Questions tagged [passive-voice]
受動態. Verb forms with the affix -(r)are-. Besides the passive meaning, this morpheme also has spontaneous, honorific, and potential meanings.
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Use of Passive form + てみる
男が、そんなこと言われてみろ。一、二もなく、なついちまう
How to take the 言われてみろ?
"A guy being told that" + "try being"?
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Meaning of を with ようになる? [duplicate]
小学生の高学年の頃から、二人は関係を揶揄われるようになった。
What could this mean? Isn't ~ようになる intransitive?
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Why use 用いる and not 用いられる? Who’s the subject?
Source: 類語例解辞典
「または」は、二つのもののうちの一方を捨てて一方だけをとる場合や、どちらでもよいという許容を表わす場合に用いる。
So the subject of 用いる is the generic “one/you/people” or is it “we, the Japanese people”? I may have overthought this but I ...
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the が in 目が抉られるような痛み
目が抉られるような痛み
how would it change if i changed it to を? what the difference in nuance?
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Long sentence: passive form, subject, 前に and 後
So, I have 2 questions about this passage (a dialogue in chapter 11 of Tobira):
信長は日本統一のために室町幕府の将軍に会おうとして、京都の本能寺とういお寺に泊まっていたんだ。そこに明智が攻めてきて殺されそうになったから、自分で切腹して死んだんだよ。死ぬ前に、燃えるお寺の中で能を舞った後にね。
The use of ...
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why is this verb passive in this sentence?
まるで耳元で鳴かれているかのようだった。
Why is that? How would it change if i just said 鳴いている?
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Particle usage of transitive verb in the passive form (～を占める → ～で占められている)
店内は、外見のぼろっちさと同じように、古めかしい洗濯機や乾燥機で占められていた。
Looking at some example sentences of 占める, it's almost always in the natural form and the particle を is used to describe the direct object, and the particle で ...
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Do the passive forms of godan verbs have any sense of potentiality?
According to this answer https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/60055/55243
both the passive and potential sense of ichidan verbs derive from the root sense of "without someone's will".
It ...
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Why do we distinguish the spontaneous (自発) and passive (受身) forms?
Why do textbooks view 自発 and 受身 as two distinct forms?
Example:
[受身]: 誰かがりんごを食べる --> 誰かにりんごが食べられた
[自発]: 彼女が両親のことを思い出す --> 彼女に両親のことが思い出される
Grammatically, both forms take the noun marked by を, ...
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What does に indicate in "運転手に重大な過失は認められなかった"?
The following excerpt is from a reading comprehension exercise (page 214 of TRY! 日本語能力試験 N2 文法から伸ばす日本語).
交差点で車同士が衝突する事故が起きた。事故原因の調査では、運転手に重大な過失は認められなかった。
Is it correct to recognize 認められなかった as the (...
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This sentence 「君は何かに足をかじられたんだね」 looks really weird
I know the meaning of
「君は何かに足をかじられたんだね」
is "Something has bitten your leg" but is this sentence grammatically correct? (Probably yes because it's quoted from a book...)
But for me this ...
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How is the passive being used here? 「勝手な行動をとられると困るわ」
There is a conversation in the anime Darling in the franxx, and a higher up is telling this sentence to Zero Two so that she won’t go off acting on her own:
勝手な行動を取られると困るわ
My first guess would be ...
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Is it wrong to say お姉ちゃんに私のケーキを食べられた instead of 私はお姉ちゃんにケーキを食べられた ? (Passive voice)
I'm trying to better grasp the passive voice in Japanese based on these four sentences. So far I can tell that the first sentence is direct passive and the second and third one indirect passive.
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Confused about object of 迎える in this sentence
I am currently on lesson 9 of Japan Foundation's まるごと B1-1. There is a text about a woman celebrating Christmas for the first time at her American partner's home. It begins with the sentence "...
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Meaning of ご帰還あそばれなされた [duplicate]
Full sentence:
「俺様がご帰還あそばれなされたぞ！」
I think this sentence means something alike to: "I have returned!"
My main problem with this sentence is the usage of あそばれなされた.
From my understanding, this ...
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How to understand 取り上げ方をされており in a sentence
話し言葉によく現れる「なんか」は、日本語教育では中級以上の学生を対象としたテキストの会話文で取りあげられていることが多く、 「なんか」という語は辞書、文法書によって様々な取り上げ方をされており、その用法については「など」の口頭語として説明されたり、 「など」と同様に扱われているのが普通である。
Often occurring in spoken language, the word なんか is ...
