# bể meaning in Vietnamese: to break (A2)

> bể means “to break, to be broken” in Vietnamese. Examples with audio, in Northern and Southern wording.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/be-break/ · Updated 2026-10-18

**bể**: break

Level: A2 (our estimate)

Typed without accents: be

## 1. break (verb)

to break, to be broken

For glass and china that breaks into pieces; Hà Nội says *vỡ*. A machine that stops working is *hư*.

- Saigon: Cái ly bể rồi. | Hà Nội: Cái cốc vỡ rồi. — The glass is broken.
- Saigon: Em làm bể cái dĩa rồi, xin lỗi chị. | Hà Nội: Em làm vỡ cái đĩa rồi, xin lỗi chị. — I've broken the plate, sorry.

In Hà Nội you say [vỡ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/vo-break/#s_vo_break).

Saigon only

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Next: [bể bơi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/be-boi/)

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