This grammar shows that someone or something receives an action. It means something is done to them. It can also show when something bad happens to someone.
Noun + は/が + <Noun + に> + Verb [passive form]Primary
Noun + は/が + <Noun + によって> + Verb [passive form]
This grammar shows that someone or something receives an action. It means something is done to them. It can also show when something bad happens to someone.
弟にケーキを食べられた。
My cake was eaten by my little brother. (implies I'm unhappy about it)
この事実はまだ誰にも知られていない。
This fact is not yet known by anyone.
社長は何時に来られますか。
What time will the president be arriving? (respectful)
子供に泣かれて、何もできなかった。
I was troubled by my child crying, and I couldn't get anything done.
この寺は五百年前に建てられた。
This temple was built 500 years ago.
This form often shows something bad happened to you. It is like saying "I got rained on." This means the rain bothered you.
The passive form is different from the potential form. For some verbs, they look the same. You need to look at the sentence to know the meaning. For other verbs, they look different. This makes it easier to tell them apart.
Watch out: Use "に" for the person doing the action in a passive sentence. For example, say "先生に褒められた" (praised by the teacher). Do not use "から" here. "から" is for getting something, like "先生から本をもらった" (got a book from the teacher).
Use this when you want to show that something happened to the subject. It makes the sentence sound formal. It is often used in news or science.
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