được biết

It Is Understood That

Level 6

Được biết translates to "to be known" or "understood." It functions both as a formal sentence opener in journalism ("reportedly") and in everyday conversational structures like "as far as I know."

How It Works

While the standalone opener Được biết, (often followed by là or rằng to mean "It is reported that...") belongs to the news register and sounds unnatural in casual speech, the phrase itself is extremely common in everyday conversation within specific structures.

Conversational Uses:

  • Theo tôi/mình được biết...: "As far as I know..." (Very common in daily life).
  • Tôi được biết (rằng)...: "I was informed that..." or "I learned that..." (Very common in business and formal contexts when stating information you have received). You can cite your source using qua (through) or từ (from), e.g., Tôi được biết qua báo chí... or Tôi được biết từ giám đốc....
  • Không được biết: "Was not informed" (e.g., Tôi không được biết). This is a very common and polite way to defend yourself or shift blame in business contexts, essentially meaning "No one told me." (A slightly more formal alternative in corporate contexts is không được thông báo - "was not notified"). Because được also indicates permission, it can also mean "not allowed to know" (e.g., regarding confidential information).
  • Như được biết / Theo như được biết: "As is known..." This acts as a bridge between personal and journalistic registers.
  • Cho [ai đó] được biết: "Let [someone] know" (Polite requests/Business Vietnamese). Because được indicates receiving a benefit or privilege, cho tôi được biết literally leans toward "grant me the privilege of knowing," making it highly polite.
  • Rất vui/hân hạnh được biết: "Pleased to meet/know you." While understood, native speakers overwhelmingly prefer Rất vui được gặp or Rất vui được làm quen for introductions.
  • Standard Passive: Used mid-sentence to mean "have been known" (e.g., Kết quả đã được biết từ hôm qua).

Important Distinctions:

  • Use nghe nói (I hear that) for casual hearsay instead of the standalone Được biết,.
  • Use cho biết (said/informed) when you have an explicit subject doing the reporting (e.g., Cảnh sát cho biết...). Remember the direct relationship: cho biết is the active action of informing, while được biết is the passive state of being informed.
  • Use được biết đến với for "to be known for" (e.g., famous for something), được biết đến như (là) for "to be known as", and được biết là for "is known to be" or "is known as a fact" (e.g., Anh ấy được biết là một người khó tính).
  • được biết vs biết được: được biết means "to be informed" (passive) or "to have the privilege of knowing", whereas biết được means "to manage to know" or "to be able to know" (ability/possibility, e.g., Làm sao tôi biết được? - "How could I possibly know?").

The "Universal Truth" Fallacy:
English speakers often try to use Được biết to mean "It is known that..." for general facts. This is incorrect. As an opener, it means "Reportedly" for news events. For universal truths, use Ai cũng biết rằng... (Everyone knows that...) or Như chúng ta đã biết... (As we know...) for formal essays and presentations.

Examples (5)

  1. Được biết, vụ việc đang được điều tra.

    It is understood that the matter is under investigation.

    Word by Word: Be known, affair currently be investigate.

    A classic journalistic sentence where the source of the information is implicitly authoritative but unnamed.

  2. Theo mình được biết, quán ăn này đóng cửa rồi.

    As far as I know, this restaurant is already closed.

    Word by Word: Follow I be known, eatery this close door already.

    A very common conversational use of the phrase to share information you believe to be true.

  3. Theo như tôi được biết, cuộc họp đã bị hủy.

    As far as I know, the meeting has been cancelled.

    Word by Word: Follow as I be known, meeting already suffer cancel.

    Another variation of the conversational phrase, adding 'như' (as) for a slightly softer tone.

  4. Được biết, lễ hội sẽ diễn ra vào tuần sau.

    Reportedly, the festival will take place next week.

    Word by Word: Be known, festival will take place on week next.

    Used to announce upcoming events in a formal, objective tone.

  5. Được biết, nạn nhân đã qua khỏi cơn nguy kịch.

    According to sources, the victim has survived the critical condition.

    Word by Word: Be known, victim already pass out of spell critical.

    Commonly used in news reports to provide updates on developing situations.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the standalone formal opener 'Được biết,' to share daily news with friends.

    Được biết, ngày mai trời mưa.
    Nghe nói ngày mai trời mưa.

    The standalone opener Được biết, sounds comically robotic in casual speech, as if you are anchoring a television news broadcast. Use nghe nói for everyday conversation.

  • Using it to translate 'It is known that' for universal facts.

    Được biết, trái đất hình tròn.
    Ai cũng biết rằng trái đất hình tròn.

    As a sentence opener, Được biết is an evidential marker for reporting news, not stating general facts. For universal truths, use Ai cũng biết rằng (Everyone knows that).

  • Omitting the directional particle 'đến' and preposition 'với' when trying to say someone is famous or recognized for something.

    Anh ấy được biết vì tài năng âm nhạc.
    Anh ấy được biết đến với tài năng âm nhạc.

    When meaning 'to be known for' or 'recognized,' you must use the passive predicate được biết đến với, which is entirely different from the sentence opener Được biết,.

How It Connects

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được biếtLevel 6It Is Understood That

Learn This First

To understand 'được biết', learners must first be familiar with the verb 'biết' (to know) and the passive construction using 'được'. Because this is a formal introductory phrase used to report information without a specific source, it belongs to the news and formal writing register.

Words in This Pattern

biết