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Hello to all of you hungry Japanese learners. We hope that you are ready for an incredible lesson today. We will be learning all about the Causative Passive voice in this lesson which is definitely a big impressive name.

This is the idea of combining the causative form “to make somebody do something” with the passive form “to have done something” to become the causative passive form “The be made to do something by someone else” 

This will be fairly tough to grasp as there is a lot of conjugation to master but once you get it, you can make it your best friend and get it working for you. We will try to make this as easy as possible by breaking today’s lesson down into the following sections:

1. We will look at the definition of the させられる form and learn how it can be useful for you in your Japanese communication.
2. We will look at how to form the causative passive verb form and also look at creating an example sentence with it.
3. We will look at some example sentences of the させられる form to help you get used to different usages

So let’s jump right into today’s online Japanese lesson and learn all about the causative passive form. 

The definition of the させられる form

Learn how it can be useful for you in your Japanese communication.

So let’s start off by looking at the definition. As we said earlier this is the idea of combining the causative form “to make somebody do something” with the passive form “to have done something” to become the causative passive form “The be made to do something by someone else”. This is called the しえきうけみけい in japanese and it is also known as the させられる.

It is used when you want to express that you have been made to do something by someone else. For example if you were made to do your homework by your mum, that is the perfect time to use it. 

We can create this form through conjugating the verb in the sentence so let’s look at how to do this now. 

How to form the causative passive verb form

Creating an example sentences

 Now depending on the verb group each verb will conjugate differently. However the easiest way to learn this is to master the させる verb form first and come back. If you have mastered that verb form then let’s have a look at this table as things now will be a lot easier.

So as you can see if you know all about the saseru form already conjugations are pretty easy. Let’s have a look now at how to form a sentence. 

かれに料理させられる
Kare ni ryouri saserareru
I am made to cook by him.

You can see in this sentence that the person you are made to do something by is marked with　に.

The verb at the end of the sentence is then conjugated into the causative passive form.

Simple, yet tricky. Let’s keep cracking on and look at some example sentences to give you more context.

Some example sentences of the させられる form

Get used to different usages 

Be sure to take note of the に marker so you can see who you are made to do something by. Also pay close attention to the verb ending and try to guess which verb group it is from. 

妻にしごとをやめさせられた。
Tsuma ni shigoto o yame saserareta.
I was made to leave my job by my wife

かれに3じかんもまたされた。
kanojo ni 3 jikan mo matasareta.
He made me wait over 3 hours.

まいにちちちにやさいをたべさせられる。
mainichi chichi ni yasai o tabe saserareru.
Every day, my father makes me eat vegetables.

Now we know this is a lot to take in so we are now going to give you a great little study tip so you can learn how to practice and master this form in your own time. 

Expressing “to be made to do” something in Japanese with the causative passive form.

This form is a combination of the causative and passive form and creates an incredibly long verb. That being said, today we are going to break this down into smaller digestible bites to allow you to grasp the concept step by step. We will first start by looking at the form and how it is conjugated, next we will look at some example sentences and then finally we will offer an effective study tip to ensure you don’t forget it in a hurry.

This is something you are really going to find challenging, but we will ensure that we will explain it as simply as possible.

What is the Japanese causative passive form (〜させられる ) and when can I use it?

The causative passive form is formed by combing the Shieki and Ukemi form in Japanese. That is the form of to make someone do something and the passive form. This translated into “made to do” and can be used in a wide variety of situations.

For example, if you wanted to tell someone that you were made to do your homework or maybe you were made to wear something you didn’t want to, that would be the perfect time to use the causative passive form.

We are now going to look at how to form the causative passive form so you can start conjugating the verbs you know.

How do you make a Japanese causative passive form verb

To create a saserareru させられる form verb you must first look at the verb in its specific verb group.

For group 1 the “iru / eru-verbs”  change the finalる with させられる.

For group 2 the “u-verbs” change the verb to its negative plain form and swapない for せられる.

For Group 3, well these are exceptions so just remember that:

する becomes させられる

くる becomes こさせられる

Now that we’ve got that down, look at the table below to see some real verbs being conjugated into the causative passive form. Pay close attention to their verb group.

Pay close attention to the different verb groups of each of the forms in the table. Try and come up with 10 examples with your own verbs from across each of the verb groups. This way you can get faster and more proficient at the conjugations of that causative passive verb form. We are now going to look at some example sentences so you can learn how to use this verb form in context.

JapaneseCausative passive form sentence examples

Here are a few examples of the causative passive form being used in context. Be sure to read these sentences aloud many time to help internalise the usage. 

仕事を辞めさせられた。
shigoto wo yamesaserareta.
I was forced to quit my job.

毎日母に野菜を食べさせられる。
mainichi haha ni yasai wo tabe saserareru.
Every day, my mother forces me to eat vegetables.

金曜日には家族のレストランで手伝わせられる。
kinyoubi ni wa kazoku no resutoran de tetsudawaserareru.
On friday, I am forced to help out with the family restaurant.

Now you should have a better understanding of how these are used in context. We are now going to look at an effective study tip to help you retain this new information. Make sure you follow the advice in the next section or the first part will have been for nothing. 

Effective Study Tip

A great way to get proficient fast when it comes to writing sentences in the causative passive form is to set a day aside when you only speak in this form. Think of every possible situation there could be in this form and just spend your day coming up with real or made up situations.

If you’re riding the bus come up with something like, “I was made to ride the bus” If you are walking down the street “I was made to walk to the store ” etc

This way you will learn the phrase by heart and will be able to use it without even thinking about it eventually.

So guys that’s the end of todays lesson. We hope that you have learnt a lot and are not too confused by this complex form. If you have any questions at all, please get in touch. Have an amazing day.

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