Passive with 되다 and 받다
Korean Grammar 3
Course 3 · Chapter 3 · Passive with -되다, -받다 and -아/어지다
🔁 Passive with -되다, -받다 and -아/어지다 — 되다·받다·지다
Korean Grammar 3 2 (Passive Verbs: -이/히/리/기-) covered the suffix passive. Many verbs, above all the very large group of noun + 하다 verbs, take no such suffix. For these, Korean uses three helper verbs: -되다 (neutral), -받다 / -당하다 / -맞다 (the subject receives something, often unwelcome) and -아/어지다 (becoming and a general-purpose passive). This chapter shows each one and then gives a procedure for choosing among all the passives.
-되다: the passive of 하다 verbs
A noun + 하다 verb becomes passive by replacing 하다 with 되다. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject, and the agent, if named, takes 에 의해(서) or 에게.
| Active (-하다) | Passive (-되다) | Meaning of the passive |
|---|---|---|
| 사용하다 | 사용되다 | be used |
| 이용하다 | 이용되다 | be utilised |
| 발견하다 | 발견되다 | be discovered |
| 소개하다 | 소개되다 | be introduced |
| 결정하다 | 결정되다 | be decided |
| 금지하다 | 금지되다 | be prohibited |
| 완성하다 | 완성되다 | be completed |
| 해결하다 | 해결되다 | be solved |
Compare the pair:
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| 경찰이 사건을 해결했어요. The police solved the case. | 사건이 해결됐어요. The case was solved. |
| 회사가 새 제품을 소개했어요. The company introduced a new product. | 새 제품이 소개됐어요. A new product was introduced. |
| 학교가 휴대폰 사용을 금지했어요. The school banned phone use. | 휴대폰 사용이 금지됐어요. Phone use was banned. |
-받다, -당하다 and -맞다: receiving the action
These verbs mean "to receive" or "to suffer" and combine with a noun to make a passive meaning. The subject receives the action; the doer takes 에게 / 한테 (honorific 께).
| Pattern | Typical feeling | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| noun + 받다 | neutral or welcome | 칭찬받다 be praised · 사랑받다 be loved · 인정받다 be recognised · 초대받다 be invited · 허락받다 be given permission |
| noun + 당하다 | unwelcome | 무시당하다 be ignored, slighted · 거절당하다 be rejected · 사기당하다 be swindled · 체포당하다 be arrested |
| noun + 맞다 | unwelcome, informal | 도둑맞다 be robbed · 야단맞다 be scolded · 바람맞다 be stood up |
| Active | With 받다 / 당하다 / 맞다 |
|---|---|
| 선생님이 저를 칭찬하셨어요. The teacher praised me. | 저는 선생님께 칭찬받았어요. I was praised by the teacher. |
| 친구가 제 부탁을 거절했어요. My friend refused my request. | 저는 친구에게 거절당했어요. I was turned down by my friend. |
| 누가 제 지갑을 훔쳤어요. Someone stole my wallet. | 저는 지갑을 도둑맞았어요. I had my wallet stolen. |
In the last pair, 도둑맞다 keeps the object (지갑을) while the person who suffers the loss is the subject. This "possessor as subject" pattern is how Korean expresses what English says as "I had my wallet stolen".
-아/어지다: becoming and the general passive
With adjectives: "become"
Stem + -아/어지다 turns a quality into a change of state.
| Adjective | + -아/어지다 | Past 해요체 |
|---|---|---|
| 크다 big | 커지다 get bigger | 커졌어요 |
| 예쁘다 pretty | 예뻐지다 become prettier | 예뻐졌어요 |
| 좋다 good | 좋아지다 improve | 좋아졌어요 |
| 춥다 cold | 추워지다 get cold | 추워졌어요 |
With verbs: a passive or spontaneous sense
With a verb that has no suffix passive, -아/어지다 makes a passive: the action happens, with no agent in view.
| Active verb | + -아/어지다 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 만들다 make | 만들어지다 | be made, come into being |
| 이루다 achieve | 이루어지다 | be achieved, come true |
| 믿다 believe | 믿어지다 | be believable (믿어지지 않아요 "I can't believe it") |
| 나누다 divide | 나누어지다 | be divided |
Choosing a passive
| Step | Question | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is there an ordinary active verb or intransitive partner? (태어나다, 열리다) | use it |
| 2 | Does the verb take a suffix? (보다, 잡다, 팔다, 안다) | -이/히/리/기- |
| 3 | Is it a 하다 verb with a neutral sense? (사용하다, 해결하다) | -되다 |
| 4 | Is the subject receiving praise, trust, or an invitation? | -받다 |
| 5 | Is it something unpleasant done to the subject? | -당하다 / -맞다 |
| 6 | Is it a verb with no passive, or a change of state? | -아/어지다 |
🗣️ In Use — 실제 예문
Three exchanges with the helper-verb passives.
① A new rule (-되다)
② Praise (-받다)
③ Bad luck (-맞다)
📋 Quick Reference — 요약표
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| noun + 되다 | neutral passive of a 하다 verb | 사용되다, 결정되다 |
| noun + 받다 | receive (praise, love, an invitation) | 칭찬받다, 초대받다 |
| noun + 당하다 / 맞다 | suffer (unwelcome) | 무시당하다, 도둑맞다 |
| adjective + -아/어지다 | become | 커지다, 좋아지다 |
| verb + -아/어지다 | passive, spontaneous | 만들어지다, 믿어지다 |
✏️ Try It Yourself — 연습
Work out the answer first, then click to check.
1. Give the passive of 발견하다, 금지하다, 완성하다.
Show answer
발견되다 · 금지되다 · 완성되다
2. Turn into the passive: 회사가 새 제품을 소개했어요.
Show answer
새 제품이 소개됐어요.
3. Say "I was invited by my friend" and "I was rejected by my friend".
Show answer
저는 친구에게 초대받았어요. · 저는 친구에게 거절당했어요.
4. Give the past 해요체 of 커지다, 예뻐지다, 추워지다.
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커졌어요 · 예뻐졌어요 · 추워졌어요
5. Say "I had my bag stolen."
Show answer
가방을 도둑맞았어요.
6. Which is wrong, and why: 문이 열려요 or 문이 열어져요?
Show answer
The second. 열다 already has the suffix passive 열리다, so -아/어지다 is not added.
7. Say "I can't believe it" with -아/어지다.
Show answer
믿어지지 않아요.
8. Which is right: 돼요 or 되요?
Show answer
돼요 (되어요 contracts to 돼요).
9. Choose the passive for "The case was solved": 해결받다 · 해결당하다 · 해결되다.
Show answer
해결되다: 사건이 해결됐어요. A neutral 하다 verb takes -되다.