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TOPIK II · LEVEL 3

피동 -이/히/리/기-

The passive suffixes -이-/-히-/-리-/-기- turn some verbs into passives: the subject has the action done to it.

변화·피동·사동Change, passive & causative

Han: 팔다 has its own passive 팔리다; don't add -아/어지다.

Examples

바람 때문에 문이 열렸어요.The door opened because of the wind.
도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요.The thief was caught by the police.
창문으로 바다가 보여요.The sea can be seen from the window.

Don’t mix up

피동 -이/히/리/기-vs-아/어지다Many verbs without a passive suffix use -아/어지다 instead: 만들다 → 만들어지다, 쓰다 → 쓰여지다 is wrong (쓰이다 is correct).

How to build it

V-stem+이/히/리/기+다

보다 → 보이다, 잡다 → 잡히다, 열다 → 열리다, 안다 → 안기다

  1. Which suffix a verb takes must be learned word by word; not every verb has one.
  2. The doer, if mentioned, takes 에게/한테 (people) or 에 (things): 경찰에게 잡혔다.
  3. Common ones: 보이다, 들리다, 열리다, 닫히다, 잡히다, 팔리다, 쓰이다, 놓이다.

Classic mistake

Wrong: 이 책은 많이 팔아졌어요.

Right: 이 책은 많이 팔렸어요.

팔다 has its own passive 팔리다; don't add -아/어지다.

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