Vietnamese time expression position (time phrase order)

Vietnamese often puts time expressions at the beginning of the sentence to set the context, or at the end for emphasis. For example, Hôm nay tôi đi học ('Today I go to school') or Tôi sẽ gọi cho bạn tối nay ('I will call you tonight'). Placing the time between the subject and verb is less natural in Vietnamese, unlike in English.

• Time at the beginning sets the context for the whole sentence.
• Time at the end often adds extra information.
• Short time words can sometimes come after the subject, but beginners should stick to beginning or end.