As you have probably realized, learning Japanese sentence structures takes some practice. Many sentences sound more natural in the passive voice. Many words have nuanced meanings depending on how you use them. And, there are certain ways to refer to the people who are performing an action. That’s what you’ll learn in this lower intermediate Japanese article.

Learn the difference between the particles. neither and Kara and when to use them to refer to the one who performs the action in Japanese sentences. because we use neither Quite often, this article shows you how to talk about people’s actions in Japanese without being repetitive. Read this lower intermediate Japanese article to see how your Japanese really improves!

Vocabulary: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:

tsutsumi – “packages, wrappers”

keshikaran – “What a shame!”

choo – “super-, ultra-, hyper-“

kookyuu – “very expensive, high grade”

mushi suru – “ignore”

awakened tsume – “assortment”

i kimi – “That will teach you.” / “Someone got what they deserved.”

Grammar: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:

In passive sentences, we usually mark the person who performs an action with the particle neither. But, today’s article focuses on the cases where we use Kara to indicate that a person is performing an action. Please see the example below.

Today’s example:

Gomi-san kara o-seibo ga okurarete kimashita yo.

“Gomi-san sent a year-end gift.”

In this case, we use verbs like okuru (“send/submit”), watasu (“by hand”), gold ataeru (“give”) in sentence structures like “[doer A] Georgia [receiver B] neither [something] Oh + [verb].” If we reformulate this type of structure to make it a passive sentence using neither to mark a doer, we would use neither twice because we also marked a receiver with neither. In this case, we use Kara mark a doer instead of neither.

1. active sentence:

   Tanaka-kun wa boku ni meeru o okutta.

   “Tanaka smells me an email.”

2. Passive sentence:

   Meeru ga, Tanaka-kun kara boku ni okurareta.

   “Tanaka sent me an email.”

Training:

Asset: [doer A] Georgia [receiver B] neither [something] Oh + [verb]

Passive: [something] Georgia [doer A] Kara [receiver B] neither + [verb. passive]

 

Note: This is the case of verbs like:

1. okuru “send/submit”
2. watasu “by hand”
3. ataeru “give”

Examples:

1. Sensei ga Kitajima-san ni tegami o watashita.

   “The teacher handed a letter to Kitajima.”

2. Tegami ga sensei kara Kitajima-san ni watasareta.

   “The teacher handed a letter to Kitajima.”

3. Kurisumasu kaado ga tomodachi kara (watashi ni) okurarete kita.

   “My friend sent me a Christmas card.”

4. Shachoo kara toppu seerusuman ni medaru ga ataerareta.

   “The president gave a medal to the best sellers.”