When a sentence is in the passive voice, the subject and the direct object switch places. The direct object is promoted to subject, and the subject is demoted to a complement.
저기에 산이 보입니다. "The mountain is seen over there."
이 신문이 읽힙나다. "This newspaper is read."
The passive voice is formed with the help of the suffixes "이", "히", "리" and "기", which are added to the stem of the verb.
The choice of the suffix does not always depend on any rule. Thus, it is better to memorize passive forms.
|
Suffix |
Examples |
|
이 |
보이다 "be seen" 놓이다 "be placed, located" 쓰이다 "be written" |
|
히 |
먹히다 "be eaten" 읽히다 "be read" 잡히다 "be caught" |
|
리 |
팔리다 "be sold" 들리다 "be heard" 열리다 "be opened" |
|
기 |
안기다 "be embraced" 씻기다 "be washed" 감기다 "be wrapped" |
Examples:
저기에 산이 보입니다. "The mountain is seen over there."
이 신문이 읽힙나다. "This newspaper is read."
도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요. "The thief was caught by the police."
See Also: