TuDien.NgonNguViet.comVietnamese ⇄ English dictionary

How do you say “be” in Vietnamese?

“Be” in Vietnamese is bị ((passive marker: to suffer, undergo)), là (to be (is, am, are)), được (can).

Vietnamese words for “be”

  • bịverb
    Hanoi [ʔɓi˧˨ʔ] · Saigon [ʔɓɪj˨˩˨]bị heavy

    (passive marker: to suffer, undergo)

    for “be” meaning: Used with past participles of verbs to form the passive voice.

    • Tôi bị bắt cóc.I have been kidnapped.
  • làverb
    Hanoi [laː˨˩] · Saigon [laː˨˩]là falling

    to be (is, am, are)

    for “be” meaning: Used with past participles of verbs to form the passive voice.

    • Bia là bia.Beer is beer.
  • đượcverb
    Hanoi [ʔɗɨək̚˧˨ʔ] · Saigon [ʔɗɨək̚˨˩˨]được heavy

    can; to be allowed to; to get

    for “be” meaning: Used with past participles of verbs to form the passive voice.

    • Được ở đây thật tuyệt.It's wonderful to be here.
  • thìparticle
    Hanoi [tʰi˨˩] · Saigon [tʰɪj˨˩]thì falling

    then; as for (topic marker)

    for “be” meaning: Used with past participles of verbs to form the passive voice.

    • Điều gì đến thì sẽ đến.What must be, must be.
  • ởverb
    Hanoi [ʔəː˧˩] · Saigon [ʔəː˨˩˦]ở dipping

    at; in; to live (stay) at

    for “be” meaning: To occupy a place.

    • Ai sẽ ở đó?Who'll be there?

Related Vietnamese words

  • cóverb

    to have; there is; yes

  • lâmverb

    to be

  • đangparticle

    (marks an ongoing action: be …-ing)

  • làmverb

    to do; to make; to work

  • đếnverb

    to arrive; to come; to

  • từngadverb

    once

  • xì-trétverb

    stress

  • phảiverb

    must; have to; right (correct

  • địnhverb

    to fix; to appoint; to set

Translations matched from English Wiktionary (translation tables and Vietnamese entries, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0) and the NgonNgu English–Vietnamese dictionary, reviewed and edited; examples from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice.