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be made to do
Definition
The grammar pattern ～させられる is used to express being forced to do something against one's will. It implies that someone or something is causing you to do something that you do not want to do. This pattern is often used to describe situations where you are being coerced or pressured into doing something. For example, if someone is forcing you to eat a food that you dislike, you can say "母に嫌いな野菜を食べさせられました" (I was forced to eat the food that I dislike by my mother).
Structure
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Godan verbs (not ending in 'su') | a + saserareru (shortened to a + sareru for some verbs) | kaku (to write) -> kakasareru (to be forced to write) |
| Ichidan verbs | replace 'ru' with 'saserareru' | taberu (to eat) -> tabesaserareru (to be forced to eat) |
Examples
子供の時、母に嫌いな野菜を食べさせられました。
Kodomo no toki, haha ni kirai na yasai o tabesaseraremashita.
When I was a child, my mother forced me to eat the food that I dislike.
子供の時 (when I was a child), 母に (by my mother), 嫌いな野菜 (the food that I dislike), を食べさせられました (was forced to eat)
昨日は残業をさせられ、疲れました。
Kinou wa nagoyou o saserare, tsukaremashita.
Yesterday, I was forced to work overtime and I was tired.
昨日は (yesterday), 残業を (to work overtime),させられ (was forced to), 疲れました (was tired)
駅で１時間も待たせられました。
Eki de 1 jikan mo matte saseraremashita.
I was forced to wait for 1 hour at the station.
駅で (at the station), １時間も (for 1 hour), 待たせられました (was forced to wait)
Context
The grammar pattern ～させられる is used to express a sense of coercion or pressure. It is often used in situations where someone or something is forcing you to do something that you do not want to do. This pattern is similar to the simple causative pattern ～させる, but it implies a stronger sense of coercion. For example, if you say "母に野菜を食べさせた" (I made my mother eat the food), it implies that you are the one who is causing her to eat the food, whereas if you say "母に野菜を食べさせられました" (I was forced to eat the food by my mother), it implies that you are being coerced into eating the food.
Watch out
The main difference between the two patterns is the level of coercion implied. ～させられる implies a stronger sense of coercion, whereas ～させる implies a weaker sense of causation.
The pattern 'saserareru' is specifically used to express coercion, whereas 'sareru' is used to express passive or causative-passive.
Strategy
When taking the JLPT, pay close attention to the context and the level of coercion implied. If the sentence implies a strong sense of coercion, use ～させられる. If the sentence implies a weaker sense of causation, use ～させる.
In context
Worked examples drawn from JLPT N4 test-style questions. Each sentence shows ～させられる used correctly, with a brief note on what the pattern is doing.
子供の時、母に嫌いな野菜を食べさせられました。
Pattern used: 食べさせられました
'Tabesaserareru' indicates the speaker was forced to eat vegetables by their mother.
昨日は残業をさせられて、疲れました。
Pattern used: させられて
The speaker was forced to do overtime, so the causative-passive 'saserareru' is appropriate.
駅で１時間も待たされました。
Pattern used: 待たされました
'Matasareru' is the shortened causative-passive of 'matsu', meaning being made to wait.
Interactive
子供の時、母に嫌いな野菜を______。
Adaptive practice
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