bắt thường
Definitions
- Verb phrase:
- To demand compensation or reparation: To require someone to pay for or make amends for a mistake, loss, or damage they have caused.
- To hold someone accountable: To insist that someone is responsible for fixing a problem or covering a cost resulting from their action or inaction.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Anh làm vỡ bình hoa, chủ nhà bắt thường đấy. (You broke the vase, the homeowner is demanding compensation.)
- Đội bạn thua cuộc và bị bắt thường một bữa ăn. (The losing team was held accountable for buying a meal.)
- Luật lệ là ai gây tai nạn thì người đó bị bắt thường. (The rule is that whoever causes an accident must pay for the damages.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase "bắt thường" is considered colloquial and is more commonly used in spoken Vietnamese, particularly in Northern dialects. In more formal or written contexts, "bắt đền" or "yêu cầu bồi thường" (to demand compensation) are preferred.
- It often implies a direct, sometimes informal or insistent, demand between individuals rather than a legal procedure.
Variants and Related Words
- Bắt đền (verb phrase): A more standard synonym meaning to demand compensation or to hold liable.
- Bồi thường (verb): To compensate, to make restitution.
- Đền (verb): To pay for, to make up for (a loss).
Synonyms
- Bắt đền: To demand compensation.
- Yêu cầu bồi thường: To request compensation.
- Bắt bồi thường: To compel compensation.
Related Idioms
- "Ăn cây nào rào cây ấy": (Literal: Eat from which tree, fence that tree.) This idiom conveys a sense of responsibility and obligation, related to the concept of being held accountable for one's actions, similar to "bắt thường". It means you are responsible for protecting or taking care of what benefits you.