Start with a question:
電車が遅れて、友達に30分も＿＿。
A. 待った B. 待たせた C. 待たされた D. 待たれた
The answer is C. 待たされた. "The train was late, so I was forced to wait 30 minutes by my friend" — I didn't wait willingly. That's causative-passive.
Causative vs Causative-Passive: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Causative means "making someone do something." Causative-passive means "being forced to do something." They describe the same event, just from different perspectives.
| Causative (させる) | Causative-Passive (させられる) | |
|---|---|---|
| Perspective | The one giving orders | The one being ordered |
| Feeling | I make you do it | I'm forced to do it |
| Subject | The commander | The one being compelled |
Three sentences describing the same situation:
-
山田は十時まで残業する。 → Yamada works overtime until 10. (Plain statement)
-
課長は山田を十時まで残業させる。 → The section chief makes Yamada work overtime until 10. (Causative: the chief's view)
-
山田は課長に十時まで残業させられた。 → Yamada was forced by the section chief to work overtime until 10. (Causative-passive: Yamada's view, unwilling)
Remember: causative can always become causative-passive, and vice versa. They're two sides of the same coin.
Conjugation Rules
Causative-passive = causative + passive. First make causative (させる), then passive (られる):
| Verb type | Dictionary | Causative | Causative-Passive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godan | 書く | 書かせる | 書かせられる → 書かされる |
| Godan | 待つ | 待たせる | 待たせられる → 待たされる |
| Ichidan | 食べる | 食べさせる | 食べさせられる |
| カ変 | 来る | 来させる | 来させられる |
| サ変 | する | させる | させられる |
Godan contraction: 「書かせられる」is long, so in spoken Japanese it's shortened to「書かされる」. Ichidan verbs can't be contracted.
Core Meaning: Unwillingness
The key nuance of causative-passive is reluctance — being forced against your will.
-
子供の頃、姉が着た洋服を着させられるのがとても嫌だった。 → As a child, I hated being forced to wear my sister's hand-me-downs.
-
彼らは以前、化学兵器の研究をさせられていたようだ。 → They were apparently forced to conduct chemical weapons research.
-
東京で暮らしていると、満員電車に乗ることにイライラさせられる。 → Living in Tokyo, being forced to ride packed trains is so frustrating.
Particle: に = The Person Forcing You
In causative-passive,「に」marks who forced you:
| Role | Particle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Forced person (subject) | は/が | 山田は |
| The one forcing | に | 課長に |
| Object of action | を | 残業を |
- 私は友達に30分も待たされた。 → I was forced to wait 30 minutes by my friend.
Compare:
- 友達が30分も待たされていた。 → My friend was forced to wait 30 minutes. (Subject changed!)
One particle difference, completely different meaning.
Self-Test
Q1. Fill in: 子供の頃、母に毎日ピアノを＿＿のが嫌だった。
A. 練習した B. 練習させた C. 練習させられた
Show answer
C. 練習させられた. Subject is "I," forced by mom to practice piano — unwilling = causative-passive.
Q2. Convert to causative-passive: 「課長は部下に週末も出勤させた。」
Show answer
部下は課長に週末も出勤させられた。 Perspective flips from commander to the one being commanded.
Summary
- Causative-passive = causative + passive, expressing unwillingness and coercion
- Causative and causative-passive are two sides of the same coin
- Godan verbs often use the contracted form in speech (させられる → される)
- Particle「に」marks the person who forced you