Definition

Verb: - To demand compensation, to hold someone accountable for damages: To require someone to pay for or make up for a loss, damage, or mistake they have caused. It implies a demand for restitution or reparation.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh làm vỡ bình hoa của tôi, tôi sẽ bắt đền anh đấy! (You broke my vase, I will make you pay for it!)
  • Công ty bắt đền nhà thầu vì công trình chậm tiến độ. (The company demanded compensation from the contractor for the project delay.)
  • Đừng lo, nếu có hư hỏng gì, họ sẽ không bắt đền bạn đâu. (Don't worry, if anything gets damaged, they won't hold you liable.)

Advanced Usage

• Used in legal or formal contexts of liability: While common in everyday speech, it can also be used in more formal contexts to describe the act of claiming damages.
  • Bên bị thiệt hại có quyền bắt đền bên gây ra thiệt hại. (The aggrieved party has the right to claim compensation from the party that caused the damage.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đền bù (Verb): To compensate, to indemnify. This is the action of making the compensation itself.
  • Công ty phải đền bù thiệt hại cho khách hàng. (The company must compensate the customer for the damages.)
• Bồi thường (Verb): To pay damages, to reimburse. Often used in legal and insurance contexts.
  • Công ty bảo hiểm sẽ bồi thường theo hợp đồng. (The insurance company will pay damages according to the contract.)

Synonyms

• Đòi bồi thường: To claim damages.
• Bắt bồi hoàn: To demand restitution (less common).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As a compound verb, 'bắt đền' itself functions as a phrasal unit. Related phrases are other Vietnamese constructions with similar meaning. - Bắt phải chịu trách nhiệm: To hold responsible. - Anh ta bắt phải chịu trách nhiệm cho mọi tổn thất. (He was held responsible for all losses.)

Related Idioms

• Ăn cây nào rào cây ấy: (Literal: Eat from which tree, fence that tree). This idiom implies taking responsibility for one's actions or obligations, related to the concept of accountability in 'bắt đền'.
  • Anh đã nhận việc thì phải làm cho xong, ăn cây nào rào cây ấy. (You took the job, so you must finish it; you are responsible for it.)

1. Force compensation for