Causative-Passive (させられる)
Learning Objectives
- Understand the concept of the combined causative-passive form.
- Conjugate Group 1, Group 2, and Irregular verbs into this form.
- Learn the common 'shorthand' conjugation for Group 1 verbs (〜される).
- Use the causative-passive to complain about being forced to do an action.
You have learned the Passive (〜れる/られる: an action is done to you) and the Causative (〜せる/させる: making/letting someone do an action). Now, we combine them! The Causative-Passive (〜させられる) literally means “I was made/forced to do an action by someone.” It heavily implies reluctance or complaining. This is the ultimate “I didn’t want to do it, but I had to” form!
1. The Concept and Particles
In a causative-passive sentence:
- The subject (は/が) is the person who was forced to do the action (usually the speaker).
- The doer (に) is the person who forced the action to happen.
- The sentiment is almost always negative (reluctance, annoyance, or obligation).
私は母に野菜を食べさせられました。
watashi wa haha ni yasai o tabesaseraremashita.
I was forced to eat vegetables by my mother. (I didn't want to!)
子供の時、父に毎日勉強させられました。
kodomo no toki, chichi ni mainichi benkyou saseraremashita.
When I was a child, I was forced by my father to study every day.
学生は先生に教室を掃除させられました。
gakusei wa sensei ni kyoushitsu o souji saseraremashita.
The students were made to clean the classroom by the teacher.
Compare this to the standard causative:
- 母は私に野菜を食べさせた。 (Mom made me eat veggies - Focus on Mom’s action).
- 私は母に野菜を食べさせられた。 (I was forced to eat veggies by Mom - Focus on my suffering).
2. Conjugation
The conjugation is exactly what it sounds like: change the verb to the causative (〜せる), drop the る, and add the passive ending (〜られる).
Group 2 (Ru-Verbs)
Drop the る and add させられる (saserareru).
- 食べる (taberu) ➔ 食べさせられる (tabesaserareru - forced to eat)
- 見る (miru) ➔ 見させられる (misaserareru - forced to watch)
Group 3 (Irregular)
- 来る (kuru) ➔ 来させられる (kosaserareru - forced to come)
- する (suru) ➔ させられる (saserareru - forced to do)
私は先生に長い作文を書かせられました。
watashi wa sensei ni nagai sakubun o kakaseraremashita.
I was forced by the teacher to write a long essay.
彼は休みの日に会社へ来させられました。
kare wa yasumi no hi ni kaisha e kosaseraremashita.
He was forced to come to the company on his day off.
弟は母に買い物をさせられました。
otouto wa haha ni kaimono o saseraremashita.
My younger brother was made to go shopping by my mother.
3. The Group 1 Shortcut (〜される)
For Group 1 verbs, changing from U ➔ A + せる + られる gets very long and tongue-twisting. For example: 書く ➔ 書かせられる (kakaserareru).
Because this is a mouthful, most Group 1 verbs use a shortcut form.
Shortcut Rule: Change the final 〜u sound to the 〜a sound, and add される (sareru).
- 書く (kaku) ➔ 書かされる (kakasareu - forced to write)
- 飲む (nomu) ➔ 飲まされる (nomasareru - forced to drink)
- 待つ (matsu) ➔ 待たされる (matasareru - forced to wait)
- 帰る (kaeru) ➔ 帰らされる (kaerasareru - forced to go home)
[!WARNING] You cannot use the shortcut if the Group 1 verb ends in
〜す(su), like話す(hanasu). Why? Because changing it would make話さされる(hanasasareru), which sounds terrible with the double “sa”. For verbs ending inす, you must use the full form:話させられる.
友達に一時間も待たされました。
tomodachi ni ichi-jikan mo matasaremashita.
I was made to wait for an hour by my friend.
先輩にお酒を飲まされました。
senpai ni osake o nomasaremashita.
I was forced to drink alcohol by my senior.
上司に歌を歌わされました。
joushi ni uta o utawasaremashita.
I was made to sing a song by my boss.
4. Cultural Insight: Workplace Hierarchy and the Causative-Passive
In the Japanese workplace, the causative-passive form is a common way to express the realities of hierarchical relationships (senpai-kouhai or joushi-buka).
- Social Obligation: Many tasks that aren’t strictly part of a job description—such as staying late, attending drinking parties (nomikai), or performing at company events—are often described using the causative-passive. This reflects the pressure to comply with group harmony (wa) even when reluctant.
- Venting and Empathy: Using this form among colleagues often serves as a way to vent frustration while seeking empathy. If a coworker says
残業させられた(I was made to work overtime), it acknowledges that the situation was out of their control, making it easier for others to offer sympathy.
However, be careful! Using this form when talking to your superior about something they made you do would be highly inappropriate, as it explicitly highlights your reluctance and annoyance.
Contextual Dialogues
Let’s see Tanaka and Suzuki complaining about their work tasks.
田中さん、もう帰るんですか。お疲れ様です。
Tanaka-san, mou kaeru n desu ka. Otsukaresama desu.
Tanaka-san, are you going home now? Good work today.
お疲れ様。実は今日、一日中立たされて仕事をしたんです。足が疲れました。
Otsukaresama. Jitsu wa kyou, ichinichijuu tatasarete shigoto o shita n desu. Ashi ga tsukaremashita.
Good work. Actually, today I was made to stand and work all day. My legs are tired.
えっ？立たされたんですか。課長に？
E? Tatasareta n desu ka. Kachou ni?
Eh? Forced to stand? By the section manager?
はい。倉庫の椅子が足りないと言われて……。
Hai. Souko no isu ga tarinai to iwarete......
Yes. They told me there were not enough chairs in the storage room.
それはひどいですね。私は今、英語のメールを書かされています。帰りたいです。
Sore wa hidoi desu ne. Watashi wa ima, eigo no meeru o kakasarete imasu. Kaeritai desu.
That is terrible. As for me, I am being forced to write English emails now. I want to go home.
鈴木さんも大変ですね。頑張ってください！
Suzuki-san mo taihen desu ne. Ganbatte kudasai!
You are having a tough time too. Do your best!
ねえ、どうしてそんなに遅かったの？
Nee, doushite sonna ni osokatta no?
Hey, why are you so late?
先生に放課後残らされて、体育館を掃除させられたの。
Sensei ni houkago nokorasarete, taiikukan o souji saserareta no.
I was made to stay after school by the teacher to clean the gym.
それは大変だったね。僕も数学の宿題をやり直させられたよ。
Sore wa taihen datta ne. Boku mo suugaku no shukudai o yarinaosaserareta yo.
That's rough. I was also made to redo my math homework.
お互いに大変な日だったね。アイスでも食べに行こう。
Otagai ni taihen na hi datta ne. Aisu demo tabe ni ikou.
It seems we both had a bad day. Let's go get some ice cream.
いいよ！君を待たされたんだから、君のおごりね！
Ii yo! Kimi o matasareta n da kara, kimi no ogori ne!
Sounds good! I was made to wait for you, so you're buying!
Chapter Summary
- 1The causative-passive means 'was forced to do' and carries a nuance of reluctance or suffering.
- 2The person forced to act is the subject (私は). The person who forced them is marked with に.
- 3Conjugation is Verb-Causative + られる (e.g., 食べさせられる).
- 4Group 1 verbs usually use the shorter Verb-a + される form (飲む ➔ 飲まされる).
- 5Verbs ending in 'す' (su) must rely on the long form (話す ➔ 話させられる).
Knowledge Check
Test your understanding of the Causative-Passive form!
Quiz
What is the primary function of the causative-passive form?