Grammar

Using Passive Tense with 被 (bèi)

Sep 3, 2024

Purpose: This pattern is commonly used to express the passive voice.

Basic Structure

In a passive sentence using , the structure is as follows:

Subject + 被 + Agent + Verb + (Object)

The Subject is the recipient of the action, and the Agent is the one who performs the action.


  • Example of active sentences (without ):


    我打碎了杯子。 (I broke the glass


  • Same example as passive sentence (using ):


    杯子被我打碎了。 (The cup was broken by me.)
    
    杯子被打碎了。 (The cup is broken.)



No Specific Agent

Sometimes, you can use the structure without specifying who performed the action. In such cases, the focus is on the result rather than the cause.


Example:

我的相机被借走了。 (My camera was borrowed.)
  
文件被删除了。 (The file was deleted.)
  
背包被偷了。 (The backpack was stolen



Complements

After the verb, you’ll often find a complement (such as , indicating completion) following .


Example:

小猫被车撞伤了。 (The kitten was hit by a car and injured.)
  
零食被我吃完了。 (Snacks were eaten by me completely



Negating 被 Sentences

To make the sentence negative, insert or 没有 directly in front of . Note that in negative passive sentences, you cannot use since the action didn’t complete.

Example:

昨天的派对我没有被邀请。 (I wasn’t invited to the party yesterday


Remember, practice makes perfect! Keep using the structure to express passive voice in Chinese.