Hello. I'm Keigo. I have a question for you. How are these two different? Do you know? A is "The teacher praised me."
That means I was praised by the teacher. Someone "did" something to me. B is "I praised the teacher." I "did" something to someone. Only one particle is different.
Only one verb ending is different. But the meaning is the opposite. This "-rareru" form. It's like a versatile actor in Japanese, playing three roles. Although the appearance changes slightly depending on the verb group, there are three grammatical roles.
🎭 The first is the passive voice. To "receive" an action. 💪 The second is potential. Meaning "can do." 👑 The third is honorific. Showing respect to superiors.
Today, you'll understand all three of these faces. Plus, even the "ranuki kotoba" that confuse Japanese people. All right, let's get started. First, please wait a moment.
The "-rareru" form has different conjugations depending on the verb group. The "rareru-kei" here is a collective term for passive, potential, and honorific. Group 1 For passive and honorific, change the ending "u" to "a" and add "reru." Kaku (to write) -> Kakareru (to be written).
Nomu (to drink) -> Nomareru (to be drunk). Hanasu (to speak) -> Hanasareru (to be spoken). For verbs ending in "u" like "kau" (to buy), use "wa." Kau (to buy) -> Kawareru (to be bought).
For potential, change the ending to the e-row and add "ru." Kaku (to write) -> Kakeru (can write). Nomu (to drink) -> Nomeru (can drink). Hanasu (to speak) -> Hanaseru (can speak).
Group 2 Remove "ru" and add "rareru." Taberu (to eat) -> Taberareru (to be eaten / can eat). Miru (to see) -> Mirareru (to be seen / can see). Okiru (to wake up) -> Okirareru (to be woken up / can wake up).
This part is extremely important. For Group 2, the passive, potential, and honorific forms are the same. You cannot determine whether "taberareru" is passive or potential from its form alone.
Context is key. I'll explain in more detail later. Group 3 Suru (to do) -> Sareru (passive / honorific) Suru (to do) -> Dekiru (potential) Kuru (to come) -> Korareru (passive / honorific / potential)
A complete list and practice problems are in the description box. Today, let's focus on how to use them. 🎭 First is "passive." Passive form. Imagine this. Monday morning.
You arrive at work and get a call from your boss. "My boss yelled at me..." How do you feel? Worst Monday ever, right? This is the passive voice. The important thing is the particle "ni."
In the passive voice, "ni" is used for the agent. Not "o." Let's look at a few more examples. Inu ni kamareta. I was bitten by a dog. Tomodachi ni warawareta.
I was laughed at by my friend. Sensei ni homerareta. I was praised by my teacher. Did you notice? The Japanese passive voice has a special nuance. It often includes feelings of "inconvenience" or "being affected negatively."
For example, "Ame ni furareta." In English, it means, "It rained on me." The sentence structure is passive, but the actual meaning is "I was troubled by the rain." "Kodomo ni nakareta."
The child cried. But I was troubled by it. This is called "meiwaku ukemi" (troublesome passive). In English, and also in Spanish, the passive voice primarily describes facts.
But the Japanese passive voice often conveys feelings of "inconvenience / being affected negatively" as well. That's a big difference from other languages. 💪 Next is "potential." Potential form.
It expresses "can do" or "cannot do." "Natto ga taberaremasu ka?" Foreigners who come to Japan are definitely asked this. Can you eat natto? That's what it means.
How to form the potential form. Group 2 Taberareru -> Mirareru. Group 1 Change the ending to the e-row and add "ru." Nomeru, hanaseru, kakeru.
Examples: Karai mono ga taberareru. I can eat spicy food. Nihongo ga hanaseru. I can speak Japanese. Oyogeru?
Can you swim? Here's a problem. "Taberareru." Is it passive? Or potential? The answer is: you judge it by context.
Tip 1: Look at the particle. "Ga" is often potential. This is typically the case in textbooks and exams. "O" can also be used for potential in conversation. "Ni" is often passive.
This rule is fine for now. You'll get used to the exceptions later. "Nihongo ga hanaseru." -> Potential. "Sensei ni homerareta." -> Passive. Tip 2: Consider who the agent is.
