Biên bản ghi nguyên nhân.

A natural word-by-word breakdown is:

• biên bản = report, record, minutes, written statement
• ghi = to write down, record, note
• nguyên nhân = cause, reason

So the structure is roughly:

• biên bản → the report / the record
• ghi → records / notes
• nguyên nhân → the cause

In other words, biên bản is the thing doing the recording, ghi is the action, and nguyên nhân is what is being recorded.

It is written as two words, but it functions as a single compound noun.

• biên and bản do have meanings on their own in some contexts,
• but in biên bản, you should learn the whole expression together.

This is very common in Vietnamese: a multi-word expression acts like one vocabulary item.

So here, treat biên bản as one unit meaning something like:

• report
• written record
• minutes
• official statement

The sentence follows a very common Vietnamese pattern:

• Subject + Verb + Object

So here:

• Biên bản = subject
• ghi = verb
• nguyên nhân = object

That gives:

• Biên bản → the report
• ghi → records
• nguyên nhân → the cause

So the sentence structure is basically:

• The report records the cause.

This is straightforward Vietnamese word order and is quite similar to English in this case.

Vietnamese does not use articles the way English does.

English usually requires:

• a report
• the report
• the cause

Vietnamese often leaves that information unstated unless it needs to be made explicit. Context tells you whether the noun is definite or indefinite.

So:

• biên bản can mean a report, the report, or just report/document depending on context.
• nguyên nhân can mean a cause, the cause, or cause/reason in a general sense.

This is normal Vietnamese grammar, not something missing from the sentence.

Vietnamese verbs usually do not change form for tense.

The verb ghi stays ghi whether the action is present, past, or future. Time is usually understood from:

• context
• time words
• aspect markers such as đã, đang, sẽ

So without extra context, Biên bản ghi nguyên nhân is neutral and can be interpreted as something like:

• The report records the cause
• The report recorded the cause
• The report is a record of the cause

depending on the situation.

If you wanted to make tense clearer, Vietnamese could say things like:

• Biên bản đã ghi nguyên nhân = The report recorded / has recorded the cause
• Biên bản sẽ ghi nguyên nhân = The report will record the cause

Here, ghi means something like:

• record
• write down
• note

It is a very common verb in Vietnamese.

In this sentence, it has a slightly formal, documentary feel because the subject is biên bản, an official written record. So ghi here is best understood as:

• states
• records
• documents

rather than just casual write.

By itself, nguyên nhân does not tell you singular or plural.

Vietnamese nouns usually do not change form for number the way English nouns do.

So nguyên nhân could mean:

• the cause
• a cause
• causes

depending on context.

If Vietnamese wants to be more explicit, it can add words such as:

• một nguyên nhân = one cause / a cause
• các nguyên nhân = causes
• những nguyên nhân = causes

But in your sentence, number is simply left open.

Yes, it can be a complete sentence, especially in a formal or documentary context.

That said, it feels a bit brief and administrative, like something you might see in:

• a report
• a heading
• a summary line
• an official note

In everyday speech, Vietnamese often makes this kind of sentence fuller, for example:

• Biên bản này ghi nguyên nhân.
• Biên bản ghi lại nguyên nhân.
• Biên bản ghi rõ nguyên nhân.

These versions feel a little more explicit.

So your original sentence is not wrong, but it has a clipped, formal style.

Because ghi is already the main verb.

Learners often expect là because it is often introduced as the verb to be. But là is mainly used when linking one noun phrase to another, for example:

• Đây là biên bản. = This is a report.
• Nguyên nhân là lỗi kỹ thuật. = The cause is a technical error.

In Biên bản ghi nguyên nhân, the sentence is not saying X is Y. It is saying:

• the report records the cause

So the action verb ghi is enough, and là is not needed.

Yes. Biên bản is a formal administrative word and can be translated in different ways depending on context, such as:

• minutes
• record
• report
• written statement
• official memorandum of an incident or meeting

That is why learners sometimes find it tricky. The best English choice depends on the situation.

For example:

• in a meeting context, biên bản may be minutes
• in an accident or incident context, it may be report or record
• in legal/official contexts, it can be written statement or official record

So the exact translation can shift, even though the Vietnamese word stays the same.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Biên bản → roughly bee-en ban
• ghi → roughly ghee or ghi with a Northern-style sound like a soft z/y in some accents
• nguyên nhân → roughly ngwee-en nyun

A few important notes:

• Vietnamese pronunciation changes by region.
• ghi may sound different in Northern and Southern accents.
• The tones matter a lot, especially in bản and nhân.

If you are learning pronunciation, it is best to learn the sentence with audio, because tone and vowel quality are hard to show accurately with English spelling.