書かれる・
The passive tells an event from the side of the one it happened to. English does this in "I was scolded". Japanese also does it for "someone stole my wallet" and "it rained on me".
done to me
When I was a child, I was often scolded by my father.
done to something of mine
I had my wallet stolen on the train.
no one named
This festival is held every August.
How to form it
書く → 書かれる 食べる → 食べられる する → される 来る → 来られる
Godan verbs (う-verbs): last kana to its あ sound (う to わ), then れる. Ichidan verbs (る-verbs): る → られる. Whoever did it, if named, normally takes に.
Making it
It starts like the ない-form. In place of ない, a godan verb takes れる and an ichidan verb takes られる.
| ない-form | Passive | |
|---|---|---|
| Godan | 書かない | 書かれる |
| 叱らない | 叱られる | |
| 言わない | 言われる | |
| Ichidan | 食べない | 食べられる |
| ほめない | ほめられる | |
| 来る | 来ない | 来られる |
| する | しない | される |
Only する breaks the rule. 叱る is godan, so the ら in 叱られる is the verb's own. Every passive then changes like an ichidan verb: 書かれます, 書かれない, 書かれた, 書かれて.
The idea
An ordinary sentence starts from whoever acts. The passive starts from the one on the receiving end.
Our mother woke my younger brother.
Starts from the one who did it.
My younger brother was woken by our mother.
Starts from the one it happened to. The one who did it takes に.
Someone does something to you
You are the subject.
I was praised by my teacher yesterday.
Someone does something to a thing of yours, or to part of you
You are still the subject. The thing keeps を.
A stranger stepped on my foot on the train.
Something happens that isn't aimed at you, and you pay for it
You are the subject all the same.
I got caught in the rain on the way home.
It happens to a thing, and who did it doesn't matter
The thing is the subject. Nobody is named.
This temple was built five hundred years ago.
In the first three, 私は is usually left unsaid.
Done to you
English is happy to start from the other person: "A stranger asked me the way." When you are the one it happened to, Japanese prefers to start from you.
A stranger asked me for directions at the station.
Sounds odd: 知らない
A stranger asked me for directions.
Understood, but it sounds like a translation.
It can be welcome or not. These are ones you'll hear every day.
言われるbe told
People often tell me my Japanese is good.
怒られるget told off
I forgot my homework and got told off by the teacher.
頼まれるbe asked to do something
A friend asked me to help with their move.
誘われるbe invited
A colleague invited me out for a meal.
Done to your things, or to part of you
English makes the thing the subject: "my foot was stepped on". In Japanese it happened to you, so you stay the subject and the thing keeps its を. 私の isn't needed.
The dog next door bit my hand.
I was upset because my younger brother threw away an important photo.
Sounds odd: 私の
My foot was stepped on.
The English shape. People say 足を踏まれました.
It happened, and you paid for it
Nothing here is done to you or to anything of yours. It rains. A baby cries. A friend turns up. Said in the passive, it landed on you, and whatever did it still takes に, rain included: 雨に降られた. English has no such form; "it rained on me" comes closest. It is nearly always a complaint.
The baby cried during the night, so I couldn't sleep well.
A friend turned up when I was busy, which was a problem for me.
If you're glad, it's てもらう
Having your photo taken, your room cleaned or your bag carried can be a favor or a nuisance. The passive tells it as something you didn't ask for.
A stranger took my picture.
Passive. I didn't ask.
I got a stranger to take my picture.
てもらう. I asked, and I'm glad.
No one in particular did it
You'll meet this in news, guidebooks, notices and explanations. It is a plain statement, with no complaint in it.
The meeting will be held at three in the afternoon.
Sake is made from rice.
English is spoken all over the world.
With ている, a standing fact.
Not every れる・られる is passive
The same ending has other jobs. In these two, the subject is the one who acts, and nothing happens to them.
For ichidan verbs and 来る, "can do" has the same shape as the passive. Godan verbs have a "can" of their own: 書ける, next to the passive 書かれる.
I can eat sashimi.
Respect
れる and られる are also a mild way to show respect for what someone above you does.
The department head has already gone home.
Where are you going?
A taxi driver to a passenger.
Passive, causative or causative-passive?
My younger brother ate my cake.
Passive, 食べられる. He ate it, and it happened to me.
My mother made my younger brother eat his vegetables.
Causative, 食べさせる. He ate them, and she was the reason.
My younger brother was made to eat his vegetables by our mother.
Causative-passive, 食べさせられる. The same dinner from his side.
The test is who eats. In the passive and the causative it is the other person, not the subject. In the causative-passive it is the subject, and に marks whoever made him.
The subject makes or lets someone else do it.
The doctor had the patient take the medicine.
書かされる・食べさせられる (causative-passive)N4
The subject is made to do it. 質問された is "I was asked"; 質問させられた is "I was made to ask".
The teacher made me ask a question.
Close neighbours
English "is closed", "got broken" and "was decided" are often not passives in Japanese. 閉まる, 壊れる and 決まる say it happened, and leave out whoever did it.
The shop was already closed.
によってN3
In formal writing, whoever made something takes によって, not に.
This picture was painted by Picasso.
Check yourself
1What does this mean?
姉に
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which one fits?
荷物が
Choose an answer to see why.
3Which is the passive of 笑う?
変な
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
財布を or 財布が?
With a thing you own, the thing can be the subject too. 財布が盗まれました reports what happened to the wallet. 財布を盗まれました says it happened to you, and is the usual way to tell your own bad luck.
から for whoever did it
With telling, asking and giving, から is possible as well as に.
I was cautioned by my teacher.
More sentences
She is loved by many people.
This novel has been translated into ten languages.
This temple is known as one of the oldest buildings in the country.
Her research was highly praised by experts.
His proposal was supported by everyone.