How to use the passive form to say "This flower was watered."


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.




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."




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."

