Expressing passive voice with "gei"

"给" can be used in the passive voice. It can either directly replace "被" or be used with "被." Compared with "被," "给" is more colloquial.

Only using 给

Structure

"给" can directly replace "被."

Receiver + 给 + The Doer + Verb Phrase

Examples

• 我 给 他 骗 了。Wǒ gěi tā piànle.I got scammed by him.
• 这么 好 的 机会 给 你 浪费 了。Zhème hǎo de jīhuì gěi nǐ làngfèile.You've wasted such a great opportunity.
• 菜 都 给 你们 吃 完了 吗？Cài dōu gěi nǐmen chī wánliǎo ma?You've eaten all the food?
• 孩子 都 给 你 宠 坏 了。Háizi dōu gěi nǐ chǒng huàile.The kid is totally spoiled by you.
• 这里 的 水 都 给 污染 了。Zhèlǐ de shuǐ dōu gěi wūrǎnle.The water here is all polluted.

Using 给 with 被

When using "给” in the passive voice, you can also use it with "被." The structure would then be "被...给…." In this structure, you must explain "the doer." "给" here is used to give an emphasis of the passive voice. You can find more information on this page 被.

Examples

• 我 的 电脑 被 小明 给 弄坏 了。Wǒ de diànnǎo bèi xiǎomíng gěi nòng huàile.My computer was broken by Xiao Ming.
• 妹妹 被 这个 电影 给 吓哭 了。Mèimei bèi zhège diànyǐng gěi xià kūle.My younger sister was scared to tears by this movie.
• 大家 都 被 这个 新闻 给 吸引 了。Dàjiā dōu bèi zhège xīnwén gěi xīyǐnle.Everyone was attracted by the news.
• 手机 不要 被 小偷 给 偷走 了。Shǒujī bùyào bèi xiǎotōu gěi tōu zǒule.Don't let a thief steal your mobile phone.
• 别 被 父母 给 说服 了，你 要 坚持 自己的 想法。Bié bèi fùmǔ gěi shuōfúle, nǐ yào jiānchí zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ.Don't let your parents convince you to stick to your own ideas.

See also

• Bei sentence
• Passive verbs with "shou"
• Ba sentence

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语虚词例释 (pp. 196) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版）(p. 464)→buy

HSK5