#direct object

In the sentence-

“I like big boys”

I am the subject because I’m doing the action.

The boys are the object because they are having the action done to them.

Sometimes the object can come first in the sentence. We call this passive voice.

For instance, “the big boys are liked by me” is in passive voice. Most of the time passive voice sounds unnatural so your english teacher will tell you not to use it. However if you want to emphasize the object of a sentence it can actually be a good idea to use passive voice.

Sentences always have to have a subject but sometimes the subject is implied.

This can happen when the sentence is in the imparitive or when it’s in the passive voice.

Imperitive- prepare to die.

In this sentence whoever I’m telling to prepare to die is the subject.

Passive- the cookies were eaten.

In this sentence whoever ate the cookies is the subject.

Not all sentences have an object.

The sentence “naruto ran” has a subject but no object.

Sentences can also have more than one object!

In the sentence “my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard” both the boys and the yard are objects.

The boys are the direct object because the subject is doing the verb to them.

The yard is the indirect object because it’s just providing extra information.

Verbs that do not use a direct object are intransitive. In the sentence “naruto ran” ran is intransitive.

Verbs that do take a direct object are either linking verbs (sometimes called copulas) or transitive verbs.

A transitive verb occurs when the subject is doing an action to the object.

In the sentence “I like big boys” the verb is transitive because I am doing it to the boys.

The verb to be is weird. It can take a direct object like a transitive verb, but in such a sentence no action is happening.

take the sentence “you’re a wizard harry”

Harry is the subject. A wizard is the direct object. But harry isn’t really doing anything to a wizard.

As you can see to be is neither transitive nor intransitive, so it gets its own category. Well it has to share with “to seem” but those are pretty much the only linking verbs I can think of.

Test your Knowledge

-identify the subject, verb type and any objects in the following sentences-

You have a fast car.

They replaced sir paul mccartney with a look a like in the ‘60’s.

green is not a creative color.

Flat earthers are not respected by the scientific community.

That song really slaps.

you will be given adequate supplies.

You know nothing jon snow.

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks are running.

The honey was eaten by the bear in the woods.

never talk to me or my son again.

A little bit of Robert Frost...

I've gotta be relatable somehow.

This one also channeled my personal frustrations as a teacher. Just replace all the figurative language with grading.

Shout out to all my Greek Mythology nerds.

I couldn't resist adding a second Greek Mythology one because I enjoyed this one way too much too.

¡Hola!

About “te amo”

I tried to explain this as simpler as I could, I hope this is not confusing for you. I still have a lot to learn about my mother tongue, but this is the way I see it. Here we go:

We use the Direct Object Pronouns (me, te, lo/la, nos, os, los/las) when we do an action on something and then we replace the noun. 

The D.O. Pronouns also has to do with what the receiver/listener knows or doesn’t know.

For example:(Yo) compro un libro. - I buy a book.In this case, this is the first time that we’re talking about this book, so we have to say what we buy.But when our listener already knows what we’re talking about, and we don’t want to repeat “libro” over and over again, we can replace it with “lo” (for masculine nouns), for example.(Yo) lo compro. - I buy it.*Remember: the D.O. Pronouns go before the verb, if the verb is conjugated.

With the verb “amar” we have for example:(Yo) amo la música. - I love music.If our listener knows already that we’re talking about music, then we can replace “música” with “la”. For example:(Yo) la amo. - I love it.

With people:(Yo) amo a Daniel. - I love Daniel.**We always use “a” when talking about people.If we want to replace Daniel, we can use “lo”, for example:(Yo) lo amo. - I love him.

This works with a third person (he, she or they).But when we talk about a first person (me or us) or a second person (you singular/plural) we replace the nouns directly.

The first person is(are) the speaker(s) and the second person is(are) the listener(s), so we know already what we’re talking about, we don’t need more details, that’s why we use the D.O. Pronouns. 

So we say:

(Yo) me amo. - I love myself.(Yo) te amo. - I love you.(Yo) nos amo. - I love ourselves.(Yo) los/las amo. - I love you guys [Lat. Am.](Yo) os amo. - I love you guys [Spain].

But again, with he, she, or they we need to say who we love. Because if it’s not me, nor you, who is it then?

Remember Spanish can be very specific, and giving more information could be unnecessary.

So we don’t need to say something like “Yo amo a tú” which is wrong. Because if I’m talking and I’m talking to you, then I can replace “you” instantly.However, if you want to be more specific you can say:Te amo a ti. - I love you.

You can also use: a mí - meMe amo a mí - I love myself.

And: a + él, ella, usted, nosotros/as, ustedes, vosotros/as, ellos, ellasAlways using the right D.O. PronounLo amo a él. - I love himLos amo a ustedes. - I love you guys.

This is when you want or need to be extra specific. 

Following the same principle we can also say:

No te escucho. - I can’t listen to you. (I don’t listen to you)Ya te veo. - I see you nowTe extraño. - I miss you¿Te puedo visitar? - Can I visit you?

About “what is your name?”

This is so much easier to explain. I actually made a post about the differences between Qué & Cuál.

To ask “What is your name?” we say:¿Cuál es tu nombre?

So we use “Qué” for general things and “Cuál” for specific things. And somebody’s name is, of course, something very specific. 

You can check more about this on my previous post. :)

1. Inseparable phrasal verbs cannot be separated due to the fact that there is no direct object. 2. When referring to a specific object or person, the object can go between the phrasal verb or after the phrasal verb. 3. Take after: resemble 4. Take back: return 5. Take off: remove/ arrange an absence from work/ to leave or to depart(quickly) 6. Take up: Begin a hobby/ occupy space 7. It is…

Here I was conflating the patient to a direct object.... 😅

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs—What’s the Difference?

A verb can be described as transitive or intransitive based on whether it requires an object to express a complete thought or not. A transitive verb is one that only makes sense if it exerts its action on an object. An intransitive verb will make sense without one. Some verbs may be used both ways.

The word transitive often makes people think of transit, which leads to the mistaken assumption…