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Understanding 軍服に着られた
威嚇のつもりかアサルトライフルを抱えた兵を二人も従えて、いかにも軍服に着られた貧相な士官が顎をしゃくる。どうでもいいが、後ろの兵のライフルは安全装置がかかったままで、しかも初弾が装塡されていない。それぞれの立ち位置も近すぎるから、やろうと思えば撃たせる前に全員制圧できる。意味がないのでやらないが。
86─エイティシックス─
安里アサト
Why is the bold part passive ...
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Using passive voice with transitive and intransitive verbs
What's the difference between using the passive voice with a transitive and an intransitive verb?
Take the examples:
パソコンがこわれられた ｖｓ パソコンをこわされた
(PS: I don't know if the particles I used in the ...
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why is passive used in this sentence instead of normal verb?
腰まで伸びたブロンドの髪が風になびかれサラサラと揺れていた。
靡く(なびかれ) is used in this sentence in the passive form. It means "bend" and it's an intransitive verb. So why is it in the passive form in this sentence? Why ...
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「ぶられる」とは「ぶる」の受動態？ What does it mean to be ぶる-ed? [duplicate]
I can't find a related discussion, not here, not on the Internet at large, so I am surprised this seemingly hasn't been asked or discussed.
純真ぶるのはやめろ。この数週間、僕たちはいつ情熱的なキスを交わしてもおかしくなかった。君もそれはわかっているはずだ。...
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Why are もらう、習う、教わる、借りる and 聞くthe only transitive verbs that behave like they are in passive conjugation? Is there a name for this category of verb?
もらう、習う、教わる、借りる and 聞く (in its "to hear from" meaning) and their honorifics I'm pretty sure are the only verbs where に and から are somewhat interchangeable in their active form, in that に ...
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Can「される」mean「させられる」?
Recently, I looked up「気が引ける」in 旺文社国語辞典
きがひける【気が引ける】
うしろめたい感じがして気おくれする。遠慮される。
It's odd to me that「遠慮する」is written in passive. I thought it was a typo at first then it occurred to me this「される」can be ...
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Xに 配られた = Distribute by/to X? [duplicate]
I came across this sentence on Tatoeba:
新しい毛布が貧民に配られた。
New blankets were distributed to the poor.
My question is, why doesn't this mean "distributed by the poor"? Why doesn't に here ...
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その小説には、夫に先に死なれた妻の悲しみが丁寧に書かれていた。
その小説には、夫に先に死なれた妻の悲しみが丁寧に書かれていた。
I was always taught that in a passive sentence like the one written above, the DOER in the action is marked by に, So in the case above the doer is the husband, correct? ...
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Do verbs in て form inherit the intransitivity of the main verb?
I'm trying to parse the sentence below.
みんなに見つめられて、困った。
Book translation: I didn't know what to do because everyone was staring at me
Here's my reasoning:
The sentence is in indirect passive because ...
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Ambiguity between potential causative and passive causative
I have this thought from time to time when I am trying to express an English thought in Japanese. Perhaps the sentence itself is unnatural so let me know.
It seems like we can make him come (to a ...
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Does the construction を言われたんだと mean that 'we told you something' or 'you said something'?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBXyC7cgfVI
Eri Tokunaga:
今、自分の発言の真意、あるいは説明不足の点を言われたんだと思いますけれども、大臣、もしそうだとしたら、なぜそのペーパーを見て発言しなければいけないのか分かりません。
御自分の説明をしているんですから、御自分の言葉で答えていただきたいと思いますが、いかがでしょうか。
Here is ...
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Is 売られる the potential form of 売る?
I came across this sentence:
米はキロ単位で売られる。
The translation given was "Rice is sold by the kilogram." I assume that 売られる's meaning is more like "is sold" or "to be sold" ...
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Change into intransitive form
How will the following sentence be written using intransitive verb. Will the verb 建てる use が or を
うちの前に高いビルを建てました。
Will it be:
うちの前に高いビルが建てられて日当たりが悪くなりました。
Or
うちの前に高いビルを建てられて日当たりが悪くなりました。
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Indirect Objects in Passive Sentences (Is に Ambiguous)
For verbs that typically use に in the dative sense (indirect object) like 送る (for example 手紙を先生に送った), is there any ambiguity in the function of に when the verb is used in the passive? For example, ...
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Function of に here?
Found this sentence:
両親が死んだというのに、悲しもうとすらしない俺に向けられる目が。クズみたいなニートに向けられる目、敵意。軽蔑。
That に in 「悲しもうとすらしない俺に向けられる目が」is acting as the indirect object or is it marking the doer? Since it's a passive sentence.
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Is the construction [されて終わりだ] grammatically correct?
I've found it in a parody website novel:
のそのそしてる間に攻撃されて終わりだよ。
I tried to separate grammatically 攻撃されて終わりだ, but it's seems wrong to me:
Passive voice in the て form + Aux-verb in the ます stem + だ ...