If it's "I can do ~," then it's potential. If it's "Someone did ~ to me," then it's passive. Particles and context. You can determine it almost entirely with these two.
There are minor exceptions, but for now, let's use these two as the base. 👑 The third role. Honorifics. This might be the biggest surprise. Look at this example.
"Korareta." It looks like passive, doesn't it? In this sentence, it's not passive, but honorific. When the subject is a superior, the passive form can sometimes be used as an honorific.
It's a way to express respect for the doer of the action. Example: Shacho ga korareta. The president came. Sensei wa nani o taberaremashita ka? What did the teacher eat?
Here's another interesting example. "Osake o yamerareta n desu ka?" This is a polite way to ask a boss or teacher, "Did you quit drinking?" This is the interesting part.
In Spanish, this is an A1/A2-level expression, meaning it's a beginner-level expression. However, in Japanese, it's honorific language taught at pre-intermediate level or higher.
Even for the same content, the difficulty differs greatly by language. How to distinguish passive and honorific. "Sensei ni ~ sareta" -> Passive. The teacher did something to me.
"Sensei ga ~ sareta" -> Honorific. Politely expressing the teacher's action. If the doer is marked by "ni," it's passive. If a superior is the subject and "ga" is used, it's honorific.
This is not an absolute rule, but for now we're learning practical ways to distinguish them. 🎁 All right, finally, a bonus track. "Ranuki kotoba" that even Japanese people get confused about.
"Tabereru" and "taberareru." Which one is correct? In exams, "taberareru" is the correct answer. However, in daily conversation, "tabereru" is commonly used. This is called "ranuki kotoba." It's a form where "ra" is omitted from the potential form of Group 2 verbs.
Taberareru -> Tabereru. Mirareru -> Mireru. Okirareru -> Okireru. Why did this happen? I mentioned it earlier, right? The passive and potential forms of Group 2 verbs are the same.
It's confusing whether "taberareru" is passive or potential. So more people started using the ranuki form for potential. This is to differentiate it from passive.
For example, at a zoo. "Koko de gorira ga mirareru." <- Formal. "Koko de gorira ga mireru." <- Colloquial. Both mean "Can see gorillas here." Both are understood.
What matters is context. A teacher might mark ranuki as incorrect on an exam. But your Japanese friends use ranuki every day. More important than which is correct, is which one to use in which situation.
"Ranuki kotoba" is a phenomenon of language change. It's rapidly spreading through manga, social media, and youth slang. Japanese is a living language. Do you remember the first question?
You know it now, right? A is passive. The teacher praised me. "Ni" indicates the agent. B is a regular active sentence. I praised the teacher.
Let's summarize the three roles of "rareru" and today's bonus track. 🎭 Passive "Joshi ni okorareta." (I was scolded by my boss.) Pay attention to "ni" as the marker of the doer.
💪 Potential "Karai mono ga taberareru." (I can eat spicy food.) It means "can do." First, focus on "ga." "O" can also appear in conversation. 👑 Honorific
"Shacho ga korareta." (The president came.) It politely expresses a superior's action. Pay attention to the subject. 🎁 Bonus: ranuki "Tabereru." (can eat) It's okay in colloquial speech, but not for exams.
Use them according to the situation. Use particles and context to distinguish them. If there is "ni" -> suspect passive. If there is "ga" -> suspect potential (safe for exams).
If there is "o" -> it can be potential in conversation. If the subject is a superior -> suspect honorific. If spoken language uses "~reru" -> it might be ranuki.
I have homework for you. In the comments, write a sentence using a "rareru" form you learned today. For example, "Sensei ni homeraremashita." (Passive) "Nihongo ga hanasemasu." (Potential) "Sensei, mo kaeraremashita ka?" (Honorific)
Anything is fine. I'll check them. I've put a practice sheet in the description box. Please review from there first. If you want deeper practice, and if you want to talk with me directly,
you can book a lesson via the Preply link in the same description box. Please subscribe to the channel too. See you in the next video. "Sensei ni homerareta." From today on, you won't make this mistake anymore, right?
All right then, ciao ciao.