Southern Vietnamese
Vietnamese Future Plans with Sẽ and Định
Sẽ and định help you talk about plans, intentions, and what you will do next.
Learner problem
I want to talk about future plans naturally.
Pattern preview
person + sẽ/định + action.
Day 35 future focus
Intro: future tense
Use sẽ, định, and muốn to talk about what you will do, plan to do, or want to do.
Future tip
Định feels more conversational than sẽ when talking about plans.
Will
Tôi sẽ đi chợ
I will go to the market
Sẽ + V gives a clear future meaning.
Plan to
Tôi định học tiếng Việt
I plan to study Vietnamese
Định + V sounds natural for personal plans.
Want to
Tôi muốn gặp bạn
I want to meet you
Muốn is desire, not a fixed plan.
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Day 35 vocabulary focus
Vocabulary: sẽ, định, muốn, dự định, kế hoạch, tương lai, sắp tới
Practice the planning words you need before building next-week sentences.
will
Sẽ
will / future marker
Use before a verb for a clear future action.
plan to
Định
plan to / intend to
Conversational for personal plans.
want
Muốn
want
Desire, not necessarily a confirmed plan.
intention
Dự định
intention / plan
A noun or verb for intention.
plan
Kế hoạch
plan
A plan or schedule.
future
Tương lai
future
The future as a noun.
coming up
Sắp tới
coming up / upcoming
Useful for near-future plans.
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Day 35 speaking skill
Speaking skill: talk about your plans
Say what you will do next week using short personal sentences.
Next week
Tuần tới tôi sẽ đi làm
Next week I will go to work
A next-week plan with sẽ.
Market plan
Tuần tới tôi định đi chợ
Next week I plan to go to the market
A conversational plan with định.
Study plan
Tôi có kế hoạch học tiếng Việt
I have a plan to study Vietnamese
Use có kế hoạch for a planned activity.
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Day 35 grammar focus
Grammar note: Sẽ + V / Định + V
Sẽ is a clear will/future marker. Định is more like plan to or intend to.
Sẽ + V
Tôi sẽ đi chợ
I will go to the market
Tôi sẽ đi chợ = I will go to the market.
Định + V
Tôi định học tiếng Việt
I plan to study Vietnamese
Tôi định học tiếng Việt = I plan to study Vietnamese.
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Day 35 speaking exercise
Exercise: say your plan for next week
Use the models, then say five true plans for your next week.
1
Work
Tuần tới tôi sẽ đi làm
Next week I will go to work
A next-week plan with sẽ.
2
Market
Tuần tới tôi định đi chợ
Next week I plan to go to the market
A conversational plan with định.
3
Meet a friend
Tuần tới tôi muốn gặp bạn
Next week I want to meet you
A personal want for next week.
4
Study
Tuần tới tôi sẽ học tiếng Việt
Next week I will study Vietnamese
A simple future study plan.
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The short version
Sẽ and định help you talk about plans, intentions, and what you will do next.
Pattern box
person + sẽ/định + action.
English trap
Do not use future markers when context already makes the plan obvious.
Right vs wrong examples
| Instead of this | Say this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Copy the English structure word by word | Tôi muốn nói về kế hoạch sắp tới | Use the Vietnamese pattern as a ready-made chunk. |
| Add extra grammar words because English needs them | Theo tôi thì điều này quan trọng | Vietnamese often stays shorter than English. |
| Study the rule without a real situation | Tôi nghĩ vậy | Attach the rule to a cafe, taxi, hotel, market, or work sentence. |
Core examples
| Vietnamese | English | Practice note |
|---|---|---|
| Tôi muốn nói về kế hoạch sắp tới | I want to talk about future plans | Start a future plans conversation. |
| Theo tôi thì điều này quan trọng | In my opinion, this is important | Use for simple opinions. |
| Tôi nghĩ vậy | I think so | A soft agreement phrase. |
| Tôi không chắc lắm | I am not very sure | Useful when you need time or clarity. |
| Bạn có thể nói rõ hơn không? | Can you explain more clearly? | Ask for clarification. |
| Lý do là gì? | What is the reason? | Ask why without a long sentence. |
| Tôi cần thêm thời gian | I need more time | Use before deciding or answering. |
| Chúng ta làm thế nào? | How should we do it? | Useful for planning. |
| Có vấn đề gì không? | Is there any problem? | Check if something is wrong. |
| Tôi muốn giải quyết việc này | I want to solve this | Useful in service and work situations. |
| Mình nói chuyện sau nhé | Let us talk later | A soft delay phrase. |
| Gửi cho tôi chi tiết nhé | Please send me the details | Good follow-up phrase. |
How to use it in real sentences
Use the examples as sentence patterns, not isolated vocabulary. Say the whole line first, then replace one small part such as the person, time, object, or place.
Substitution drill
| Base sentence | Change this | New sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Tôi muốn nói về kế hoạch sắp tới | change the person or topic | Theo tôi thì điều này quan trọng |
| Theo tôi thì điều này quan trọng | change the time, place, or object | Tôi nghĩ vậy |
| Tôi nghĩ vậy | say it as a real request or answer | Tôi không chắc lắm |
Real situation
Use this sentence building grammar when a real conversation forces you to speak quickly. Pick one sentence from the examples, imagine the situation, then change only one detail so the grammar becomes usable instead of abstract.
Southern Vietnamese note
Southern Vietnamese often prefers practical, context-rich examples. Learn the pattern through a line you might actually say.
Practice drill
- Read each Vietnamese sentence aloud.
- Replace one noun or time word.
- Listen to the slow audio, then say the new sentence twice.
- Cover the English and recall the Vietnamese from the situation.
- Save the examples you would actually use this week.
Common mistake
Do not use future markers when context already makes the plan obvious.
Next step
After this page, open the related practice or continue to the next grammar lesson: polite-disagreement-grammar.
Meaning check
Quick practice
Which option is the best way to practice vietnamese future plans with sẽ and định?
FAQ
How should I practice vietnamese future plans with sẽ and định?
Learn the core pattern, say at least three full examples aloud, then change one word so the sentence becomes useful in your own life.
Finish this grammar page
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Week 5 · Day 35 in the 90-day path
Listen to at least 3 phrases
Use normal audio first, then slow audio.
Save at least 1 phrase
Only save phrases you would actually reuse.
Finish the quiz or practice task
Check that you can recall the idea, not only read it.
Mark this page complete
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Practice panel
Make the pattern stick
Practice the examples, then mark this grammar page complete.