ถูก

Had It Done to You

Level 2

Subject + ถูก (thùuk) + [Agent] + Verb

How It Works

A passive construction presents the person or thing affected by an action as the subject. The examples below show both unpleasant events and a statement about construction.

1. Basic Structure
The pattern follows: Subject + ถูก + Verb. In the pattern taught here, place the person or thing doing the action (the agent) immediately after ถูก: Subject + ถูก + Agent + Verb.

2. Affected by an Action
Using ถูก can describe an unwelcome experience, such as being bitten, scolded, or hit. Read the complete phrase with ถูก and its context to understand the effect on the subject; the marker alone does not make every event a complaint.

3. Receiving with ได้รับ
For a receiving expression, compare ได้รับ (dâi-ráp) with ถูก. For example, dâi-ráp choen (was invited) or dâi-ráp kham-chom (was praised). Literally, ได้รับ means "to receive," and it occurs in expressions for receiving an invitation or praise. Learn the complete expression rather than choosing a marker from a positive-versus-negative rule.

4. Formal vs. Informal
Compare ถูก with โดน (doon) in conversational descriptions of being affected by an action. The house-construction example shows a use of ถูก that does not describe harm. Choose the wording to suit the action and context.

5. No Verb Changes
Unlike English, the Thai verb does not change its form. Time and completion can be understood through context or markers like จะ (future) or แล้ว (completed).

Other Meanings: The word ถูก (thùuk) has other meanings too. Besides marking the passive voice, it also means 'cheap' and 'correct'. Context will tell you which one is being used.

Examples (4)

  1. ผมถูกสุนัขกัด

    I was bitten by a dog.

    Word by Word: I [passive] dog bite

    The subject (I) is affected by the dog's action. This example describes an unpleasant experience.

  2. เขาถูกตำรวจจับ

    He was arrested by the police.

    Word by Word: He [passive] police arrest

    The agent (police) is placed directly after the passive marker 'thùuk'.

  3. รถถูกขโมย

    The car was stolen.

    Word by Word: Car [passive] steal

    The person who stole the car is not stated. The verb follows 'thùuk' directly.

  4. บ้านหลังนี้ถูกสร้างเมื่อปีที่แล้ว

    This house was built last year.

    Word by Word: House [classifier] this [passive] build when year that-already

    Here, 'thùuk' describes the house being built. This example states when construction happened rather than describing harm.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the receiving expression after the invitation verb.

    ผมเชิญได้รับไปงานปาร์ตี้
    ผมได้รับเชิญไปงานปาร์ตี้

    In this receiving-invitation expression, place ได้รับ (dâi-ráp) before เชิญ, not after it: ได้รับเชิญ. The correct sentence means "I was invited to the party."

  • Incorrect word order when an agent is present.

    รถถูกขโมยโจร
    รถถูกโจรขโมย

    In the pattern taught here, the agent (thief/โจร) comes immediately after 'thùuk' and before the verb (steal/ขโมย).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ถูกLevel 2Had It Done to You

Learn This First

To understand the passive voice in Thai, you need to be comfortable with basic Subject-Verb-Object sentence structure, as the passive construction (ถูก) shifts the focus to the receiver of the action. It is also helpful to know that Thai verbs remain unchanged regardless of voice. As an ordinary verb, ถูก can mean 'touch' or 'hit'. In everyday speech the passive ถูก most often reports something unwelcome (กระเป๋าถูกขโมย, my bag was stolen), but it can also be neutral.

Words in This Pattern

ถูก