Lesson 72: 合格させました！

N4 · Lesson 72 · 20 min — Review of Lessons 68–71: being done to, making/letting someone do, being forced to do, intransitive and transitive verbs (ている・てある), plus ていく・てくる

No new grammar in this lesson! We put Lessons 68–71 side by side: passive (〜れる・〜られる), causative (〜せる・〜させる), causative-passive (〜させられる), intransitive and transitive verbs, ている・てある, and ていく・てくる. In the questions, リン is Rin, 先生せんせい is Neko-sensei, 熊太くまた is Kumata, and くまや is Mr. Kuma's ramen shop.

After this lesson, you can:

• Use the passive to say “I was praised” and “I was scolded,” and also annoying things like “I got rained on” or “my food got eaten”
• Use the causative for “make/have someone do” and “let someone do,” and the causative-passive for “be forced to do”
• Tell intransitive and transitive verbs apart. Use ている for a resulting state and てある for “someone set it up on purpose”
• Use ていく・てくる for “bring,” “gradually become,” and “keep on ~ing from now”

We passed!

Mr. Kuma's cold is much better. February: JLPT results! (合格ごうかく = pass)

Passive: れる・られる. Causative: せる・させる. Forced to: させられる. Next: a cat guest with round glasses comes to the hotel...

The party at くまや

Rin uses です・ます with Neko-sensei and Mr. Kuma. Mr. Kuma speaks little and uses plain style. Tap each line to hear the Japanese.

Review word cards

• 合格ごうかくする (gōkaku suru): to pass (an exam)
• 試験しけん (shiken): exam, test
• ほめる (homeru): to praise
• しかる (shikaru): to scold
• 宿題しゅくだい (shukudai): homework
• 出だす (dasu): to take out, hand in; to give (homework)
• 作文さくぶん (sakubun): essay, composition
• 店長てんちょう (tenchō): store manager
• 休やすむ (yasumu): to rest, take a day off
• かざる (kazaru): to decorate
• 置おく (oku): to put, place
• 開あく (aku): to open (a door, a box)
• 開あける (akeru): to open (something)
• 閉しまる (shimaru): to close (a door, a shop)
• つく (tsuku): (a light) to turn on
• 箱はこ (hako): box
• はんぶん (hanbun): half
• 味見あじみ (ajimi): tasting, trying a bit
• パティシエ (patishie): pastry chef
• 発明はつめいする (hatsumei suru): invention
• がんばる (ganbaru): to do one's best

Grammar 1 / 4: Passive

Passive = “be ~ed.” Group Ⅰ: a-row + れる (書かかれる). Group Ⅱ: る → られる (食たべられる). する → される. 来くる → 来こられる. The person who does the action is marked with に.

• How to make it: three verb groups: Group Ⅰ: change the u-sound to the a-sound + れる: 書かく→書かかれる, しかる→しかられる, 出だす→出だされる. Group Ⅱ: る→られる: 食たべる→食たべられる, ほめる→ほめられる. Group Ⅲ: する→される (発明はつめいする→発明はつめいされる, a regular passive), 来くる→来こられる.
• Adversity passive: got ~ed (annoying): Someone's action upsets me: 先生せんせいに ケーキを 食たべられた (my cake got eaten). It even works with rain: 雨あめに 降ふられた (I got rained on, bad luck). English has only a few phrases like this (“I got rained on”), but Japanese uses this pattern a lot.
• によって: invention, creation: To say “who made it,” use によって: 電話でんわは ベルによって 発明はつめいされました. For everyday things like being praised or scolded, still use に.

• 先生せんせいに ほめられました。 — I was praised by the teacher.
• 先生せんせいに しかられました。 — I was scolded by the teacher.
• 雨あめに 降ふられました。 — I got rained on.
• 電話でんわは ベルによって 発明はつめいされました。 — The telephone was invented by Bell.

Grammar 2 / 4: Causative

Causative = “make someone do / let someone do.” Group Ⅰ: a-row + せる (書かかせる). Group Ⅱ: る → させる (食たべさせる). する → させる. Causative-passive = “be forced to do”: 〜せられる・〜させられる.

• How to make the causative: Group Ⅰ: change the u-sound to the a-sound + せる: 書かく→書かかせる, 休やすむ→休やすませる, 待まつ→待またせる. Group Ⅱ: る→させる: 食たべる→食たべさせる. Group Ⅲ: する→させる, 来くる→来こさせる.
• Two meanings: force / permission: 先生せんせいは リンに 作文さくぶんを 書かかせた (the teacher made Rin write) = force. 店長てんちょうは 熊太くまたを 休やすませた (the manager let Kumata rest) = permission. Use the context to tell which one.
• Causative-passive: be forced to: Causative + られる: 書かかせられる, 食たべさせられる, 勉強べんきょうさせられる. Group Ⅰ (a-row + せられる) is often shortened to a-row + される: 書かかされる, 待またされる (be forced to wait). Verbs ending in す can't be shortened: 話はなす→話はなさせられる. Careful: する→される as in 発明はつめいされる is a regular passive, not “forced.”

• 先生せんせいは 学生がくせいに 作文さくぶんを 書かかせました。 — The teacher made the students write essays.
• 店長てんちょうは 熊太くまたを 休やすませました。 — The manager let Kumata rest.
• 毎日まいにち 先生せんせいに 勉強べんきょうさせられました。 — I was made to study by the teacher every day.
• 駅えきで 一時間いちじかん 待またされました。 — I was made to wait an hour at the station.

Grammar 3 / 4: Verb pairs

Intransitive (が): something changes by itself. Transitive (を): someone does something to it. Intransitive + ている = the resulting state. Transitive + てある = someone set it up on purpose and it stays that way.

• Intransitive vs. transitive: Intransitive verbs use が and say what happens to a thing by itself: ドアが 開あく. Transitive verbs use を and say what someone does to it: ドアを 開あける. Common pairs: 開あく／開あける, 閉しまる／閉しめる, つく／つける.
• Intransitive + ている: resulting state: The change is finished and the result continues: 電気でんきが ついて います (the light is on), 店みせが 閉しまって います (the shop is closed). It does not mean “is closing.” It means “is in the closed state.”
• Transitive + てある: prepared on purpose: Someone did it for a reason and it stayed that way: ケーキが 置おいて ある (someone put a cake there), 窓まどが 閉しめて ある (someone has closed the window). The thing usually takes が here (を is possible too, but beginners should learn が first).

• ドアが 開あきました。 — The door opened.
• ドアを 開あけました。 — (I) opened the door.
• 電気でんきが ついて います。 — The light is on.
• 窓まどが 閉しめて あります。 — The window has been closed (by someone).

Grammar 4 / 4: ていく・てくる

て-form + くる: bring (here); has gradually become ~ (up to now). て-form + いく: take (away); will keep ~ing (from now on).

• Movement: 〜て くる／〜て いく: 持もって くる (bring), 持もって いく (take along). 〜て きます can also mean “go do something and come back”: ジュースを 買かって きます. If you will not come back, or are taking it somewhere else, say 買かって いきます (buy it and take it there).
• Change: 〜て きた: Slow change from the past up to now: 元気げんきに なって きた, あたたかく なって きた.
• Change: 〜て いく: Change that continues from now into the future: この 町まちも 変かわって いく (this town will keep changing, too).

• ケーキを 持もって きました。 — I brought a cake.
• ジュースを 買かって きます。 — I'll go buy a juice and come back.
• 日本語にほんごが 上手じょうずに なって きました。 — My Japanese has been getting better.
• これから 寒さむく なって いきます。 — It will keep getting colder.