Progressive Forms in Vietnamese

Progressive Forms in Vietnamese

One of the forms is -- đang + Verb such as đang lam̀

Đang lam̀ gì ---- What are you doing?

--- Tôi đang học tiếng Việt. I'm studying Vietnamese.

tôi đang nghỉ ngoỉ. ----- I'm resting.

Anh đang viêt́ thủ. He's writing.

Tôi đang ăn sáng. I'm having breakfast.

This sentence construction --  Đang  + V is similar, almost identical, to the progressive verb construction in Thai, Khmer, and Lao languages.

In Thai, for example, one would say Phom kamlung kin khao. (I'm having a meal.)
kamlund = Đang
kin = ăn
khao = cơm
.Hence , tôi đang ăn cơm = ผมกำลังกินข้าว


In Khmer, the progressive verb construction is kumpong + V

ខ្ញុំកំពុងផឹកស្រាបៀរ។ I'm drinking beer.

In Lao, similarly, one would put the progressive marker kumland (compared with 'Kamlung' in Thai)

ຂ້ອຍ​ກໍາ​ລັງ​ເຮັດ​ວຽກ. I'm working.


In Chinese. the progressive marker 在 (zài ) is placed before a verb, too.

我在工作。I'm working.
我在学韩语. I'm learning Korean.

我在吃苹果。I'm eating apples.

This very construction suggests that the five languages (Chinese, Thai, Lao, Vietnamese, and Khmer) might have shared several common cultural values.