Giá đã xuống.

(perfective marker)

Breakdown of Giá đã xuống.

• giá: the price
• xuống: to go down; move down

Questions & Answers about Giá đã xuống.

What does Giá mean here: price, the price, or prices?

It can mean any of those, depending on context.

In Vietnamese, giá is a noun meaning price. But Vietnamese often does not mark singular/plural or use articles the way English does, so:

• Giá đã xuống can mean The price has gone down
• It can also mean Prices have gone down
• In a broader context, it can even mean The price level has dropped

So you should rely on context, not just the single word.

What is đã doing in this sentence?

đã marks that the change has already happened or is completed relative to the current reference point.

So in Giá đã xuống, đã helps give the sense of:

• has gone down
• went down
• already went down

It is not exactly the same as an English past tense marker. It is better thought of as an aspect marker showing that the event is completed.

Does đã always mean past tense?