được / bị

While often compared to the English passive voice, được and bị are primarily "experiential" markers. They show how the subject is affected by an event.

• Positive or Neutral (được): Indicates a beneficial, desirable, or fortunate event (translating roughly to "get to" or "receive"). In formal contexts or translated Vietnamese, it is also used for neutral passive events where there is no inherent benefit (e.g., được sinh ra = to be born, được làm bằng = to be made of).
• Negative (bị): Indicates an adverse, undesirable, or unfortunate event (translating to "suffer" or "incur"). Importantly, bị can attach to normally positive or neutral verbs to show the speaker's displeasure, annoyance, or an unwanted obligation (e.g., bị mời = invited but didn't want to be, bị khen = praised but it was unwanted or embarrassing).

Standalone Main Verbs:
Both words can function as standalone main verbs taking direct objects without any other verb present. Được means "to receive/achieve" (e.g., được điểm cao = to get a high score), while bị means "to suffer from" (e.g., bị cảm = to catch a cold).

Syntax with an Agent:
If you want to mention who did the action (the agent), place them directly between the marker and the verb:
Subject + được/bị + Agent + Verb

If the agent is unknown or irrelevant, simply omit it:
Subject + được/bị + Verb

Unlike English, you do not need a word like bởi (by) in everyday speech, though it is frequently used in formal writing or news broadcasts. The everyday structure itself implies who did it.

Post-verbal Placement (Verb + được):
Word order changes the meaning of được. When placed after the verb, it indicates ability or successful completion (e.g., làm được = can do / managed to do, nói được = can speak). This also affects negation: không được + Verb means "not allowed to" (e.g., không được đi = not allowed to go) or "did not get to" (e.g., không được đi chơi = didn't get to go out), whereas Verb + không được (or không + Verb + được) means "cannot do" (e.g., đi không được / không đi được = cannot go).

Not just for transitive verbs:
Because these are experiential markers, they don't just form passives. They can attach directly to active intransitive verbs (e.g., được đi chơi = get to go out) or even adjectives (e.g., bị ốm = to get sick). Furthermore, bị is heavily used to express being adversely affected by environmental factors, which differs from the English passive (e.g., bị mưa = to get caught in the rain, bị kẹt xe = to get stuck in traffic).

Note on slang: While bị is generally negative, in modern colloquial Vietnamese, the phrase hơi bị is used as a positive intensifier before adjectives (e.g., hơi bị ngon = pretty darn delicious, hơi bị đẹp = really beautiful).