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How to use "passive sentences" in Japanese? | About Japanese Passive Form

I'm not going to follow the usual order, Yes, I won't tell you how to conjure verbs, because I don't think it makes sense.

for example:

  • 書く→書かれる  読む→読まれる
  • 売る→売られる  話す→話される
  • 食べる→食べられる 見る→見られる
  • 掛ける→掛けられる いじめる→いじめられる
  • 来る→来られる  する→される 
  • 勉強する→勉強される 修理する→修理される

You don't need to look for the tricks, just remember them. What I want to say today is, the difference on how to use passive sentences.

  • 食べる→食べられる means "can eat", but it also means "Be eaten".
  • 見る→見られる means "can see", but is also means "Be seen".

Let's take a look at the sentences:

  • 李さんは先生に叱られました。Lee was scolded by the teacher.

This is a basic passive sentence.

  • 私はあの人に足を踏まれました。I was stepped on by that person.

This is an advanced sentence because it uses わたし. You know, わたし is normally omitted in Japanese, so the sentence can be written as:

  • あの人に足を踏まれました。I was stepped on by that person.

In fact, you should talk like the above, omitting わたし.

Let's take a look at the next example:

  • 夏帆さんにうちに来られて、勉強ができなくなった。I couldn't study because Kaho came to my house.

You see, that's it. "I" is omitted, but you have to know that it is "I".

  • 昨日、小野さんは一晩中子供に泣かれて、寝ることができませんでした。Yesterday, Mr. Ono couldn't sleep because his child cried all night.

This sentence, you have to tell it is "Mr. Ono", not "I". Because the subject is omitted in most cases in Japanese, you have to infer this part yourself. Inferring wrong will cause more serious things.

  • おととい雨に降られた。I was caught in the rain the day before yesterday.
  • 昨日は雨が降った。It rained yesterday.

Thing as subject passive sentence:

  • その提案は可決されました。The proposal has been passed.
  • ミネラルウォーターは旅行の時によく飲まれている。Mineral water is often drunk when traveling.
  • 駅前に高いビルが建てられました。A tall building was built in front of the station.

Ok, next is a special case, I mean, passive sentences for specific actors:

  • この本は山田さんによって書かれた。This book was written by Mr. Yamada.
  • 電話はベルによって発明されました。The phone was invented by Bell.

[Details]: Specific actors use "によって" to prompt. And can’t be replaced with "".

Okay, all of the above is how to use passive sentences.

[CONTENT] Learn JLPT N2 Grammar

This article was last edited at 2021-01-10 19:50:28

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