hôm qua
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
hôm qua means yesterday.
Meanings of hôm qua in English
Noun
- yesterday
Example sentences with hôm qua
- Tôi đã đi sở thú hôm qua. I went to the zoo yesterday.
- Tối hôm qua bạn ngủ ở đâu? Where did you sleep last night?
- Hôm qua cô ấy ngủ cả ngày. She slept all day yesterday.
- Bạn phải đến từ hôm qua rồi. You had to come yesterday.
- Hôm qua bạn có đi làm không? Were you at work yesterday?
- Tom đã đi Boston hồi hôm qua. Tom got to Boston yesterday.
- Tom đã đi Boston hôm qua rồi. Tom got to Boston yesterday.
- Hôm qua Tom có đến đây không? Did Tom come here yesterday?
Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).
Usage note: hôm qua
hôm qua means "yesterday".
- Hôm qua tôi đi Hội An. — Yesterday I went to Hoi An.
- tối qua — last night (evening); đêm qua — last night (during the night)
- sáng hôm qua — yesterday morning
With a past time word, there is no need for đã: Hôm qua tôi ăn phở. — I ate pho yesterday. Adding đã is grammatical but often unnecessary.
The word qua means "pass, go through" — yesterday is "the day that has passed".
Two days back is hôm kia; the other day is hôm nọ. Future: ngày mai.
✗ Ngày qua for "yesterday" → ✓ hôm qua. (ngày qua means "the past days" in writing.)
Etymology
hôm (“day”) + qua (“past”).
Frequently asked questions
What does hôm qua mean in English?
hôm qua (noun) means "yesterday".
How do you pronounce hôm qua?
IPA: Hanoi [hom˧˧ kwaː˧˧]; Saigon [hom˧˧ waː˧˧]. Tones: hôm — level tone (ngang), qua — level tone (ngang).