What is the Causative-Passive?
The causative-passive is exactly what it sounds like: causative + passive combined into one form. It expresses being made to do something -- the subject didn't have a choice. "I was made to eat vegetables." "We were forced to run laps."
It's one of the longest conjugations in Japanese, but the meaning is straightforward. If causative is "someone makes/lets you do something," the causative-passive shifts the spotlight to the person on the receiving end -- the one who got forced. Our lesson on passive and causative covers the full picture of how these forms interact.
Conjugation Rules
U-verbs (Group I)
Change the final う-row sound to its あ-row equivalent, then add せられる:
| Dictionary | Causative-Passive |
|---|---|
| 買う (kau) | 買わせられる |
| 書く (kaku) | 書かせられる |
| 泳ぐ (oyogu) | 泳がせられる |
| 飲む (nomu) | 飲ませられる |
| 待つ (matsu) | 待たせられる |
Verbs ending in す: change す to さ + せられる:
| Dictionary | Causative-Passive |
|---|---|
| 話す (hanasu) | 話させられる |
| 押す (osu) | 押させられる |
Ru-verbs (Group II)
Drop る, add させられる:
| Dictionary | Causative-Passive |
|---|---|
| 食べる (taberu) | 食べさせられる |
| 見る (miru) | 見させられる |
Irregular Verbs
| Dictionary | Causative-Passive |
|---|---|
| する | させられる |
| 来る (kuru) | こさせられる |
The Shortened Form
Those causative-passive forms are quite a mouthful. In everyday speech, u-verbs (except those ending in す) often get shortened. The せられる contracts to される:
| Full Form | Shortened |
|---|---|
| 書かせられる | 書かされる |
| 飲ませられる | 飲まされる |
| 買わせられる | 買わされる |
| 泳がせられる | 泳がされる |
The shortened form is very common in conversation. You'll want to recognize both, but you'll hear the short version more often.
Note: す-ending verbs can't use the shortened form. 話させられる stays as is -- it doesn't become 話さされる.
The Basic Pattern
Topic は Maker に Verb(causative-passive)
Notice the perspective is flipped from the causative pattern. The person being forced is now the subject:
- Causative: 母は私に野菜を食べさせた。 (Mom made me eat veggies.)
- Causative-passive: 私は母に野菜を食べさせられた。 (I was made to eat veggies by Mom.)
Same event, different focus. Causative-passive always centers the person who got forced.
Example Sentences
-
毎日野菜を食べさせられた。 (mainichi yasai wo tabesaserareta.)
I was made to eat vegetables every day. -
上司に残業させられた。 (joushi ni zangyou saserareta.)
I was forced to work overtime by my boss. -
子供の頃、ピアノを習わされた。 (kodomo no koro, piano wo narawasareta.)
As a kid, I was made to learn piano. -
先輩に歌わされた。 (senpai ni utawasareta.)
I was made to sing by my senpai. -
２時間も待たされた。 (ni-jikan mo matasareta.)
I was made to wait for two whole hours. -
嫌な仕事をやらされている。 (iya na shigoto wo yarasarete iru.)
I'm being made to do work I don't like. -
新人は先輩に荷物を持たされる。 (shinjin wa senpai ni nimotsu wo motasareru.)
The newcomers are made to carry the luggage by the seniors. -
彼の話を聞かされた。 (kare no hanashi wo kikasareta.)
I was made to listen to his story.