The Passive Voice: Actions and Impacts
Chapter in 30 Seconds
Master the Japanese passive voice to express your experiences and shift the focus of your sentences.
- Form passive verbs for all conjugation groups.
- Identify the difference between direct and indirect passive usage.
- Express personal feelings and reactions to events using the suffering passive.
Ce que tu vas apprendre
Ready to truly level up your Japanese and express yourself with more nuance? This chapter is all about the **Passive Voice**, a super useful tool for changing your sentence's focus! You know how sometimes you want to talk about *what happened to you* or *how something affected you*, rather than who did the action? That's exactly what you'll master here.
First, we'll dive into the mechanics: how to form the passive for both U-verbs and Ru-verbs, even those tricky irregulars like Suru and Kuru (they become Sareru and Korareru!). You'll see how these forms let you talk about being given a present respectfully, or even subtly hint at annoyance when something inconvenient happens.
Then, we'll connect these forms to real-life situations. You'll learn to use に to pinpoint *who* performed the action that affected you, shifting the spotlight to your experience. We'll differentiate between the **Direct Passive**, where you're simply describing being acted upon (like
I was praised by my teacher), and the powerful **Indirect Passive** – often called the 'Suffering' Passive – which is perfect for complaining (just a little!) when someone else's actions negatively impacted your day (e.g.,
My little brother ate my snackbecomes
My snack was eaten by my little brother, and it bothered me!). By the end of this chapter, you won't just understand passive forms; you'll confidently use them to talk about events from your perspective, express subtle feelings, and make your Japanese sound much more natural and expressive. Get ready to put yourself at the center of the action!
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La forme passive en japonais : Verbes en U (Ukemi-kei)Maîtrise la bascule du
uvers leapour exprimer comment les actions des autres t'impactent, surtout avec les badgesnietreru. -
La forme passive en japonais : verbes en ru (～られる)La forme passive «～られる» déplace l'attention sur celui qui reçoit l'action, souvent avec une nuance de
subirou degrand respect. -
Passif Japonais : Verbes Irréguliers (Suru & Kuru)Les verbes irréguliers changent de forme :
surudevientsareruetkurudevientkorareru. On les utilise pour l'agacement ou le respect. -
La Voix Passive en Japonais : Être affecté par les autres (に)Utilise la particule «に» pour désigner celui qui agit sur toi, surtout pour exprimer un sentiment ou un impact personnel avec la «受身形» (forme passive) pour ne pas paraître trop direct ou «迷惑» (gêné).
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Le passif direct en japonais : Être l'objet d'une action (直接受身)Le passif direct déplace l'attention sur celui qui reçoit l'action. Garde en tête les outils
reru,rareruet la particuleni. -
Le Passif de Souffrance (Indirect)Utilise le passif indirect pour dire que l'action de quelqu'un d'autre t'a mis dans la sauce ou t'a dérangé. «〜られる» «〜に» «〜を»
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
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By the end you will be able to: Form the passive voice for any verb and distinguish between standard and 'suffering' passive usage.
Guide du chapitre
Overview
suffering or inconvenience that often accompanies these actions.How This Grammar Works
I was praised by the teacher.This is the Japanese Direct Passive: Being Acted Upon (直接受身). However, Japanese also has the Indirect Passive: The 'Suffering' Passive, which is used when the action, even if not directly harmful, causes some inconvenience or negative feeling. For instance, 弟にお菓子を食べられた (Otōto ni okashi o taberareta) literally means
My snack was eaten by my younger brother,but it carries the strong implication of "My snack was eaten by my younger brother, and I'm annoyed!" This nuance is what makes the passive voice so powerful for expressing personal experiences.
Common Mistakes
- 1✗ Wrong: «友達に会われる» (Tomodachi ni awareru)
to be met. Instead, it's almost exclusively used in the suffering passive, implying someone unexpectedly meeting you in an inconvenient way. For simply meeting a friend, use the active form.- 1✗ Wrong: «先生は私に日本語を教られた» (Sensei wa watashi ni Nihongo o oshirareru)
suffering passive where the teaching itself is perceived as a burden or inconvenience. To express being taught by a teacher in a neutral or positive way, you would typically use the causative-passive form with もらう (morau), meaning to receive the favor of being taught.
Real Conversations
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Quick FAQ
When should I use the Japanese passive voice in B1 Japanese?
You should use the passive voice when you want to emphasize what happened to you or how an action affected you, rather than who performed the action. It's also crucial for expressing the suffering passive when an action causes you inconvenience or annoyance.
How do I form the passive for verbs ending in -eru in Japanese grammar?
For ru-verbs (verbs ending in -eru, like 食べる taberu), you change the final 'ru' to 'rareru'. So, 食べる (taberu) becomes 食べられる (taberareru).
