Formal Passive and Impersonal in Thai

Overview

Formal passive and impersonal constructions at the CEFR C1 (advanced) level are used in academic, legal, and official Thai writing to create an objective, authoritative tone. These structures differ from the colloquial ถูก/โดน passive by avoiding those markers entirely, using alternative patterns that are considered more prestigious in written contexts.

Key patterns include: เป็นที่...กัน (it is...by people) as in เป็นที่เชื่อกันว่า (it is believed that); จะเห็นได้ว่า (it can be seen that); ได้รับการ + verb (has been + verb) as in ได้รับการอนุมัติ (has been approved); and ถือว่า (considered as).

These impersonal constructions create distance between the writer and the statement, lending objectivity and authority. They are standard in academic papers, government reports, and formal editorials. In conversational Thai, simpler direct constructions are preferred, but recognizing these formal patterns is essential for reading official and academic texts.

How It Works

Key Patterns

• Formal passive without ถูก/โดน in written Thai
• Impersonal structures: เป็นที่...กัน (it is...by people), ถือว่า (considered as).

Pattern Examples

Thai	English	Pattern
เป็นที่เชื่อกันว่า...	It is believed that...	Core pattern
จะเห็นได้ว่า...	It can be seen that...	Core pattern
มติได้รับการอนุมัติ	The resolution has been approved.	Core pattern
ถือว่าเป็นสิ่งสำคัญ	Considered to be important.	Core pattern

How to Form Sentences

At the advanced level, formal passive and impersonal patterns are used with full awareness of register, style, and pragmatic effect. The structures themselves may not be grammatically complex, but their deployment in context requires sophisticated judgment about audience, formality, and communicative purpose.

Advanced users of Thai are expected to move fluidly between registers, adapting these patterns for casual conversation, professional communication, academic writing, and literary expression. Each register may prefer different vocabulary choices or structural variations even when the underlying grammar is the same.

Key insight: Mastery at this level means not just knowing the patterns but understanding their sociolinguistic dimensions -- who uses them, when, and what choosing one form over another signals about the speaker's identity and intentions.

Examples in Context

Thai	English	Note
เป็นที่เชื่อกันว่า...	It is believed that...
จะเห็นได้ว่า...	It can be seen that...
มติได้รับการอนุมัติ	The resolution has been approved.
ถือว่าเป็นสิ่งสำคัญ	Considered to be important.
เป็นที่เชื่อกันว่า...	It is believed that...	Common usage
จะเห็นได้ว่า...	It can be seen that...	Everyday context
มติได้รับการอนุมัติ	The resolution has been approved.	Practice this pattern
ถือว่าเป็นสิ่งสำคัญ	Considered to be important.	Frequently heard

Common Mistakes

Applying English grammar patterns to Thai

• Wrong: Directly translating English sentence structure for formal passive and impersonal
• Right: Follow the Thai word order as shown in the examples above
• Why: Thai has its own structural logic. Word order, particles, and context work differently than in English.

Omitting required elements

• Wrong: Leaving out key markers or particles when forming formal passive and impersonal patterns
• Right: Include all the structural elements shown in the formation rules
• Why: While Thai is flexible in many ways, certain structural elements are required for the sentence to sound natural and be understood correctly.

Using the wrong register

• Wrong: Using casual forms in formal settings or vice versa
• Right: Match the formality level to the context
• Why: Thai has strong register distinctions. Using overly casual language in formal situations or overly formal language with friends can create awkward impressions.

Usage Notes

At the advanced level, formal passive and impersonal intersects with questions of style, register, and sociolinguistic identity. Formal written Thai -- particularly in academic, legal, and journalistic contexts -- deploys these structures with Pali-Sanskrit vocabulary and elaborate phrasing. Conversational Thai simplifies and often drops optional elements.

Literary Thai may use archaic or poetic variants of these patterns that do not appear in everyday speech. Royal Thai (ราชาศัพท์) has its own specialized forms for many common grammatical structures. Understanding these register distinctions is essential for truly advanced Thai proficiency.

Different social contexts call for different deployment of these patterns. A university lecture, a temple sermon, a political speech, and a casual conversation among friends would all handle formal passive and impersonal differently in terms of vocabulary choice, formality markers, and structural elaboration. The advanced learner must develop sensitivity to these contextual factors.

Practice Tips

1. Study authentic advanced texts. Read official documents, literary works, or academic papers to see how formal passive and impersonal operates in sophisticated Thai.
2. Practice register switching. Express the same concept in colloquial, standard, and formal Thai to develop full range across registers.
3. Engage with Thai media critically. Listen to news broadcasts and formal speeches, analyzing how formal passive and impersonal patterns create specific effects.

Related Concepts

• Passive Voice