Ch 26 · Lesson 16Mandarin · Chapter 26 · Lesson 16 · Grammar primer
The spoken passives: 让, 叫, 给
What people say instead of : . and must name the doer ( if nobody knows who); casual can drop it, or stack after .
The short version
。Wǒ de chē ràng rén tōu le.
Why?Hide
In speech, (ràng) and (jiào) often stand where writing has (bèi): the thing affected, then (ràng), the doer, and the verb with a result. Unlike (bèi), they cannot drop the doer. When nobody knows who did it, put in (rén), someone.
。Wǒ de shǒujī gěi nònghuài le.
Why?Hide
(gěi) works like (bèi) in casual speech, and like (bèi) it can leave the doer out. It can also follow (bèi) or (ràng) straight before the verb, adding the feeling of English 'went and': (bēizi bèi tā gěi dǎpò le), he went and broke the cup.
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| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Wǒ de qián bèi tā názǒu le. | He took my money |
。 | Wǒ de qián ràng tā názǒu le. | Same, in everyday speech |
。 | Wǒ de qián jiào tā názǒu le. | Same, colloquial |
。 | Wǒ de qián gěi tā názǒu le. | Same, casual |
All four mean the same; what changes is how they sound:
- 被 bèi: speech and writing
- 让 ràng: everyday speech
- 叫 jiào or 给 gěi: casual speech
(bèi) works in conversation too, and in formal writing it is the one to use. Like , all three mostly report something unwelcome: theft, damage, a telling-off.
让 (ràng) and 叫 (jiào): name the doer
(ràng) is the everyday spoken passive. (jiào) does the same job and sounds more colloquial; it is heard mostly in the north, and many southern and Taiwan speakers use (bèi) or (gěi) instead:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Dàngāo ràng dìdi chī le. | My little brother ate the cake |
。 | Wǒ de chē ràng rén tōu le. | Someone's stolen my car |
。 | Bēizi jiào dìdi dǎpò le. | My little brother broke the cup |
。 | Wǒ de shǒujī jiào rén tōu le. | Someone's stolen my phone |
The one hard rule: after (ràng) or (jiào) a doer must follow. (bèi) can drop it; these two cannot. When nobody knows who did it, the doer is (rén), someone:
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | (ràng) needs a doer: (rén) |
。 | 。 | or switch to (bèi), which can drop it |
Without a doer, (ràng) reads as its day job, "let": (dàngāo ràng chī le) sounds like "we're allowed to eat the cake now".
给 (gěi): casual, and the doer can go
(gěi) is the casual one. Like (bèi), and unlike (ràng) and (jiào), it can leave the doer out:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Bēizi gěi tā dǎpò le. | He broke the cup |
。 | Wǒ de shǒujī gěi nònghuài le. | My phone's got broken |
(gěi) can also follow (bèi) or (ràng), straight before the verb. It adds no meaning, only a feeling, much like English "went and":
。(Bēizi bèi tā gěi dǎpò le.) - He went and broke the cup.。(Wǒ de qián ràng tā gěi názǒu le.) - He went and took my money.
Going further: The verb needs a result, and 没 (méi) goes first and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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