被 Passive - Negative Connotation

In a normal sentence, you are the star. You do things. "I ate the cake." Simple, right? But in a 被 sentence, the cake becomes the star. The cake was eaten (by you). The focus shifts from the "doer" to the "receiver." In Chinese, the receiver of the action moves to the very front of the sentence. Then comes 被, followed by the person who did the deed. Finally, you add the verb. It sounds a bit backwards at first, but you will get the hang of it. It is like looking at a movie through the eyes of the victim instead of the hero.

1. 1Creating a 被 sentence is like building a sandwich. You just need to stack the layers in the right order. Here is how you do it:
2. 2Start with the Receiver (The person or thing something happened to).
3. 3Add the word 被 (bèi).
4. 4Add the Doer (The person or thing that performed the action).
5. 5Add the Verb (What happened?).
6. 6Add a Result or Particle (Like 了 or a complement to show the action is finished).
7. 7Example: 我的手机 (My phone) + 被 + 他 (him) + 拿走了 (taken away).
8. 8Total: 我的手机被他拿走了。 (My phone was taken by him.)

You should reach for 被 when you want to sound a little bit like a victim. It is perfect for real-world scenarios where things go wrong.

• Ordering Food: If the waiter gives your favorite dumplings to the next table, you might say your food "was taken" by someone else.
• Asking Directions: If your map was blown away by the wind, 被 is your go-to word.
• Job Interviews: If you were unfortunately let go from a previous job, you would use 被 to describe being fired.
• Daily Mishaps: Use it for broken phones, stolen bikes, or even being scolded by a boss.

Basically, if it feels like a "bummer," 被 is probably the right choice. It adds that extra layer of "I didn't want this to happen!"

Don't use 被 for happy accidents! If you were given a surprise gift or a promotion, 被 sounds very strange. You wouldn't say "I was given a gift" using 被 because it makes the gift sound like a punishment. Also, avoid using it for natural, neutral states. If you are just describing how something looks or where it is, stick to basic sentences. Think of 被 like a fire extinguisher. You only pull it out when there is a "fire" (a problem) to talk about. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes by overusing it, so don't feel bad if you do too!

The biggest mistake is forgetting the "result" at the end. In Chinese, a 被 sentence feels naked if it just ends with a verb. You can't just say 我的书被拿 (My book was take). You need to say 我的书被拿走了 (My book was taken away). Another common slip-up is putting the 被 in the wrong spot. Remember: Receiver first! If you put the doer first, you are back to a normal active sentence. Also, watch out for the "Doer." In English, we often say "The window was broken" without saying who did it. In Chinese, you can do this too, but it is much more common to include the doer if you know who it is.

You might hear words like 让 (ràng) or 叫 (jiào) used in passive sentences too. These are like the cousins of 被. They are much more informal and common in spoken Chinese. However, 让 and 叫 are a bit more neutral. They don't have that strong "this is a disaster" feeling that 被 has. If your friend accidentally ate your lunch, you might use 让. If a thief stole your wallet, you definitely use 被. Think of 被 as the serious, dramatic version of the passive voice.