Japanese with Manga

Receiving a haunting with 〜れる

Grammar Explanation: Receptive verbs with 〜れる

Manga panel from ご注文はうさぎですか？ showing example of Receiving a haunting with 〜れる.
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An impromptu sleepover during a storm turns into a ghost story telling session, even after the power goes out.

チノ:
「今日(きょう)はもう寝(ね)ましょう」
“Let's just go to bed for tonight.”
ココア:
「ぜ…絶対(ぜったい)取(と)り憑(つ)かれる…」
“I-I'm definitely going to receive possession...”
Literal: “I-I'm definitely going to receive possession...”

Key Points

1取(と)り憑(つ)かれる means being possessed
  • Cocoa imagines herself receiving the action of 取(と)り憑(つ)く, so the English reading is “be possessed” or “be haunted”.
2取(と)り憑(つ)く becomes 取(と)り憑(つ)かれる
  • The godan verb changes to the negative stem 取(と)り憑(つ)か and adds れる.
3絶対(ぜったい) shows Cocoa’s panicked certainty
  • The sentence omits the subject “I” and the spirit doing the possessing. Her stammer and 絶対(ぜったい) make the prediction sound frightened.
4寝(ね)ましょう is a polite volitional suggestion
  • Chino uses the polite “let’s” form to end the frightening conversation and propose going to bed.

Vocabulary

(Today)

今日(きょう) means today. In formal writing, it can also mean the present day or current era.

(Absolute)

絶対(ぜったい) means absolute or unconditional. As an adverb, it means definitely or under no circumstances, depending on the sentence.

See Also

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