N4Lesson 38 of 437 min
Passive form
Being done to, including the uniquely Japanese "suffering passive".
The passive shifts focus onto the thing receiving the action. Japanese builds it by conjugation, and uses it in one situation English never does.
| Group | Rule | Dictionary | Passive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | u-sound → a-sound + れる | 言う | 言われる |
| Group 1 | 読む | 読まれる | |
| Group 2 | drop る, add られる | 食べる | 食べられる |
| Group 3 | irregular | する | される |
| Group 3 | 来る | 来られる |
Ordinary passive
The agent, the person doing it, is marked with に.
- この本は多くの人に読まれています このほんはおおくのひとによまれていますकोनो होन वा ओओकु नो हितो नि योमारेते इमासुThis book is read by many people
- 先生に褒められました せんせいにほめられましたसेन्सेइ नि होमेरारेमाशिताI was praised by the teacher
The suffering passive
This has no English equivalent. Japanese can put a sentence in the passive purely to say that something happened to your detriment, even when the verb has no object and you were not directly involved.
- 雨に降られました あめにふられましたअमे नि फुरारेमाशिताI was rained on: the rain fell, and it inconvenienced me
- 子供に泣かれました こどもになかれましたकोदोमो नि नाकारेमाशिताThe child cried on me, and it was a problem
- 友達に来られて、勉強できませんでした ともだちにこられて、べんきょうできませんでしたतोमोदाचि नि कोरारेते, बेन्क्योउ देकिमासेन देशिताA friend came over and I couldn’t study