Được vs Bị — Positive vs Negative Passive

A1comparisonpassive voiceđượcbịgrammara1beginnersentence structurepassive constructionVietnamese grammar

Quick Answer

In Vietnamese, được and bị both introduce passive or causative constructions, but they carry opposite emotional weight. Use được when the subject benefits from or welcomes what happens to them, and use bị when the subject suffers or dislikes the outcome. Choosing the wrong one completely changes the tone of your sentence.

Comparison Table

Feature	Được	Bị
Meaning	to get to, to be (favorably)	to be (unfavorably), to suffer
Emotional tone	Positive, welcome, lucky	Negative, unwelcome, unfortunate
Subject's feeling	Happy, grateful, neutral-positive	Unhappy, annoyed, harmed
Basic structure	Subject + được + verb/adjective	Subject + bị + verb/adjective
Example	Cô ấy được khen.	Cô ấy bị chê.
Translation	She was praised.	She was criticized.
Hán-Việt root	得 (đắc) — to obtain, to gain	被 (bị) — to be subjected to

Detailed Explanation

Using Được

Được comes from the Hán-Việt root 得, meaning "to obtain" or "to gain." When placed before a verb or adjective, it signals that something good, desired, or at least neutral-positive has happened to the subject. The subject did not necessarily do anything — the good thing came to them.

Think of được as saying "got to" or "was fortunate enough to." It is also used to express permission ("to be allowed to") and ability ("to be able to"), so context helps you know which meaning applies. In passive sentences at the A1 level, the focus is on the beneficiary sense.

Common contexts for được: receiving praise, gifts, good news, promotions, permission, love, or compliments.

Using Bị

Bị also comes from a Hán-Việt root (被), and it signals that something unwanted, painful, or negative has been done to the subject. The subject had no desire for this outcome and typically cannot control it.

Think of bị as "suffered," "got hit by," or "was unluckily subjected to." It is strongly tied to the subject's perspective: if they would not want this to happen, use bị.

Common contexts for bị: accidents, illness, punishment, criticism, theft, failure, scolding, or any unfortunate event.

The Key Test

Ask yourself: Is the subject happy about what happened? If yes → được. If no → bị. If neither (truly neutral), Vietnamese speakers often prefer được for a softer, more polite tone.

Northern vs Southern Usage

Both Northern and Southern Vietnamese use được and bị with the same basic rule. However, Southern speakers sometimes use được in contexts where Northerners would use bị when trying to soften a negative situation. This is a stylistic nuance, not a grammatical error. For learners, following the positive/negative rule works equally well across all regions.

Example Pairs

Each pair shows the same situation from a positive and a negative angle. Notice how only được or bị changes, yet the entire meaning shifts.

Anh ấy được thăng chức.

He was promoted. (He is happy about it.)

Anh ấy bị sa thải.

He was fired. (He is unhappy about it.)

Em được thầy giáo khen.

I was praised by the teacher. (A good outcome.)

Em bị thầy giáo mắng.

I was scolded by the teacher. (A bad outcome.)

Chị ấy được tặng hoa.

She was given flowers. (She received something nice.)

Chị ấy bị mất ví.

She had her wallet stolen. (Something bad happened to her.)

Tôi được nghỉ sớm hôm nay.

I got to leave early today. (A welcome situation.)

Tôi bị kẹt xe mất hai tiếng.

I was stuck in traffic for two hours. (An unwelcome situation.)

Con mèo được chủ nhân chiều chuộng.

The cat is pampered by its owner. (Positive treatment.)

Con chó bị chủ nhân phạt.

The dog was punished by its owner. (Negative treatment.)

Bức tranh được treo ở phòng khách.

The painting was hung in the living room. (A neutral-positive placement.)

Bức tranh bị xé nát.

The painting was torn apart. (Damage — negative.)

Cô bé được học bổng toàn phần.

The girl received a full scholarship. (Great news for her.)

Cô bé bị trượt kỳ thi.

The girl failed the exam. (Bad news for her.)

Họ được mời dự tiệc.

They were invited to the party. (A welcome invitation.)

Họ bị đuổi ra khỏi tiệc.

They were kicked out of the party. (An embarrassing outcome.)

Common Patterns

The following fixed expressions always use one word and never the other. Memorizing these will help you avoid common errors.

