Korean grammar · Level 3 · 3급
피동 (-이/히/리/기-)
Passive verbs
A passive verb tells you what happens to something, not who does it: 제가 창문을 열었어요 (I opened the window) → 창문이 열렸어요 (the window opened). The thing becomes the subject with 이/가, and the doer usually disappears. You make the passive by adding 이, 히, 리 or 기 to the stem; which one has to be learnt word by word, and not every verb has a passive.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -이- | 보다 → 보이다 · 놓다 → 놓이다 · 쓰다 → 쓰이다 | 산이 보여요 |
| -히- | 닫다 → 닫히다 · 막다 → 막히다 · 잡다 → 잡히다 | 길이 막혀요 |
| -리- | 열다 → 열리다 · 걸다 → 걸리다 · 듣다 → 들리다 · 팔다 → 팔리다 | 문이 열렸어요 |
| -기- | 안다 → 안기다 · 잠그다 → 잠기다 · 쫓다 → 쫓기다 | 문이 잠겼어요 |
Examples
바람이 불어서 창문이 열렸어요.
The window blew open in the wind.
여기에서 바다가 보여요.
You can see the sea from here.
퇴근 시간에는 길이 많이 막혀요.
The roads are really jammed at rush hour.
Practise it in context · Level 3, Unit 8
The window was left open
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
Open the unit →