As you know, in many cases the passive voice is preferred to the active voice in Japanese. In fact, it might seem unnatural to say, “Ryan asked me to go out on a date.” Instead, he would say, “Ryan asked me to go out on a date.” This may seem unusual, but you should be familiar with it because it is an integral part of the Japanese language. This Lower Intermediate-level Japanese article focuses on all kinds of passive expressions. You will learn how to form natural-sounding Japanese sentences using watashi as a subject. As a bonus, find out what the popular “troubled passive voice” is and how to use it to show empathy. As always, apply Japanese in this Lower Intermediate Japanese article to your life with the many examples and vocabulary words that you will be able to use every day.

Vocabulary: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:

shichimenchoo– “Turkey”

sankusu gibingu – “Thanksgiving”

kanshasai – “Thanksgiving”

kitai – “expectation”

tsurete iku – “take a living being somewhere”

tanoshimi – “enjoyment, pleasure, desire to”

Shuppatsu – “departure, departure”

shimeru – “strangle”

hane – “feather, wing”

oobun – “oven”

roosuto taakii – “roast turkey”

noojoo – “farm”

noofu – “farmer, peasant”

Grammar: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:

Today’s lesson focuses on various passive expressions.

Active voice vs. Passive voice

In Japanese, the sentences in which we use the speaker (watashi) as a theme, they sound more natural. In the following cases, the passive voice is more natural than the active voice.

Today’s examples:

1. Kanshasai wa, kimi ga hiiroo da to go-shujin-san ni iwarete imasu.

   Go-shujin-san wa, watashi ni kanshasai wa, kimi ga hiiroo da to itte imasu.

   “My teacher told me you were a hero on Thanksgiving Day.”

2. (Watashi wa, go-shujin-san ni) Howaito hausu to iwaremashita.

   “They told me they would take me to the White House.”

3. (Go-shujin-san wa, watashi ni) Howaito hausu to iimashita.

   “My master said they would take me to the White House.”

Passive voice when referring to an unspecified person

As in the example below, when the person performing an action is not a specific person, we generally use the passive voice. In this case, the one who performs the action may be a cook, who is not a specific person. So the passive voice would be more natural.

1. Shimerarete, hane or torarete, oobun ni irerareta, yakarete …

   “They’ll strangle it, pluck its feathers, put it in the oven, and then bake it.”

2. Active:

   “A cook will strangle it, pluck its feathers, put it in the oven and bake it.”

Disturbed passive voice

Today’s bond has another example: the indirect passive voice, which we call “the troubled passive.” A direct passive voice does not have an easy English equivalent; however, it has a similar meaning to the colloquial form “get up and do something to me” (see example below). We use it to indicate that an influence (often negative) has had some effect on the subject (usually human). This passive form is often called “the troubled passive” (meiwaku no ukemi) because we often use this form when the speaker shows empathy for something that happened to the subject that is out of their control range.

Bonus example:

1. (Watashi wa, shichimenchoo ni) nigerareta.

   “The turkey got up and left me.”

More examples:

1. Boku wa, love nor furarete, nurete shimatta.

   “It rained on me and I got wet.”

2. Densha no naka de, kodomo nor nakarete komatta.

   “On the train, I was worried because my children were crying.”

3. Kanojo wa, musuko ni iede sareta.

   “(I’m sorry that) She left home.”