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Passive of trouble

have something (annoying) happen to you

Affected person は + doer に + (thing を) + passive

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The Japanese passive has a use English lacks: saying that something happened to you and you were put out by it. 雨に降られた, "I got rained on"; 弟にケーキを食べられた, "my little brother ate my cake (and I'm not happy)".

The affected person is the subject, the doer takes に, and the thing affected keeps を: 電車で足を踏まれた, "someone stepped on my foot on the train".

It works even with verbs that have no object, which English can't passivise at all: 赤ちゃんに泣かれて寝られなかった, "the baby cried (on me) and I couldn't sleep".

Compare 弟がケーキを食べた, a neutral report. The passive version tells the listener how you feel about it.

Examples

  • 帰かえりに雨あめに降ふられました。

    I got caught in the rain on the way home.

  • 弟おとうとに私わたしのケーキを食たべられた。

    My little brother went and ate my cake.

  • 電車でんしゃで足あしを踏ふまれました。

    Someone stepped on my foot on the train.

  • 夜中よなかに赤あかちゃんに泣なかれて、寝ねられなかった。

    The baby cried in the night, so I couldn't sleep.

  • 電車でんしゃで財布さいふを盗ぬすまれました。

    My wallet was stolen on the train.

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