Passive for good things: được + (doer) + verb

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?