What's the difference between direct and indirect passive in Japanese?
The Direct Passive simply states that an action was done to the subject (e.g., I was praised). The Indirect Passive, or 'Suffering' Passive, implies that the action, while done to the subject, caused some form of inconvenience, annoyance, or negative feeling (e.g., "My snack was eaten by my brother, and I'm upset!").
How do I indicate who performed the action in a Japanese passive sentence?
You use the particle に (ni) after the noun that represents the performer of the action. For example, 先生に褒められた (Sensei ni homerareta) means
I was praised by the teacher.
Cultural Context
suffering passive, to express polite complaints or to subtly convey their feelings without being overly direct. This reflects a cultural preference for indirect communication and maintaining harmony. You'll hear it often when discussing minor inconveniences caused by others.Exemples clés (6)
Dorobou ni saifu wo nusumareta.
Je me suis fait voler mon portefeuille par un voleur.
La forme passive en japonais : Verbes en U (Ukemi-kei)Tomodachi ni warawareta.
Mon ami s'est moqué de moi.
La forme passive en japonais : Verbes en U (Ukemi-kei)I had my wallet stolen by a thief.
Je me suis fait voler mon portefeuille par un voleur.
La Voix Passive en Japonais : Être affecté par les autres (に)I was tagged by a stranger on Instagram!
J'ai été identifié par un inconnu sur Instagram !
La Voix Passive en Japonais : Être affecté par les autres (に)Densha de tonari no hito ni ashi o fumaremashita.
On m'a marché sur le pied dans le train.
Le Passif de Souffrance (Indirect)Kareshi ni keitai o mirareta. Saiaku!
Mon copain a regardé mon téléphone. L'horreur !
Le Passif de Souffrance (Indirect)Conseils et astuces (4)
Le piège du 'Wa'
Cherche la particule に
に. C'est l'indice que c'est du passif : «弟に食べられた».La règle du 'R'
Burokku sareta.La règle du 'U' qui devient 'WA'
u seul comme {言|い}う, le passif utilise wa ! On dit {言|い}われる et pas 'i-areru'. «彼|かれに好|すきだと言|いわれた。»Vocabulaire clé (5)
Real-World Preview
The Office Praise
Review Summary
- U-verb -> ~areru
- Subject + Target + ni + Object + ga + Passive
Erreurs courantes
The particle 'ni' is required to mark the agent in passive sentences, not 'o'.
In indirect passive, the subject is the victim, and the agent uses 'ni'.
The passive suffix is added directly to the verb stem, not as a separate word.
Règles dans ce chapitre (6)
Next Steps
You are doing amazing! The passive voice is a huge milestone in Japanese fluency. Keep practicing, and it will become second nature.
Write 5 sentences about annoying things that happened to you this week using the suffering passive.
Pratique rapide (9)
Ma sœur a mangé mon gâteau ! (J'ai eu mon gâteau mangé par ma sœur.) {姉|あね}にケーキを______。 (taberu - manger)
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Le Passif de Souffrance (Indirect)
Choisis la phrase passive correcte :
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La forme passive en japonais : Verbes en U (Ukemi-kei)
私は知らない人にさいごのPS5を{買あ|かあ}れた。
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La forme passive en japonais : Verbes en U (Ukemi-kei)
Choisis la bonne option :
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La forme passive en japonais : verbes en ru (～られる)
ひどい！{私|わたし}のプリンが___！({食べる|たべる})
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La forme passive en japonais : verbes en ru (～られる)
J'étais content car mon ami m'a aidé. {友達|ともだち}に{手伝|てつだ}われました。
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Le Passif de Souffrance (Indirect)
この{本|ほん}は{有名|ゆうめい}な{作家|さっか}に____。(Ce livre a été écrit par un auteur célèbre.)
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La forme passive en japonais : Verbes en U (Ukemi-kei)
Situation : Il a plu et tu n'avais pas de parapluie.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Le Passif de Souffrance (Indirect)
Find and fix the mistake:
このビルは20年前に建てれました。
～れる pour le passif. Il faut utiliser la forme complète ～られる. Le verbe est 建てる (tateru).frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La forme passive en japonais : verbes en ru (～られる)
Score: /9
Questions fréquentes (6)
Ce bâtiment a été construit({建設|けんせつ}された). Au quotidien, on l'utilise surtout pour les gens affectés par des événements.
る final et tu colles られる. Par exemple, {見る|みる} devient {見られる|みられる}. C'est tout !{褒められる|ほめられる} ou invité. Ça met juste l'accent sur toi.suru (faire) qui devient sareru, et kuru (venir) qui devient korareru.Tomodachi ni korareta. Cependant, utilisé comme honorifique, c'est positif et respectueux.
