Level Upper-Intermediate Chinese · HSK 4
Spoken Patterns: 叫 and 让 Passives, 替 / 帮 / 给 and 随手
Spoken Mandarin has its own versions of several structures you first learned in a neutral form. 被 is the standard passive; in conversation people often use 叫 or 让 instead. 'For someone' can be 给, 帮 or 替, each with a slightly different idea.
叫 and 让 passives
叫 (jiào) and 让 (ràng) can replace 被 in speech: 我的自行车叫人偷了 (my bike got stolen). Like 被, they usually describe something unwelcome. Unlike 被, they need an agent after them: you can say 被偷了 but not 叫偷了. If you don't know who did it, use 人 (someone).
The verb usually has a result or 了 after it, as with 被.
| Word | Register | Agent required? |
|---|---|---|
| 被 | neutral, written and spoken | no |
| 叫 | spoken | yes |
| 让 | spoken | yes |
| 给 | spoken (covered at C1) | no |
我的伞叫风吹跑了。
Wǒ de sǎn jiào fēng chuīpǎo le.
My umbrella got blown away by the wind.
蛋糕让弟弟吃完了。
Dàngāo ràng dìdi chīwán le.
The cake got eaten up by my little brother.
替, 帮 and 给 + person + verb
给 (gěi) + person + verb is 'for (the benefit of)': 给妈妈打电话 (call Mum). 帮 (bāng) + person + verb is 'help someone (do)': 帮我拿一下 (hold this for me). 替 (tì) + person + verb is 'in someone's place': 替我向他问好 (say hello to him for me), 我替你去 (I'll go instead of you).
随手 (suíshǒu) means 'while you're at it, as you go': 随手关灯 (turn the lights off as you leave).
你出去的时候随手关一下门。
Nǐ chūqu de shíhou suíshǒu guān yíxià mén.
Shut the door behind you as you go out.
我今天不舒服，你能替我去开会吗？
Wǒ jīntiān bù shūfu, nǐ néng tì wǒ qù kāi huì ma?
I'm not well today; could you go to the meeting in my place?
Common mistakes
✗我的钱包叫偷了。
✓我的钱包叫人偷了。
Wǒ de qiánbāo jiào rén tōu le.
叫 and 让 passives need an agent. If it's unknown, use 人; or switch to 被偷了.
✗我的作业叫狗吃。
✓我的作业叫狗吃了。
Wǒ de zuòyè jiào gǒu chī le.
Like 被, a 叫 or 让 passive reports a completed event: the verb needs 了 or a result after it.
✗你能帮忙我吗？
✓你能帮我一下吗？
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ yíxià ma?
帮忙 already contains its object (忙), so it can't take another one. Use 帮 + person, or 帮我个忙.
Questions learners ask
How do I know whether 让 means 'let' or a passive?
Context and the verb's ending. A passive 让 sentence has the undergoer as subject and a result (吃完了, 吹跑了); a causative 让 sentence has the person who allows or makes something happen.
Are 叫 and 让 passives used in writing?
Rarely. Writing uses 被, and at C1 the formal 为…所.
Practice this in lessons
The Upper-Intermediate Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.
Practice this in lessons →- Got Blown Away: 叫 and 让 Passives · Upper-Intermediate Chinese
- Good Habits: 随手, 替 · Upper-Intermediate Chinese
Related grammar guides
- So Much That: 得 + Clause, 把…V得…, V着V着 and Paired Question Words · Upper-Intermediate Chinese
- Even, Especially, As If: 甚至, 尤其, 似乎 and 像…似的 · Upper-Intermediate Chinese