# Được: fine, acceptable in Vietnamese (A2)

> You know được as the yes to …, được không? It can also describe something as "OK, good enough": Cái này được. This one will do.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-ok/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**fine, acceptable**

Pattern: `… được (đó / đấy) · không được + [adjective] (lắm) (softened negative)`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: duoc

You know *được* as the yes to *…, được không?* It can also describe something as "OK, good enough": *Cái này được.* This one will do. With *đó* after it, it's mild praise: *Quán này được đó.* This place is pretty good. (In Hà Nội, *được đấy*.) Not amazing, but you'd happily come back.

On its own, *Được đó!* agrees to a plan: "Sounds good!"

*Không được* + a good quality, often with *lắm*, is a gentle way to say something isn't good: *Dạo này chị không được khỏe.* I haven't been very well lately, which is softer than *Chị bị bệnh*. *Phòng này không được sạch lắm.* This room isn't all that clean. Plain *không sạch* sounds blunter.

For a shrug, "it's alright, I suppose", use *cũng được*, which has its own page.

Watch the order. *Không được* before a verb means "mustn't": *Ở đây không được hút thuốc.* No smoking here. And *được* after a verb means "can": *Em ăn cay được.* Before a describing word, *không được* only softens.

## Examples

- Saigon: Quán này được đó, giá cũng rẻ. | Hà Nội: Quán này được đấy, giá cũng rẻ. — This place is pretty good, and cheap too.
- Saigon: Mai mình đi Vũng Tàu nha? | Hà Nội: Mai mình đi Vũng Tàu nhé? — Shall we go to Vũng Tàu tomorrow?
- Saigon: Được đó! | Hà Nội: Được đấy! — Sounds good!
- Dạo này chị không được khỏe. — I haven't been very well lately.
- Phòng này không được sạch lắm. — This room isn't all that clean.

## Words in this pattern

- [được](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/duoc-can/#s_duoc_ok): OK

## Compare

- [Is that OK? …, được không?](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-khong-request/): is it OK / possible?
- [Being ill or in a bad state: bị + illness or adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bi-bad-state/): suffer from
- [Fairly, it's OK: cũng + adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cung-fairly-ok/): fairly / it'll do

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Making someone feel or do: làm (cho)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/lam-cho-cause/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Passive for bad things: bị + (doer) + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bi-passive/)

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