìm gì?

What are you looking for?

Tôi đã tìm thấy rồi!

I found it already!

Tìm khắp nơi mà không thấy.

Searched everywhere but couldn't find it.