〜られる can mark passive, ability, or respect with ichidan verbs and 来る; context tells you which. 食べられる can mean “can eat” or “is eaten,” while 社長が来られる may be honorific. Godan verbs have a distinct potential form, such as 読める versus 読まれる. Casual potential forms such as 食べれる are widespread, although formal teaching usually gives 食べられる.
also written rareru / reru / passive / potential / honorific
受身 — it was done to me · 可能 — I can do it · 尊敬 — the honorific, said of someone above you
Sentences
受身 · something was done to me
plain past。
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犬
いぬ ［2］
dog
noun · the agent doing the biting
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に
に
by
particle · marks the agent in a passive sentence
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噛まれた
かまれた
was bitten
passive past of 噛む · godan, so this cannot be potential
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I got bitten by a dog.
可能 · able to do it
polite。
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日本語
にほんご ［0］
Japanese (the language)
noun · 日 sun + 本 origin + 語 language
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が
が
marks what can be done
particle · the potential switches the object from を to が
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読めます
よめます
can read
polite potential of 読む · godan verbs use 〜える for potential
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I can read Japanese.
尊敬 · raising the other person
polite。
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社長
しゃちょう ［0］
company president
noun · the honoured subject, which is what selects this reading
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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来られました
こられました
came (honorific)
honorific 来る · the lightest of the honorific options
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The president has arrived.
迷惑の受身 · the passive of suffering
plain past。
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帰り
かえり ［3］
the way home
noun from 帰る · the return trip
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に
に
to; at; into
particle · a point something reaches — a place, a time, a person, or a state
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雨
あめ ［1］
rain
noun · 雨が降る is the set phrase
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に
に
by
particle · marking rain as the agent, oddly enough
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降られた
ふられた
was rained on
passive of 降る · an intransitive verb made passive to register the nuisance
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I got rained on on the way home.
受身 · the person suffers, the thing keeps を
plain past。
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電車
でんしゃ ［0,1］
train
noun · the place the theft happened
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で
で
in; at — where it happens
particle · where the action happens, or the manner it happens in
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財布
さいふ ［0］
wallet
noun · the thing taken · it stays the object, marked を
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を
を
marks what was taken
particle · in 〜を盗まれる the possessor is the subject and the item keeps を
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盗まれた
ぬすまれた
was stolen
passive past of 盗む · the speaker is the one affected
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My wallet was stolen on the train.
ら抜き · the potential, unambiguously
plain、。
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食べれる
たべれる
can eat
ら抜き potential of 食べる · standard in speech, marked wrong in writing
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けど
けど
but
conjunction · casual contrast
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納豆
なっとう ［3］
natto
noun · fermented soybeans
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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食べられない
たべられない
can't eat
full potential negative · the ら restored, as writing expects
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I can eat it, but I can't eat natto.
Structure
読まれる≠読める
読まれる is passive or honorific; 読める is potential. Godan verbs keep them apart, which is why most ambiguity disappears.
食べ＋られる
食べられる covers passive, potential and honorific with one form. Context and particles are all you have.
〜に ＋ 受身·〜が ＋ 可能
An に-marked agent means passive. An object that has switched to が means potential. This settles most sentences on sight.
食べ＋れる
Dropping the ら makes the potential unambiguous. Standard in speech, still marked wrong in writing and on exams.
Meaning
Check the verb class first. With a godan verb the ambiguity does not exist: 読める is potential, 読まれる is passive or honorific. Only ichidan verbs and 来る collapse all three into one shape.
An に-marked person means passive. 犬に噛まれた — the dog is the agent, so this is being bitten, not being able to bite. Without an explicit agent, context and surrounding particles help identify potential. An object on が often suggests that reading.
The honorific comes with an honorific subject. 社長が来られました is honorific because of who the subject is. You would never use this form about yourself, which removes it from consideration whenever the subject is you.
The adversative passive often needs an English paraphrase. 雨に降られた — literally “I was rained on,” meaning the rain happened and it affected me adversely. The verb is intransitive, so nothing was done to you in the grammatical sense; the passive exists purely to register that you suffered.
ら抜き言葉 is the language solving this itself. Speakers drop the ら from the potential — 食べれる, 見れる — leaving られる free for passive and honorific. It is extremely common in speech and still corrected in writing.
Watch out
Check for an に-marked agent. 虫に食べられた is eaten by insects. With no agent and an object on が, it is potential.
見れる and 食べれる are everywhere in speech and still corrected in essays, exams and business email. Write 見られる.
ご覧になられる uses two honorifics on one verb, which is 二重敬語 and is considered wrong. ご覧になる is already respectful enough.
Also asked
Two checks. Is there a person or thing marked with に doing the action? Then passive. Has the object switched from を to が? Then potential.
They use separate forms. 読める is potential and 読まれる is passive or honorific. Only ichidan verbs and 来る collapse all three together.
I got rained on, and it was a problem. It is the adversative passive — the verb is intransitive, so nothing was grammatically done to you. The passive is there purely to say you were on the receiving end.
It is non-standard and enormously common. In speech nobody blinks at 食べれる. In writing, exams and business Japanese it is corrected, so learn the full form and use the short one when speaking.
It is the lightest honorific — respectful, but modest. For a customer or a very senior person, the dedicated verbs are better: いらっしゃる rather than 来られる, なさる rather than される.
Both exist. 財布を盗まれた makes you the subject — you are the one who suffered — and the wallet keeps を. 財布が盗まれた is a neutral report about the wallet, with you out of the picture.
References
NINJAL: 見れる・見られる — Explains the potential, passive, and honorific ambiguity and the spread of ら抜き potential forms.
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