Genki Grammar #120: Mastering Passive Sentences

Introduction

In Japanese, passive sentences are used to describe actions done to someone or something, often when the subject feels negatively affected by the action. For example, if a friend uses your car without permission, and you’re upset about it, you can express this feeling through a passive sentence. In this post, we’ll learn how to use passive sentences in Japanese, including when to use them, how to form them, and examples to help you understand.

What It Means

A passive sentence in Japanese shows that someone (the “victim”) is affected by an action done by someone else (the “villain”). This form is often used to show inconvenience, frustration, or annoyance caused by the action.

For example:

• 友だちが車を使いました (Tomodachi ga kuruma o tsukaimashita)
  A friend of mine used my car.
• 私は友だちに車を使われました (Watashi wa tomodachi ni kuruma o tsukaware mashita)
  I had my car used by a friend (and I am upset about it).

When to Use It

Use passive sentences when:

1. You want to express that you are negatively affected by someone else’s actions.
2. You want to describe an action done to you or something of yours by someone else, especially if you feel inconvenienced.

How to Form Passive Verbs

To create passive verbs in Japanese:

1. Ru-verbs: Drop the final -ru and add -rare-ru
   • Example: 食べる (taberu) – “to eat” → 食べられる (taberareru) – “to be eaten”
2. U-verbs: Drop the final -u and add -are-ru
   • Example: 読む (yomu) – “to read” → 読まれる (yomareru) – “to be read”
3. Irregular verbs:
   • する (suru) – “to do” → される (sareru) – “to be done”
   • くる (kuru) – “to come” → こられる (korareru) – “to be come (by)”

The passive forms of verbs conjugate like regular ru-verbs.

Examples

Here are some examples to help you understand how passive sentences work.

1. 私はとなりの人にたばこを吸われました (Watashi wa tonari no hito ni tabako o suwaremashita)
   I was annoyed with the person sitting next to me for smoking.
   • Passive verb: 吸われる (suwa reru) – “to be smoked.”
2. りくさんはマリアさんによく笑われます (Riku-san wa Maria-san ni yoku warawaremasu)
   Riku is often laughed at by Maria.
   • Passive verb: 笑われる (waraware ru) – “to be laughed at.”
3. 佐藤先生はだれかにパスワードを盗まれたそうです (Satou sensei wa dareka ni pasuwaado o nusumareta sou desu)
   I hear that Professor Sato had her password stolen by someone.
   • Passive verb: 盗まれる (nusumare ru) – “to be stolen.”
4. 子供の時、姉に日記を読まれました (Kodomo no toki, ane ni nikki o yomaremashita)
   I was annoyed with my big sister for reading my diary when I was a kid.
   • Passive verb: 読まれる (yomareru) – “to be read.”
5. 私はその人にデートに誘われました (Watashi wa sono hito ni deeto ni sasowaremashita)
   I was asked out by that person for a date.
   • Passive verb: 誘われる (sasowareru) – “to be invited/asked.”

Notes

• Structure of Passive Sentences: In a passive sentence, the “victim” (the affected person) is marked with は (wa) or が (ga), the “villain” (the person who caused the action) is marked with に (ni), and the action is in the passive form of the verb.
• Negative Emotion: Passive sentences often imply a feeling of inconvenience, annoyance, or dissatisfaction. For example:
  • 私は雨に降られました (Watashi wa ame ni furaremashita) – I was rained on (and I was inconvenienced).
• Neutral Passive Sentences: Not all passive sentences are negative. For example:
  • 私は兄に友だちに紹介されました (Watashi wa ani ni tomodachi ni shoukai saremashita) – I was introduced to a friend by my older brother.
  • In this case, there is no negative feeling implied.
• Special Passive Sentences: Some passive sentences describe actions affecting non-human subjects and lack an emotional element. For example:
  • ここに公園が作られます (Koko ni kouen ga tsukuraremasu) – A park will be built here.
  • For these sentences, the agent (doer) is marked with によって (ni yotte), as in この絵はピカソによって描かれました (Kono e wa Pikaso ni yotte kakaremashita) – This painting was drawn by Picasso.

Conclusion

Mastering passive sentences in Japanese allows you to express both actions done to you and the emotional impact they may have. While passive sentences often imply inconvenience or dissatisfaction, they can also describe neutral events. With practice, you’ll be able to use passive sentences naturally to express complex situations in Japanese.

Recommended Resources

For a deeper understanding of -yasui and -nikui, I recommend A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. This book explains each suffix separately under the entries -yasui and -nikui, covering how to use them to express ease and difficulty in actions. If you’re interested in exploring these grammar points further and seeing more examples, this book is an excellent resource for enhancing your knowledge of Japanese adjectives and expressions.