Asao Challenge - Direct and Indirect Passive - Private English, Chinese and Japanese Lessons × Asao Language School

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2022-07-16 00:37:00

Asao Challenge - Direct and Indirect Passive

Hi everyone,

How's studying going?

Very well done to those who tried the JLPT the other day!

We hope it went well :)

If you came across something that you need clarification for during the exam, please make sure to check with your teacher(s).

In this post, let's double check the basic idea of passive sentences to get ready for the next one in December.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf-6gwQv9xZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

We are going to talk about this, on the basis that you are already familiar with the verb grouping and the distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs.

There are basically 2 types of passive sentences, Direct Passive and Indirect Passive.

Luckily, the idea is pretty much the same as the English language :)

To get used to the grammar rule, let's focus on transitive verbs for start and do not worry about the context, tense and the use of articles.

(We are also only using the topic marker は to simplify the sentences.)

A regular affirmative sentence with a group 2 transitive verb:

(私は)チョコを食べます。

I eat chocolate.

Direct Passive:

チョコは(私に)食べられます。

Chocolate is eaten by me.

Indirect Passive:

(私は)弟にチョコを食べられます。

I have/get chocolate eaten by my brother.

A regular affirmative sentence with a Group 1 transitive verb:

(私は)コーヒーを飲みます。

I drink coffee.

Direct Passive:

コーヒーは(私に)飲まれます。

Coffee is drunk by me.

Indirect Passive:

(私は)弟にコーヒーを飲まれます。

I have/get coffee drunk by my brother.

As you can see, between the Direct and Indirect, the context changes significantly but the verb conjugation remains the same.

Next, unlike the English language, in Japanese, you can also make passive sentences with intransitive verbs, whereby you can express disappointment and suffering.

To envisage better, the sentences below are in past tense on purpose.

(私は)雨に降られました。

It has rained. I did not expect it to happen and I am not happy with it.

(私は)電車に行かれました。

The train has left the train station. I did not expect it to happen and I am not happy with it.

If you get to speak Japanese regularly, you probably realise that Japanese people generally rely on passive sentences a lot more frequently than English speakers, so it is definitely worth practicing :)

Good luck!

Masa on behalf of team Asao

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