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する verbs with a passive translation
裁判で彼の無罪が確定しました。
His innocence was decided at the trial.
First problem: even though I've translated this sentence I still don't understand its meaning. Does it mean that the person was found innocent? ...
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Particle に in passive sentences? あいつから、例の本が彼女に渡された
From what I understand the particle に marks the doer in passive voice sentences, but I found this one in a book:
あいつから、例の本が彼女に渡された。
The に particle here as a "marking the doer" doesn't make ...
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(Passive) verbs and nouns
I have question regarding the use of verbs as "adjectives" for nouns.
When should I use the passive form of the verb? When should I use the standard form of the verb?
For example, when ...
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Causative passive form vs. Passive causative form: Both are grammatically possible, but is there a citation to prefer one over the other?
The "causative passive" form is very well documented. It's easily made possible because the a causative verb is a valid ichidan verb, and therefore compatible with the passive conjugation.
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Is あげられた not 受動態 here?
圭子：私が担当した裁判で完勝したわ。
沢地君江：三木先生が喜んで褒美に純金のメダルを。
圭子：いらないでしょ？あの人らしいわ。
沢地君江：それを圭子さんは古美門先生にあげられた。
圭子（黛に）：金メダルとか好きそうでしょ？
黛：確かに。
圭子：次の日彼が半分にした金貨を私にくれたわ。2人で勝ち取ったものだとか何とか言っちゃって。(リーガル・ハイ)
If I understand it ...
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Is に acting like a を in this sentence?
私は、おまえに、殺されにきた
I've seen this sentence for a while and the translation is something like "I'm going to kill you"(The context implies that too). But I don't understand why に (In bold) is ...
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What exactly can が specify? I've provided 魚が食べる for sake of example
Could 魚が食べる change in context? Marking 魚 with を would grammatically make 魚 the object of the action such that it would mean "Fish are eaten"; if 魚 is marked with が, 魚が食べる would mean "...
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Intransitive verb that becomes passive?
What are the nuances when an intransitive verbs becomes a passive verb. Is not it just duplication:
Example
窓が開いた
And
窓が開かれた
Isnt 開かれる and 開く both mean "to be opened".
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What does the phrase 落し物をされる mean in this sentence? It doesn't sound like correct passive voice [duplicate]
The context is that someone has lost a present and the main character goes to look for it. He goes up to a shopkeeper who asks him what's wrong and he responds with
ええ、少々探し物を。昨日チャミーさんが落し物をされたらしくて。。。...
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だれにも + passive verb
誰にも怪しまれずに動き回れた
Does 怪しまれず take the に in 誰にも or has the second に after も been omitted because it can not be used after も?
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Can the passive agent be gapped?
Can the passive agent be gapped in a relative clause? I mean, can the head of a relative clause be the passive agent (the word that would be marked by に)?
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Passive voice and complex or connecting sentence
Imagine a situation where you've been informed by Mr. Rentarou that on Wednesday you will have an interview with Ms. Suzuki. Then, you've decided to confirm the information directly to Ms. Suzuki.
I'...
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Confusion about the use of active and passive voice
Here is a sentence from a textbook:
「どちら／どっち」は、二つのものから一つを選択するときか、2人の中から１人を選択するときに使われます。
Passive voice makes sense here because the actor is irrelevant, but then there's this sentence on the same ...
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Why are there separate passive versions of so many verbs? How do they differ in meaning from the regular passive conjugation?
The example I came across today (though I've seen this with many other verbs):
「潰れる」 – "to be crushed"
which, as far as I can tell, means exactly the same as 「潰される」, the passive form of「潰す」.
...
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Unknown verb form (typo?) in manga
I've been trying to translate Touhou doujinshi, when I came across this sentence:
A man talks about events related to youkai's den down the road.
The first part of the sentence is:
なんでも綺麗【きれい】な女【おんな】...
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Why 無茶ぶりした and not 無茶ぶりされた
In the below I would have thought 無茶ぶりした時 would have been 無茶ぶりされた時. Am I missing something?
でもあんたって、どんな仕事でも途中で放り出したりしないでしょ？ 無茶ぶりした時こそ必死になって動くのが、あんたの昔からの長所だからね
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を-marked 非情-Passive in Adjectival Phrase
I've come across this sentence in a publicly available preview of ノルウェイの森:
何日かつづいたやわらかな雨に夏のあいだのほこりをすっかり洗い流された山肌は深く鮮かな青みをたたえ。
I see two different ways of parsing the adjective phrase describing the ...
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は and を with Passive verb
Why does を show the nuance of the speaker being prejudiced in this ?
Example:
With は
窓は田中さんに開けられた
The window was opened by Tanaka
With を
田中さんに窓を開けられた
Tanaka opened the window [and now I am ...
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