Re: Passive voice

Hi!

Roger Mills writes:
> Larry Sulky wrote:
> > Here's another sample where the indirect object is truly indirect,
> > taking no governing preposition.
> >
> > She teaches him the lesson.
> >
> > Note what happens when we want to passivise one of the two objects:
> >
> > [A]"The lesson is taught to him" or [A-1]"The lesson is taught him"
>
> Passivization with DO > Subj.
> >
> > [B] "He is taught the lesson"...
>
> Passivization with IO > Subj.
Well, *this* works in German: there's an 'indirect passive voice'
(maybe).  The above is an interesting sentence, since the normal
'lehren' ('to teach') uses two accusative objects in German:

   Ich lehre den Jungen die Lektion.
   NOM       ACC        ACC

But the more colloquial 'beibringen' (also 'to teach') uses dative:

   Ich bringe dem Jungen die Lektion bei.
   NOM        DAT        ACC

Using indirect passive, you can promote 'Junge' to a subject:

   Der Junge bekommt die Lektion beigebracht
   NOM               ACC         PASS
   the boy   gets    the lesson  taught.
   'The boy is taught the lesson.'

(Colloquially, you often use 'kriegen' instead of 'bekommen' as
auxiliary for this voice.)

**Henrik

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