英語の受動態：作り方・使い方・能動態との使い分け
受動態は、「誰が行うか」から「何が起こるか・何が影響を受けるか」へと焦点を移します。学術的な文章、ジャーナリズム、公式な指示、日常会話で幅広く使われます。このガイドでは、すべての時制形、法助動詞との受動態、そして核心的な問い——いつ実際に使うべきか——を解説します。48例文を一覧するか、カテゴリで絞り込んでください。
48 items · 6 topics
"The report is written every week"
Someone writes the report weekly (present simple passive)
"The report is written every week by the marketing team."
"Mistakes are made"
People make mistakes — a general truth in passive
"Mistakes are made, but the important thing is to learn from them."
"The car is being repaired"
Someone is repairing the car right now (present continuous passive)
"The car is being repaired at the garage — it will be ready tomorrow."
"English is spoken here"
People speak English in this place
"English is spoken here, so you don't need a translator."
"The windows are cleaned every month"
Someone cleans the windows monthly
"The windows are cleaned every month by a professional service."
"The data is being processed"
A system or person is processing the data at this moment
"Please wait — the data is being processed by the server."
"New employees are trained online"
The company trains new employees via online courses
"New employees are trained online during their first two weeks."
"The package is delivered to the door"
A courier delivers the package directly to the door
"The package is delivered to the door within 24 hours of ordering."
"The letter was signed by the manager"
The manager signed the letter (past simple passive)
"The letter was signed by the manager before it was sent."
"The bridge was built in 1920"
Workers built the bridge in 1920
"The bridge was built in 1920 and is still in use today."
"The meeting was cancelled"
Someone cancelled the meeting
"The meeting was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict."
"The files were being uploaded"
Someone was uploading the files at a specific past moment (past continuous passive)
"The files were being uploaded when the connection dropped."
"He was arrested last night"
Police arrested him last night
"He was arrested last night and released this morning."
"The invoice was sent on Monday"
Someone sent the invoice on Monday
"The invoice was sent on Monday, but payment has not arrived yet."
"The rules were changed without notice"
Someone changed the rules without informing anyone
"The rules were changed without notice, which frustrated many employees."
"The project was completed on time"
The team finished the project by the deadline
"Despite the challenges, the project was completed on time and within budget."
"The problem has been fixed"
Someone has fixed the problem (present perfect passive)
"The problem has been fixed — you can log in again now."
"Three emails have been sent"
Someone has sent three emails so far
"Three emails have been sent, but we haven't received a reply."
"The report had been submitted before the deadline"
Someone submitted the report before the deadline (past perfect passive)
"The report had been submitted before the deadline, so we were not penalised."
"The decision has been made"
Someone has made the decision (finality implied)
"The decision has been made — we are moving to the new office in January."
"The contract has been reviewed by legal"
The legal team has reviewed the contract
"The contract has been reviewed by legal and is ready to sign."
"All tickets have been sold"
Buyers have purchased every available ticket
"All tickets have been sold — the concert is fully booked."
"The evidence had been destroyed"
Someone had destroyed the evidence before a later point
"By the time the police arrived, the evidence had been destroyed."
"The app has been updated to version 3.0"
The development team has released version 3.0
"The app has been updated to version 3.0 with several new features."
"This must be done today"
It is necessary for someone to do this today
"This must be done today — the deadline cannot be moved."
"The form should be completed in full"
It is advisable or required to fill in every part of the form
"The form should be completed in full before submission."
"The package can be collected at reception"
It is possible to pick up the package at reception
"The package can be collected at reception between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m."
"Mistakes could be avoided"
It was possible to prevent the mistakes
"With better planning, these mistakes could be avoided."
"The results may be published next month"
There is a possibility the results will be published next month
"The results may be published next month if the review is completed."
"This issue might be caused by the update"
The update is possibly the cause of the issue
"This issue might be caused by the latest update — we are investigating."
"The fee will be refunded within 5 days"
Someone will return the fee to you within 5 days
"The fee will be refunded within 5 days of your cancellation request."
"Your request cannot be processed"
It is not possible to process your request
"Your request cannot be processed without a valid ID number."
"It is said that prices will rise"
People say that prices will increase (impersonal reporting)
"It is said that prices will rise significantly next year."
