In Vietnamese, we use bao giờ to express “ever” (and also “never”).
“To never do”
We use không bao giờ to express “to never do” in general. It’s a combination between không (“no”, “not“) and bao giờ (“when“).
Structure
Place không bao giờ before a verb or an adjective to express “to never do”.
không bao giờ + verb / adj.
We can split and move bao giờ to the end of the sentence.
không + verb / adj. + … + bao giờ
For emphasis, place không bao giờ at the start of the sentence, before the subject. It’s like “Never do I …” instead of “I never …” in English.
Không bao giờ + subj. + verb / adj.
Examples
“Do you ever”
We use the pattern có bao giờ … không to ask “do you ever” based on the structure of yes-no questions.
Structure
có bao giờ + verb / adj. + … + không?
có + verb / adj. + … + bao giờ không?
Có bao giờ + subj. + verb / adj. + … + không?
Examples
“To have never done”
We use chưa bao giờ to express “to have never done” (chưa: “not yet”).
Structure
Place chưa bao giờ before a verb or an adjective to express “to have never done”.
chưa bao giờ + verb / adj.
Similar to không bao giờ, there are also two alternative structures:
chưa + verb / adj. + … + bao giờ
Chưa bao giờ + subj. + verb / adj.
Examples
“Have you ever”
We use the pattern đã bao giờ … chưa to ask “have you ever” based on the structure of perfective yes-no questions.
Structure
đã bao giờ + verb / adj. + … + chưa?
đã + verb / adj. + … + bao giờ chưa?
Đã bao giờ + subj. + verb / adj. + … + chưa?