How to say what something is made out of in Japanese using つくります and つくられます

Hey you lovely Japanese study people, how are you doing today? We are sure that you have woken up ready to explore some new Japanese concepts and what better place to start then with つくられます. Today we are going to learn to master the art of saying what something is made from. This is a really useful set phrase to know as the pattern is also transferable to other concepts too. 

“This house is made of stone” A study into the use of  つくります and つくられます

We are going to break down today’s online Japanese lesson into the following segments. 

1. We will look at the definition of つくられます and つくります and find out what they mean
2. We will learn about how to build “is made of” sentences and look at grammar behind it
3. Thirdly we will look at some Japanese sentences using つくられます and つくります to give you a deeper understanding. 
4. We will then look at an effect study technique you can use to make sure that you are practicing today’s verb and sentence patterns in the most effective ways 
5. Lastly we will offer a small summary so you can review notes and go over anything you might have missed, 

Ladies and gentlemen it’s time to get our study on. Sit back, get your reading glasses on and let’s jump in to todays online Japanese lesson on つくられます.

The definition of つくられます and つくります and how they are useful for your Japanese.

Let’s start with the basics.

In today’s lesson we are going to be looking at つくられます “to be made” and つくる “to make”. These are the same verbs but in different tenses. Mastering these verbs is going to allow you to say things like 

“The house is made of stone” 

“The tree is made of wood”

“I made the cake from sugar and flour” etc.

In the next section we will be learning about the grammar behind it and how to make sentences in more detail.

Let’s learn about how to build “is made of” and “to make”  sentences and look at grammar behind it

A focused look into the grammar and sentence structure. 

So we have two verbs to learn today 

つくります	tsukurimasu	To make	Active voice
つくられます	tsukuraremasu	To be made	Passive voice

The difference between the passive and active voice is that the active voice is an action made by you or someone else actively.

The passive voice is for use when something has been done by someone passively. 

For example here is a sentence in the passive voice.

いえ　は　いし　で　つくられます
Ie wa ishi de tsukuraremasu
The house is made of stone 

This is the main sentence form of today’s lesson. As you can see the translation reads “The house is made of stone “ It’s very much a passive nuance. 

In this sentence we have the topic marked by は then the material for the object. We then have the で particle after the material to identify that it is made “with” that specific material. Lastly we have the passive verb つくられます to say “IS MADE”.

Now let’s have a look at the active voice of the same sentences and see how the meaning changes.

いし　で　いえ　を　つくります
Ishi De Ie Wo Tsukurimasu
I make a house with stone 

In this sentence we have also changed the grammar so let’s take a look at that too. Firstly we dont have a topic which usually implies “I”.

Next we still have the material plus で so that part stays the same. 

Next we have いえ as the object rather than the subject with を after it signifying that something is about to be done to the said object or house. 

Finally we have つくります which means “to make”. This is a very active meaning to the sentence of “I make the house with stone” 

So you can see the main differences in these sentences. We are going to now look at some fantastic example sentences to help you get more used to the patterns. 

Some Japanese sentences using つくられます and つくります 

Let’s get a deeper understanding. 

Here are some example sentences in both the active and passive forms. 

Here we have a sentence with the passive voice, pay close attention to the verb form ending, it is in the past form changing “is” to “was”

いす　は　き　で　つくられました
Isu wa ki de tsukuraremashita
The chair was made of wood. 

Here again we have another past form passive sentence 

でんしゃ　は　てつ　で　つくられました
Densha wa testu de tsukuraremashita
The train was made of iron. 

In this final example we have an active form sentence for you to take a look at. Pay close attention to how を is used in the active.

プラスチックでゲームをつくります
Purasuchikku de ge-mu wo tsukurimasu
I will make the gaem from plastic 

Great job for getting this far! 

Now we are going to offer you a study technique that you can use to practically study today’s topic. 

An effect study technique 

Practicing today’s verbs and sentence patterns in the most effective ways 

The best way to master today’s grammar is through repetition of sentence patterns, specifically in the passive voice as it is more advanced. The passive form is such a useful form to master so you are going to wat to make sure you are putting more time into those sentences.

Take today’s sentence formula and tyro to make 4 – 5 sentences per day for the next 5 days in the passive form with “tsukuraremasu” This way you will be building up patterns in your brain and making sure you really get to know the form well. You will also learn many types of material words this way which is also super useful.

A small summary for review.

Let’s recap!

Remember that つくられます is passive and means “to be made” and つくる is active and means“to make”.

を is often used in the active sentences 

で is used to mark the item in which something is made of in both the active and passive.

Remember to make use of our technique to really master today’s topic.

Thanks guys and see you next time.

Learn Japanese Online with BondLingo

Recommend

bondlingo-learn-japanese”>

Do you know how to use chopsticks? – mastering 方法(ほうほう) and 方(かた)