Unit 2 - Section 2: Passive Usage
Passive usage — direct and indirect
English passive is usually direct: the object becomes the subject. Japanese also has an indirect (adversity) passive, where you are affected by someone else’s action on something else.
Direct passive
私は先生に名前を呼ばれました。
I was called on by the teacher. (I am the original object of 呼ぶ)
この本は多くの人に読まれています。
This book is read by many people.
Indirect / adversity passive
電車で足を踏まれました。
Someone stepped on my foot on the train. (I suffer the event)
雨に降られました。
I got rained on. Weather and intransitive verbs can form this pattern.
If you only need a neutral fact with no “victim”, an active sentence is often better: 雨が降りました.