70163
I would like to use the passive form in describing the fact that a flower has
been watered.

Is この花は水をやられた correct? What difference does この花は水がやられた make or would that be
incorrect?

A brief explanation of the use of が in passive phrases would also be
appreciated.
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2019-08-17T04:20:48.497
70161
2021-10-14T10:27:24.143
35058
question
translation particle-が passive-voice
How to use the passive form to say "This flower was watered."
You should say この花には水がやってある or この花は水がやってある.  
But この花は水をやられた and この花は水がやられた may be grammatically correct.  
この花は水がやられた may sound like another flower may be poured a kind of liquid apart
from water to.

> 私は腕を掴まれた。  
>  私は腕が掴まれた。

Both mean “My arm was caught.” But second one sounds like Another one’s leg or
hand may have been caught.
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2019-08-17T05:19:25.040
70162
2019-08-17T05:19:25.040
35021
70161
answer
We would say neither:

> 「この花は水 **を** やられた。」

nor

> 「この花は水 **が** やられた。」

for **two reasons**. These "sentences" sound far more unnatural and awkward to
native speakers than you could probably imagine.

Reason 1:

While the "grammatical" passive-voice form of 「やる」 is certainly 「やられる」, the
latter generally has a fairly _**negative**_ connotation. " _ **To have
something undesirable done (to you)**_ " is the usual meaning/nuance of
「やられる」.

Reason 2:

Inanimate subject -- 「この花」. It is not nearly as common in Japanese as it is in
English. Japanese-learners tend to use the inanimate subject in Japanese
because they tend to translate directly from their native languages.

Thus, while "This flower was watered." is a perfectly natural English
sentence, its literal counterpart 「この花は水をやられた。」 is not a sentence native
Japanese-speakers would ever form under normal circumstances. It is _that_
off. It sounds as if it were a big mistake to water that particular plant.

So, how would we say "This flower was watered."? I would use the **unmentioned
"I"** and say:

> 「この花には（もう）水がやってある。」 or
>
> 「この花には（もう）水をやりました。」

Notice both are in active-voice. The passive-voice simply would not work here
unless you wanted a stiff, wordy and unnatural sentence like:

> 「この花はすでに水を与{あた}えられています。」

You would sound like a robot (or Google Translate) if you said that.

> A brief explanation of the use of が in passive phrases would also be
> appreciated.

This is what I take you to be talking about.

> 「A **は** + **B** が + [passive-voice verb]」

means:

> "As for A, B has been ~~." ← B is part of A.

You can say things like:

「私 **は** 肝臓{かんぞう} **が** やられている。」 = "As for me, my liver is damaged."

↑ That is how you use 「やられる」.

「Aさんの家 **は** 、台風{たいふう}で屋根{やね} **が** 吹{ふ}き飛{と}ばされてしまった。」 = "As for A's house,
its roof has been blown off by the typhoon."
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-17T05:51:35.433
70163
2021-10-14T10:27:24.143
2021-10-14T10:27:24.143
70161
answer