Expressing passive voice with "gei"

给 can be used in passive voice constructions. It can either directly replace 被 or be used together with 被. Compared with 被, 给 is more colloquial and is not used in written language.

Only using 给

Structure

给 can directly replace 被 in the original passive pattern.

Receiver + 给 + The Doer + Verb Phrase

Examples

• 我 给 他 骗 了。Wǒ gěi tā piàn le.I got scammed by him.
• 这么 好 的 机会 给 你 浪费 了。Zhème hǎo de jīhuì gěi nǐ làngfèi le.Such a great opportunity has been wasted by you.
• 菜 都 给 你们 吃 完了 吗？Cài dōu gěi nǐmen chī wán le ma?All the food has been finished off by you guys?
• 孩子 都 给 你 宠 坏 了。Háizi dōu gěi nǐ chǒng huài le.That kid is totally spoiled by you.
• 这里 的 水 都 给 污染 了。Zhèlǐ de shuǐ dōu gěi wūrǎn le.The water here is all polluted.

Using 给 with 被

When using 给 in the passive voice, you can also use it with 被. In this structure 给 gives emphasis to the passive voice. You can find more information at: Advanced uses of 被.

Structure

Receiver + 给 + The Doer + 给 + Verb Phrase

Examples

• 我 的 电脑 被 小明 给 弄坏 了。Wǒ de diànnǎo bèi Xiǎo Míng gěi nòng huài le.My computer was broken by Xiao Ming.
• 妹妹 被 这个 电影 给 吓哭 了。Mèimei bèi zhège diànyǐng gěi xià kū le.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 xīyǐn le.Everyone was attracted by the news.
• 手机 不要 被 小偷 给 偷走 了。Shǒujī bùyào bèi xiǎotōu gěi tōu zǒu le.Don't let your cell phone get stolen by a thief.
• 别 被 父母 给 说服 了，你 要 坚持 自己 的 想法。Bié bèi fùmǔ gěi shuōfú le, nǐ yào jiānchí zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ.Don't be persuaded by parents! You need to stick to your own ideas.

See also

• Bei sentence
• Advanced uses of 被
• 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