Chinese Grammar: Learn The Active Voice

Definition: In Chinese the active voice and passive voice are defined for two words: 把 (Bǎ) for the active voice and 被 (Bèi) for the passive voice, also you will see to continuation that order of words in Chinese is different to English.

Active Voice 把 - Ba

In Chinese and English in the active voice when the subject is who performs the action, but the form the write is completely different to English; here you can see as written in Chinese.

Subject + 把(bǎ) + Complement + verb

For convert the sentence to Chinese you must do the following:

Step one: The boy ate the fish.

Step two: The boy the fish ate.

Step three: The boy the fish eat. (remember that in Chinese the verbs do not change of tense)

Step four: The boy bǎ the fish eat. (point the word bǎ)

Step five: Translate words to Chinese

The boy = 这个男孩(Zhège nánhái)

the fish = 鱼(Yú)

eat = 吃(Chī)

Step five: And finally substituting the words

这 个 男 孩 把 鱼 吃

Zhège nánhái bǎ Yú Chī

The boy ate the fish.

Examples:

• I play soccer

• 我 把 足 球 玩

• Wǒ bǎ zúqiú wán

• My cousin went shopping

• 我 的 表 弟 把 购 物 去

• Wǒ de biǎo dì bǎ Gòu wù Qù

Passive Voice 被 - Bèi

Here the action taken by the verb is performed by a complement and not by the subject.

Complement + 被(Bèi) + Subject + verb

For convert the sentence to Chinese you must do the following:

Step one: The fish was eaten by the kid.

Step two: The fish the kid eaten.

Step three: The fish the kid eat. (remember that in Chinese the verbs do not change of tense)

Step four: The fish Bèi the kid eat. (point the word Bèi)

Step five: Translate words to Chinese

The fish = 鱼(Yú)

by the kid =到了孩子(Dàole háizi)

eat = 吃(Chī)

Step five: And finally substituting the words

鱼 被 到 了 孩 子 吃

Yú Bèi Dàole háizi Chī

The fish was eaten by the kid.

Examples:

• The juice was made by me.

• 果 汁 被 由 我 使

• Guǒzhī Bèi Yóu wǒ Shǐ

• The room was cleaned by me.

• 房 间 被 由 我 清 洁

• Fángjiān Bèi Yóu wǒ Qīngjié

Note: Verbs in Chinese are regular and never change according to the tense like they do in English. For example, in English, the variations of see (saw, seen, etc.) are simply 见 (Jiàn) in Chinese for all tenses.

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