Once you can build a basic 被 sentence, the placement question is identical to the one you already solved for 把: where do negation (没 / 别 / 不) and modal verbs (会, 想, 应该, 能, 可能) go? The answer is a single rule with no exceptions — they all sit in front of 被, never between 被 and the verb, and never after the agent. The logic is the same as on the 把 side: 被 + (agent) + verb + complement is one tight affected-event chunk, so anything commenting on the whole event — "wasn't," "might," "don't want to be" — has to stand outside it, at the front.
Negation goes before 被
Because a completed 被 sentence reports that an event did or didn't reach its outcome, its natural negation is 没(有) — "it didn't happen to me":
我的手机没被偷。
wǒ de shǒujī méi bèi tōu
My phone wasn't stolen. (informal) — 没 sits in front of 被.
幸好文件没被删除。
xìnghǎo wénjiàn méi bèi shānchú
Luckily the file wasn't deleted. (neutral) — 没 out front, and no 了 (没 already carries the negation).
数据还没被处理。
shùjù hái méi bèi chǔlǐ
The data hasn't been processed yet. (neutral) — 还没 stacks in front too.
For warnings ("be careful not to get…"), use 别 — again ahead of 被:
小心别被骗了。
xiǎoxīn bié bèi piàn le
Be careful not to get cheated. (informal) — 别 precedes 被; here 了 marks the imperative warning.
Modals go before 被 too
Every modal — futurity (会), desire (想, 要), obligation (应该, 得), possibility (可能, 可以, 能) — lines up in front of the 被 phrase. When a passive is only potential or feared, this is the normal shape:
他可能会被批评。
tā kěnéng huì bèi pīpíng
He might get criticized. (neutral) — 可能会 both sit ahead of 被.
你不想被人误会吧？
nǐ bù xiǎng bèi rén wùhuì ba
You don't want to be misunderstood, right? (informal) — negation + modal 不想, then 被.
这种话很容易被误解。
zhè zhǒng huà hěn róngyì bèi wùjiě
A remark like that is easily misread. (neutral) — 容易 also precedes 被.
只要小心，就不会被发现。
zhǐyào xiǎoxīn, jiù bú huì bèi fāxiàn
As long as you're careful, you won't get caught. (informal) — 不会 (negation + modal) ahead of 被.
Negation and modal can stack, and both still land in front of 被, in the order negation + modal + 被 — even when there's an agent to follow:
他应该会被老板骂一顿。
tā yīnggāi huì bèi lǎobǎn mà yí dùn
He'll probably get chewed out by the boss. (informal) — 应该会 in front, agent 老板 after 被.
我不想被别人指挥。
wǒ bù xiǎng bèi biéren zhǐhuī
I don't want to be bossed around by others. (informal)
Why: the whole passive is one chunk
Lay out the anatomy: subject — [negation / modal] — 被 — (agent) — verb — complement. Once the affected-event chunk begins at 被, there is no room inside it for an operator that scopes over the entire event. The verb is already booked — it carries its outcome and possibly an agent in front of it — so "not," "might," "want to" have nowhere to go but the front. This is the exact mirror of the 把 rule: whichever construction pulls a noun to the front, the whole-event modifiers stay ahead of the marker. English is the trap, because it drops "not" and its modals right beside the verb ("wasn't stolen," "might get caught"); in Chinese those words must clear the entire 被 phrase.
| Subject | Negation / Modal | 被 (+agent) | Verb + complement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我的手机 | 没 | 被 | 偷 |
| 他 | 可能会 | 被 | 批评 |
| 文件 | 没 | 被 | 删除 |
| 他 | 应该会 | 被老板 | 骂一顿 |
Common Mistakes
1. Slipping 没 in after 被. The negation belongs before 被, outside the chunk.
❌ 我的手机被没偷。
Incorrect — 没 cannot sit after 被; it goes in front: 没被偷.
✅ 我的手机没被偷。
wǒ de shǒujī méi bèi tōu
My phone wasn't stolen. (informal)
2. Putting 没 after the agent. Even with a named doer, the negation stays ahead of 被.
❌ 他被老板没骂。
Incorrect — 没 must precede the whole 被 phrase: 他没被老板骂.
✅ 他没被老板骂。
tā méi bèi lǎobǎn mà
He didn't get scolded by the boss. (informal)
3. Placing the modal after 被. 会, 想, 可能 and friends go in front of 被.
❌ 他被可能批评。
Incorrect — the modal precedes 被: 他可能会被批评.
✅ 他可能会被批评。
tā kěnéng huì bèi pīpíng
He might get criticized. (neutral)
4. Keeping 了 after 没. A 没-negated passive drops the 了.
❌ 文件没被删除了。
Incorrect — 没 and 了 clash; drop the 了: 文件没被删除.
✅ 幸好文件没被删除。
xìnghǎo wénjiàn méi bèi shānchú
Luckily the file wasn't deleted. (neutral)
Key Takeaways
- Negation and modals always precede 被 — never between 被 and the verb, never after the agent.
- Completed passives are negated with 没(有) and drop 了 (文件没被删除); 别 handles warnings (别被骗了).
- Modals of every kind — 会, 想, 应该, 能, 可能, 得 — line up in front of 被; a merely potential passive normally uses one (可能会被…).
- When they stack, the order is negation + modal + 被 (不会被发现, 应该会被骂).
- The reason is structural — 被 + agent + verb + complement is one event chunk — exactly mirroring the same rule for 把.
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
- Negation and Modals with 把HSK 4 — In a 把 sentence, negation (不/没) and modals (要/想/能/得/应该) go BEFORE 把, never after: 我没把作业做完, 你应该把门关上 — because 把 + object + verb is one action chunk that they scope over as a whole.
- The 被 Pattern in DetailHSK 4 — The full 被 passive skeleton — Subject(patient) + 被 + (Agent) + Verb + complement: 我的手机被弟弟摔坏了. The agent sits between 被 and the verb, the verb can never stand bare, and the subject is a definite, affected thing.
- Two Negators: 不 (bù) vs 没 (méi)HSK 1 — Mandarin has exactly two everyday negators. 不 (bù) negates the habitual, willed, future, and all adjectives and modal verbs; 没(有) (méi yǒu) negates the verb 有 and any completed or experienced action. The split is NOT about tense — it's habit/intention/quality (不) vs completion/existence (没).
- The 被 PassiveHSK 3 — 被 (bèi) marks the subject as the affected party — the thing something was done TO: 杯子被他打破了 'the cup was broken by him', 我的自行车被偷了 'my bike was stolen'. It needs a completing element like 把 does, carries a flavour of adversity, and is used far less than the English passive.