Giving-and-receiving, causative, and passive expressions

Causative-passive form 〜(さ)せられる

The form 〜(さ)せられる (使役受身(しえきうけみ, causative passive)) is used when the subject performs an action not of their own will, but because they are told or forced to do it by another party. The party who forces is marked with the particle 「に」, for example 先生に(せんせいに, by the teacher) or 母に(ははに, by one's mother). The meaning that almost always accompanies this form is a sense of reluctance, burden, or the speaker's dislike. Time expressions such as 一時間も(いちじかんも, for as long as a full hour) are often used to emphasize how hard that action was for the speaker.

How to form it:

• Group I verbs (五段, godan): change the dictionary ending to the -a form and add せられる. For verbs other than those ending in -す, the せられる form may be shortened to される. Examples: 書く → 書かされる(かかされる, made to write); 持つ → 持たされる(もたされる, told to carry); 話す → 話させられる(はなさせられる, made to speak).
• Group II verbs (一段, ichidan): drop る and add させられる. Example: 食べる → 食べさせられる(たべさせられる, made to eat).
• Irregular verbs: する → させられる; 来る → 来させられる(こさせられる, made to come).
• The 連用形(れんようけい, continuative form) 「させられ」 is used before ました or before the connective 〜て. Example: 「会議で課長に新しい企画を説明させられました」 (I was made to explain the new plan to the section manager at the meeting).
• For Group I verbs such as 「作らされる(つくらされる, made to make)」, the causative form 作らせる is changed into the passive 作らされる, so that 作ら is followed by され and then ました.

Differences from other forms:

• 〜させる (使役, causative): the subject makes another person do something. Example: 「子どもに部屋を掃除させた」 (I made the child clean the room). This form is not suitable when the speaker is the one forced, because the subject of the sentence is the party giving the order.
• 〜される (ordinary passive): the subject simply receives an action without the meaning of being told to do it. This form does not indicate who forces the action, so it often does not fit when a 〜に marking the forcing agent is present.
• 〜させてもらう / 〜させてくれる: the subject receives permission or an opportunity. The nuance is positive and contrary to a sense of being forced.

Some frequently seen expressions:

• 練習させられる(れんしゅうさせられる, made to practice) and 掃除させられる(そうじさせられる, made to clean) are often used for routine tasks that one does not like.
• 自己紹介させられる(じこしょうかいさせられる, made to introduce oneself) is used when someone is asked to appear in front of many people.
• 代わりに〜させられる(かわりに, in place of) expresses that someone is forced by circumstances to do another person's task.
• 残業させられる(ざんぎょうさせられる, made to work overtime) and 持たされる(もたされる, told to carry) are often used with 〜て to express a result, for example 〜て足が痛くなった (as a result, my legs began to hurt).

Placement of particles: in sentences with 〜させられる, the 「に」 marking the forcing agent is placed before the predicate, for example 上司に(じょうしに, by one's superior) right before 残業させられた.

Expressions of recollection such as 今では(いまでは, these days) or 〜ものだ (a habit of the past) also often appear with the past form 〜させられた to describe childhood experiences of being forced.

Passive 〜(ら)れる (adversative passive)

The passive 〜(ら)れる, used in the sense of 'being affected by something' (迷惑の受身(めいわくのうけみ), adversative passive), indicates that the subject suffers as a result of an unexpected event, usually a loss or a nuisance. The most typical pattern is 雨に降られる(あめにふられる, to get caught in the rain). Because rain has no will to act, the passive form 降られる is used to express the speaker's suffering, even though 降る itself is an intransitive verb.