Vietnamese 'chưa từng' Usage (Never / No Experience)
'chưa từng' means 'have never experienced' something up to now.
Quick explanation
Quick explanation
'chưa từng' means 'have never experienced' something up to now.
English meanings
- never
- have never had the experience of
Grammar pattern
Examples
1
Tôi chưa từng ăn món này.
I have never eaten this dish.
2
Cô ấy chưa từng đến Anh.
She has never been to the United Kingdom.
How to use it
'chưa từng' is used to negate past experiences, meaning 'never have done'. It is stronger than 'chưa' alone, which can mean 'not yet'. 'chưa từng' clearly states the absence of any such experience.
- Used to negate experiences.
- Stronger than 'chưa' alone.
- Often combined with 'bao giờ' to emphasize 'never ever'.
Compared with English
Compared with English
English 'never' corresponds to 'chưa từng'. 'Not yet' corresponds to 'chưa'. The difference is important in expressing experience versus incomplete action.
Common mistakes
Tôi chưa từng đi ngày mai.
Tôi chưa đi.
'chưa từng' is not used for future actions that have not happened yet.
Tôi chưa từng đang học.
Tôi chưa từng học.
'chưa từng' does not combine directly with progressive 'đang'.
Commonly confused grammar
Practice
Multiple choice
Which sentence correctly uses 'chưa từng'?
Show answer
Multiple choice
Which sentence correctly uses 'chưa từng'?
- Tôi chưa từng ăn món này.
- Tôi chưa từng đi ngày mai.
- Tôi chưa từng đang học.
Answer: Tôi chưa từng ăn món này.
Explanation: Used to negate past experiences.
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: Tôi ____ ăn món này.
Show answer
Fill in the blank
Fill in the blank: Tôi ____ ăn món này.
Answer: Tôi chưa từng ăn món này.
Explanation: Used to negate past experiences.
English to Vietnamese
Translate "I have never eaten this dish." into Vietnamese.
Show answer
English to Vietnamese
Translate "I have never eaten this dish." into Vietnamese.
Answer: Tôi chưa từng ăn món này.
Explanation: Use chưa từng in the same structure as the example.
True or false
'chưa từng' can replace all English time words without considering whether the action is completed or ongoing.
Show answer
True or false
'chưa từng' can replace all English time words without considering whether the action is completed or ongoing.
Answer: False
Explanation: Vietnamese aspect markers depend on action state, speech time, and context; they cannot be replaced mechanically by similar English words.
Correction
Correct this sentence: Tôi chưa từng đi ngày mai.
Show answer
Correction
Correct this sentence: Tôi chưa từng đi ngày mai.
Answer: Tôi chưa đi.
Explanation: 'chưa từng' is not used for future actions that have not happened yet.