Causative-Passive | 'Was Made to Do'

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:

Verbs ending in す: change す to さ + せられる:

Ru-verbs (Group II)

Drop る, add させられる:

Irregular Verbs

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:

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(はな)させられる stays as is -- it doesn't become 話(はな)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(はは)は私(わたし)に野菜(やさい)を食(た)べさせた。 (Mom made me eat veggies.)
• Causative-passive: 私(わたし)は母(はは)に野菜(やさい)を食(た)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.