These two verbs describe the same kind of event from different perspectives: someone changes something, or something changes.
The idea
変える is transitive: mark the thing changed with を, as in 予定を変えます. 変わる is intransitive: the changing thing is the subject, often marked by が, as in 予定が変わりました. に can mark the resulting state with either verb.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| 変える | 予定を変えます |
| 変わる | 予定が変わります |
Examples
- 私は予定を変えます。I will change the plans.
- 予定が変わりました。The plans changed.
- 先生は授業の時間を変えました。The teacher changed the class time.
- 授業の時間が変わりました。The class time changed.
- 部屋の色を青に変えます。I will change the room’s color to blue.
- 信号が青に変わりました。The traffic light changed to green.
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Watch out
変わる does not mean that the change happened by itself; it simply leaves the person responsible unstated. Do not use を to mark the changing thing with 変わる.
Try it yourself
私は予定を＿＿。（変えます／変わります）
Show answer or example answer
変えます
変えます: 予定を marks the object that I change.
予定が＿＿。（変えました／変わりました）
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変わりました
変わりました: 予定が is the subject that changed; the past form reports the change.
先生は時間を＿＿。（変えました／変わりました）
Show answer or example answer
変えました
変えました: the teacher changed the time, marked as the object by を.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
私は予定を＿＿。（変えます／変わります）
予定が＿＿。（変えました／変わりました）
先生は時間を＿＿。（変えました／変わりました）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Describe a plan you change, a time that changed and a color something changed to.