Passive Voice in Japanese188

The passive voice is a grammatical construction that expresses an action as being done to the subject of the sentence, rather than by the subject. In English, the passive voice is formed by using the verb "be" followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example, the sentence "The teacher graded the papers" can be rewritten in the passive voice as "The papers were graded by the teacher."

In Japanese, the passive voice is formed by using the verb "受ける" (うける) followed by the 連用形 (れんようけい) form of the main verb. The 連用形 is the form of the verb that is used when it is used in conjunction with another verb. For example, the sentence "先生は論文を採点した" (せんせいはろんぶんをさいてんした) can be rewritten in the passive voice as "論文は先生に採点された" (ろんぶんはせんせいにさいてんされた).

The passive voice can be used in a variety of situations. It is often used to emphasize the recipient of an action, rather than the person or thing that performed the action. It can also be used to make a sentence more formal or polite. Additionally, the passive voice can be used to avoid blaming someone for an action.

Here are some examples of how the passive voice can be used in Japanese:
私は先生にほめられた。 (わたしはせんせいにほめられた。) - I was praised by the teacher.
この本は多くの人に読まれている。 (このほんはおおくのひとによまれている。) - This book is read by many people.
この問題は関係者によって検討されている。 (このもんだいはかんけいしゃによってけんとうされている。) - This issue is being considered by the relevant parties.
この書類は昨日提出された。 (このしょるいはきのうていしゅつされた。) - This document was submitted yesterday.
この会社は去年設立された。 (このかいしゃはきょねんせつりつされた。) - This company was established last year.

The passive voice is a versatile grammatical construction that can be used in a variety of situations. By understanding how to use the passive voice, you can improve your ability to express yourself in Japanese.

Additional Notes on the Passive Voice in Japanese

In addition to the basic rules of forming the passive voice in Japanese, there are a few additional things to keep in mind.
The passive voice can be used with both transitive and intransitive verbs. However, it is more commonly used with transitive verbs.
The passive voice can be used in all tenses. However, it is most commonly used in the present and past tenses.
The passive voice can be used with both animate and inanimate subjects. However, it is more commonly used with inanimate subjects.
The passive voice can be used to form compound verbs. For example, the verb "受ける" (うける) can be combined with the verb "くれる" (くれる) to form the compound verb "受け取る" (うけとる), which means "to receive."

By understanding these additional rules, you can use the passive voice in Japanese more effectively.

2024-12-24

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