畀人 + Verb + Object

Passive That Keeps Its Object

Level 4Sounds Like bei2 jan4

The Indirect Passive (or Retained Object Passive) focuses on the 'victim' of an event. It follows the structure: Subject + 畀人 (bei2 jan4) + Verb + 咗 (zo2) + Object. It is almost always used for negative or unfortunate events.

How It Works

This construction is a hallmark of intermediate Cantonese and is used to express that something belonging to the subject was affected by an outside force.

1. The Adversative Nuance
This pattern is almost exclusively adversative. It implies the subject suffered a loss, injury, or inconvenience. Using it for positive events (like 'I had my hair praised') sounds unnatural or sarcastic to native speakers.

2. The Obligatory Agent
In Cantonese, the passive marker 畀 (bei2) requires an agent. You cannot leave it blank. If you don't know who did the action, you must use 畀人 (bei2 jan4), literally 'given to people' or 'by someone'.

3. The Retained Object
The 'Object' at the end of the sentence usually has a close relationship to the subject, such as:

  • Possessions: 銀包 (ngan4 baau1 - wallet), 車 (ce1 - car)
  • Body Parts: 手 (sau2 - hand/arm), 腳 (goek3 - leg/foot)
  • Close Relations: 仔 (zai2 - son), 女 (neoi2 - daughter)

4. Aspect Markers
Because this pattern describes a completed event with a specific result, it is almost always paired with the perfective marker 咗 (zo2) or a resultative complement like 爛 (laan6 - broken) or 走 (zau2 - away).

Examples (4)

  1. 佢畀人偷咗個銀包。

    He had his wallet stolen.

    Word by Word: He by people steal [perfective] [classifier] wallet.

    This is the classic use of the indirect passive. The subject (佢 keoi5) is the victim, and the object (銀包 ngan4 baau1) is what was stolen.

  2. 我尋晚畀人抄咗牌。

    I got a ticket last night.

    Word by Word: I yesterday night by people copy [perfective] plate.

    Literally 'had my license plate copied.' This is a common colloquial way to say you received a traffic fine or ticket.

  3. 小明畀人打斷咗隻手。

    Siu Ming had his arm broken (by someone).

    Word by Word: Siu Ming by people hit-break [perfective] [classifier] arm.

    Here, a body part (隻手 zek3 sau2) is the retained object. The resultative complement 斷 (tyun5 - snapped/broken) shows the outcome of the action.

  4. 你尋日係咪畀人撞爛咗部車呀？

    Did you have your car crashed into yesterday?

    Word by Word: You yesterday is-not-is by people hit-broken [perfective] [classifier] car [particle]?

    In this structure, the person affected (the owner) is the subject, while the item damaged (部車 bou6 ce1) remains as the object after the verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the agent '人' (jan4).

    佢畀偷咗個銀包。
    佢畀人偷咗個銀包。

    In Cantonese, the passive marker '畀' (bei2) functions like a verb meaning 'to give.' You must specify who was 'given' the action. If the actor is unknown, you must use '人' (jan4).

  • Thinking 畀人 cannot be used for good things.

    Different Meaning我畀人讚咗件衫。
    人哋讚我件衫靚。

    畀人 often carries a sense of bad luck, but it also works for praise: 我畀人讚咗件衫 means someone praised my shirt. The active 人哋讚我件衫靚 is another common way to say it.

How It Connects

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畀人 + Verb + ObjectLevel 4Passive That Keeps Its Object

Learn This First

To understand this pattern, you first need to know how the basic passive voice works in Cantonese using '畀'. You also need to be familiar with using '人' as a generic 'someone' in passive constructions. Finally, since this pattern often describes completed actions (like having something stolen), understanding the perfective aspect marker '咗' is essential for forming natural sentences.

Words in This Pattern

畀人