# Được + verb: is …ed (welcome) in Vietnamese (A2)

> When something welcome is done to someone, put được before the verb: Em được khen. I was praised.

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

**is …ed (welcome)**

Pattern: `[subject] + được + ([doer]) + [verb]`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: duoc

When something welcome is done to someone, put *được* before the verb: *Em được khen.* I was praised. To say who did it, put the doer between *được* and the verb, with no word for "by": *Hôm qua em được sếp khen.* My boss praised me yesterday.

*Được* tells the listener it's good news, or at least not bad: *Chị được mời đi đám cưới.* I've been invited to a wedding. *Anh ấy mới được tăng lương.* He's just had a pay rise. For bad news the same pattern uses *bị*: *Em bị sếp la.* Time words such as *hôm qua* go before *được*.

Vietnamese uses the passive less than English. When nobody gains or loses, it often leaves the verb as it is: *Nhà này xây năm 1990.* This house was built in 1990. For a general fact, it says what people do: *Ở đây người ta nói tiếng Anh.* English is spoken here.

*Được* + verb can also mean "be allowed to, get to": *Em được nghỉ hai ngày.* I get two days off. The two meanings often blend. To name who made or wrote something, Vietnamese often uses *do* instead: *Bài hát này do ai viết?* Who wrote this song?

## A common mistake

✗ Em được khen bởi sếp.

✓ Em được sếp khen.

The doer goes between *được* and the verb, with no word for "by". *Bởi* after the verb belongs to formal writing.

## Examples

- Hôm qua em được sếp khen. — My boss praised me yesterday.
- Chị được mời đi đám cưới. — I've been invited to a wedding.
- Anh ấy mới được tăng lương. — He's just had a pay rise.
- Quán này được nhiều người khen lắm. — Lots of people rave about this place.

## Words in this pattern

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

## Compare

- [Passive for bad things: bị + (doer) + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bi-passive/): is …ed (unwelcome)
- [Be allowed to, get to: được + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-before-verb/): allowed to / get the chance to
- [Made or written by: do + doer + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/do-passive-agent/): by (the doer)

Previous in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Passive for bad things: bị + (doer) + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bi-passive/)
Next in Là, có, and how verbs work together: [Seeing, hearing (the result): nhìn thấy, nghe thấy](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/thay-sense-result/)

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