Pattern	Must Use	Example	Meaning
Receiving a reward	được	được giải thưởng	to receive an award
Being praised	được	được khen ngợi	to be praised
Getting permission	được	được phép	to be allowed/permitted
Being loved	được	được yêu thương	to be loved
Receiving help	được	được giúp đỡ	to be helped
Getting sick	bị	bị ốm / bị bệnh	to fall ill
Being scolded	bị	bị mắng	to be scolded
Having an accident	bị	bị tai nạn	to have an accident
Being deceived	bị	bị lừa	to be cheated/deceived
Being fined	bị	bị phạt	to be fined or punished
Being lost/missing	bị	bị lạc	to get lost
Being selected	được	được chọn	to be chosen/selected

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1 — Using Bị for Positive Events

Learners sometimes apply bị to all passive sentences regardless of meaning, treating it like a general passive marker. This is incorrect — bị always implies an unwanted or negative experience for the subject.

❌ Tôi bị nhận học bổng.

✅ Tôi được nhận học bổng.

Receiving a scholarship is a joyful event. Using bị here suggests the person is unhappy about it, which makes no sense in normal speech. Always switch to được for positive outcomes.

Mistake 2 — Using Được for Accidents or Illness

Conversely, some learners use được with negative events, perhaps because they have seen it used broadly. Using được with illnesses or accidents sounds odd or even sarcastic in Vietnamese.

❌ Anh ấy được ốm nặng.

✅ Anh ấy bị ốm nặng.

Being seriously ill is clearly unwanted. The word được here would imply the person wanted to get sick, which sounds strange or darkly humorous. Use bị for illness, injury, and accidents.

Mistake 3 — Omitting Được or Bị Entirely

In English, passive voice uses "to be + past participle." Beginners sometimes copy this pattern and omit được or bị, producing grammatically incomplete or awkward Vietnamese sentences.

❌ Cô ấy khen bởi thầy giáo.

✅ Cô ấy được khen bởi thầy giáo.

Vietnamese does not use a "to be" verb the way English does. The word được or bị carries both the passive meaning and the emotional tone. Without it, the sentence sounds like a fragment or loses its intended meaning entirely.

Mistake 4 — Confusing Được (Passive) with Được (Ability)

Được has multiple uses in Vietnamese. One of the most common sources of confusion at the A1 level is mixing up the passive được with the ability/permission được that appears at the end of a verb phrase.

❌ Tôi được nói tiếng Việt. (intending: "I can speak Vietnamese")

✅ Tôi nói được tiếng Việt.

When expressing ability, được follows the verb. When expressing a positive passive, được precedes the verb. The position of được in the sentence changes the meaning completely, so pay close attention to word order.

Mistake 5 — Using Bị When the Subject Consents

Sometimes a subject voluntarily undergoes something that sounds negative on the surface but is actually welcomed. Learners default to bị because the verb seems harsh, but the correct word depends on the subject's attitude.

❌ Cô ấy bị phẫu thuật thẩm mỹ. (when she chose it willingly)

✅ Cô ấy được phẫu thuật thẩm mỹ.

If the person chose and wanted cosmetic surgery, the experience is welcome from her perspective. Được is more natural. If, however, she had to undergo a medically forced procedure she disliked, bị would be appropriate. Always consider the subject's own feelings about the event.

Quick Quiz

Fill in the blank with được or bị:

Hôm qua, tôi _____ sếp khen trước toàn công ty.

Hint: Think about whether the speaker is happy or unhappy about the boss's action.

Answer

được — Hôm qua, tôi được sếp khen trước toàn công ty. Being praised by your boss in front of the whole company is a positive, welcome experience, so được is correct.

Chiếc điện thoại của anh ấy _____ rơi xuống nước và hỏng rồi.

Hint: Consider whether dropping a phone in water is something the owner wanted to happen.

Answer

bị — Chiếc điện thoại của anh ấy bị rơi xuống nước và hỏng rồi. Dropping a phone in water and breaking it is clearly unwanted damage, so bị is the correct choice.

Bạn _____ mời tham dự hội nghị quốc tế năm nay chưa?

Hint: Being invited to an international conference — is this typically good news or bad news for the person invited?

Answer

được — Bạn được mời tham dự hội nghị quốc tế năm nay chưa? An invitation to an international conference is an honor and a positive opportunity, so được is the natural choice here.

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