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So I get that 見つける takes an object and 見つかる doesn't, but can anyone tell me if there are any major differences between 答えを見つけた and 答えが見つかった

If I came across an answer by chance, does the second sentence do a better job at expressing that?

And also: 答えが見つけられた

What is different between sentence 2 and 3? (And aren't they both passive?)

Thank you :D And sorry if duplicate or dumb question

ajsmart
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  • i think there's many answers about it already https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/14257/difference-between-intransitive-and-passive The main difference between passive and intransitive is that one takes an object and other does'nt. "The door was open", "the door opened", "I opened the door" respectively Passive, intransitive, transitive(regular) – Felipe Chaves de Oliveira Jun 19 '17 at 03:51
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    答えが見つけられた is practically not used as a passive beside potential. – user4092 Jun 19 '17 at 05:07
  • Related (or duplicate?): https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/33105/9831 See also: https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/23405/9831 – Chocolate Jun 20 '17 at 05:47

1 Answers1

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I think you seem to notice that 見つける is a transitive verb and 見つかる is an intransitive verb.

A subject is omitted in 答えを見つけた, for example、彼が答えを見つけた(He found the answer.). On the other hand, 答え is a subject in 答えが見つかった.

答えが見つけられた(The answer was found) is passive form of 答えを見つけた and it has a nuance like "by someone", but we don't use it often. Both 答えが見つけられた and 答えが見つかった seem to be translated as "The answer was found".

Yuuichi Tam
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  • Ok, thank you! Could you/someone explain if there are any nuances between 彼が答えを見つけた and 彼は答えが見つかった? (And is the second sentence even natural?) –  Jun 19 '17 at 15:16
  • Both sentences are used. I feel 彼は答えが見つかった is a bit objective and stiff. – Yuuichi Tam Jun 19 '17 at 15:48