"He is believed to be innocent"
People believe he is innocent
"He is believed to be innocent, and his lawyers are confident of an acquittal."
"It is reported that ten people were injured"
News sources report that ten people were hurt
"It is reported that ten people were injured in the accident on the motorway."
"The CEO is known to prefer email"
People know that the CEO prefers to communicate by email
"The CEO is known to prefer email over phone calls for formal decisions."
"It is thought that the policy will change"
Many people think the policy will be changed
"It is thought that the policy will change after the upcoming election."
"The suspect is alleged to have fled the country"
Authorities allege that the suspect has left the country
"The suspect is alleged to have fled the country on a private flight."
"It is estimated that 2 million people watched the broadcast"
Analysts estimate that 2 million viewers watched
"It is estimated that 2 million people watched the live broadcast."
"The drug is claimed to reduce cholesterol"
The manufacturer claims the drug lowers cholesterol
"The drug is claimed to reduce cholesterol by up to 30% within three months."
"The thief was caught (actor unknown)"
Use passive when you do not know or need not mention the agent
"The thief was caught late last night — police have not released a name."
"The vaccine was developed in record time"
Use passive to put emphasis on the result, not who did it
"The vaccine was developed in record time and approved by regulators."
"Visitors are asked to sign in at reception"
Use passive in formal instructions to sound impersonal and authoritative
"Visitors are asked to sign in at reception and wear a visitor badge at all times."
"The samples were heated to 200°C"
Use passive in scientific writing to focus on method, not researcher
"The samples were heated to 200°C and held at that temperature for one hour."
"Twelve people were made redundant"
Use passive when the speaker wants to avoid naming the responsible party
"Twelve people were made redundant as part of the restructuring programme."
"The policy is reviewed annually"
Use passive for ongoing institutional processes where no single agent is highlighted
"The policy is reviewed annually by the compliance committee."
"This tower was constructed in 1890"
Use passive in historical writing when the doer is less important than the object
"This tower was constructed in 1890 and remains the tallest building in the city."
"The active voice is preferred in most writing"
Know when to choose active — passive should be deliberate, not default
"The active voice is preferred in most writing because it is clearer and more direct."
よくある質問
英語の受動態はどのように作りますか？
受動態は「be動詞の適切な時制＋過去分詞（V3）」で作ります。例：現在単純形 — "is written"、過去単純形 — "was written"、現在完了形 — "has been written"、未来形 — "will be written"、助動詞付き — "should be written"。動作の主体（行為者）は "by" を使って加えることができますが、多くの場合省略されます。
受動態はいつ使うべきですか？
受動態を使うのは、(1) 行為者が不明な場合（"the window was broken"）、(2) 行為者が明らかか重要でない場合（"the suspect was arrested"）、(3) 行為者ではなく結果を強調したい場合（"the vaccine was approved"）、(4) 非人称性が求められる公式または科学的な文体で書いている場合です。
"was done" と "has been done" の違いは何ですか？
"was done" は過去単純形の受動態で、過去の特定の時点に完了した動作を指します（"The report was sent yesterday"）。"has been done" は現在完了形の受動態で、過去の動作が現在に関連することを強調します（"The report has been sent — we can proceed"）。過去の動作が今も重要である場合は "has been" を使います。
"it is said that" のような報告の受動態とは何ですか？
報告の受動態（非人称受動態とも呼ばれる）は、特定の情報源に帰属させずに情報を提示するために、ジャーナリズム、学術的な文章、公式な話し言葉で使われます。一般的なパターン：「It is said/reported/believed/thought/estimated/known/alleged that ＋ 節」または「He is said/believed/known to ＋ 不定詞」。客観的で距離を置いたトーンを作り出します。
文章で受動態は避けるべきですか？
いいえ——「受動態恐怖症」は不要です。受動態は意図的に使えば価値あるツールです。問題はデフォルトとして多用することです。ほとんどの日常的なビジネス文書では、明快さのために能動態を優先してください。行為者不明・結果の強調・公式なトーン・科学的な文体という4つの目的のいずれかに本当に当てはまる場合に、受動態に切り替えましょう。
本物の会話やニュースコンテンツで自然に使われる受動態を聞くことが、ネイティブスピーカーが実際にいつどのように使うかを身につける最速の方法です。
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