Questions & Answers about Tôi sẽ đợi bạn ở trước công ty sau giờ làm.
What does sẽ mean here, and do I always need it for the future?
Sẽ is a future marker. In this sentence, it tells you that the waiting will happen later, not now.
- Tôi đợi bạn... = I wait / I’m waiting for you / I wait for you
- Tôi sẽ đợi bạn... = I will wait for you
You do not always need sẽ in Vietnamese. If the future meaning is already clear from context or from a time phrase, Vietnamese often leaves it out.
For example:
- Tôi đợi bạn sau giờ làm. = I’ll wait for you after work
- Ngày mai tôi gặp bạn. = I’ll meet you tomorrow
So sẽ is common and useful, but not required in every future sentence.
Why is it đợi bạn and not something like đợi cho bạn?
Because đợi directly takes its object.
- đợi bạn = wait for you
In Vietnamese, many verbs connect straight to the noun or pronoun after them, without needing a word equivalent to English for.
So:
- Tôi đợi bạn. = I’m waiting for you.
- Cô ấy đợi xe buýt. = She is waiting for the bus.
Adding cho here would usually sound unnatural if you simply mean wait for someone.
Is đợi the same as chờ?