đang

See also: Appendix:Variations of "dang"

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 當, common reading of đương. Unrelated to Malay sedang.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɗaːŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɗaːŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɗaːŋ˧˧]

Particle

đang

1. marks the continuous, imperfect aspect of an action or state

   Đã làm xong chưa.
   Đang làm.

   Have you done yet?
   Still working on it.

   Tao nhớ lúc đó nó đang chơi ngoài sân.

   I think she was playing in the yard.

   Đang bận. Không có thì giờ đâu mà đi chơi.

   I'm busy right now. I don't have time to go out.

Usage notes

• Unlike đã, the past marker, and sẽ, the future marker, đang is common in colloquial Vietnamese, as are mới and sắp, the near past and near future marker respectively.