Object + được + Agent + Verb

Favourable Passive with an Agent

Level 3

Use được before an agent and a verb to express that the subject undergoes an action with a positive or neutral outcome. It translates to 'was/were [verb]ed by' for good news or objective facts.

How It Works

While often called the 'favourable passive', được is used for both positive and neutral events.

Key Rules:

  • Positive or neutral events: Use được for good things or objective facts (often with inanimate subjects, like a letter being sent). For negative or unpleasant events, you typically use bị.
  • Subjectivity (Speaker's Perspective): The choice between được and bị often depends entirely on the speaker's attitude toward the event. The exact same verb can take either marker. For example, Tôi được chuyển công tác means 'I was transferred (and I am happy about it)', whereas Tôi bị chuyển công tác means 'I was transferred (against my will or I consider it bad news)'.
  • Tense and negation markers go before được: Because Vietnamese has no verb conjugation, the main verb stays in its base form. If you need to use tense markers like đã, đang, or sẽ, or negation markers like không and chưa, place them before được, not the main verb (e.g., Tôi không được khen - I was not praised, or Tôi chưa được cô giáo khen - I haven't been praised by the teacher yet).
  • Agent is optional: You can say Tôi được khen (I was praised) or Tôi được cô giáo khen (I was praised by the teacher). In formal or written contexts, you might also see the word bởi (by) used to introduce the agent. However, using bởi changes the word order to Object + được + Verb + bởi + Agent (e.g., Tôi được khen bởi cô giáo). Note that native speakers rarely use bởi with human agents in everyday speech, preferring the standard được + Agent + Verb structure.
  • The Zero Passive: For inanimate objects where the context makes the receiver obvious, Vietnamese often drops passive markers entirely, using a topic-comment structure (e.g., Sách này bán ở đâu? - Where is this book sold?).

Be careful not to confuse this pattern with được placed before a verb in an active sentence (meaning 'to get to' or 'be allowed to', e.g., Tôi được đi chơi), được placed after a verb (meaning 'can' or 'able to'), or được followed directly by a noun (meaning 'to receive').

Examples (4)

  1. Tôi được cô giáo khen.

    I was praised by the teacher.

    Word by Word: I receive teacher praise.

    A classic example of a positive action done by an agent (the teacher) to the subject (I).

  2. Nam được mẹ cho tiền.

    Nam was given money by his mother.

    Word by Word: Nam receive mother give money.

    Receiving money is a beneficial outcome, so 'được' is used to frame the event positively.

  3. Hôm qua tôi được bạn trai tỏ tình.

    Yesterday I was confessed to by my boyfriend.

    Word by Word: Yesterday I receive boyfriend confess love.

    The speaker considers this a fortunate or happy event, making 'được' the correct choice.

  4. Dự án này được giám đốc phê duyệt.

    This project was approved by the director.

    Word by Word: Project this receive director approve.

    Shows usage in a more formal or professional context. Approval is a positive outcome for the project.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'được' for negative or unpleasant events because it translates to 'was/were' in English.

    Tôi được chó cắn.
    Tôi bị chó cắn.

    English uses 'was/were' for both good and bad passive events. In Vietnamese, 'được' is strictly for positive or neutral events. For negative events, you typically use 'bị' instead of 'được'.

  • Placing tense markers before the main verb instead of before 'được'.

    Tôi được sếp đã thăng chức.
    Tôi đã được sếp thăng chức.

    Tense markers like 'đã', 'đang', or 'sẽ' must be placed before the passive marker 'được', not before the main verb. The main verb always remains in its base form.

How It Connects

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Object + được + Agent + VerbLevel 3Favourable Passive with an Agent

Learn This First

To understand the agentive passive with 'được', you first need to understand the basic passive use of 'được' for positive outcomes. You also need a firm grasp of basic Vietnamese word order to see how the object moves to the front, and it is helpful to compare it to the 'bị' structure used for negative outcomes.

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