#learning langauges

What are transitive and intransitive verbs?

First, let’s start with understanding how these verbs work in the English language and how they’re classified. The basic explanation, without anything else, is as follows:

TRANSITIVE: needs an object

INTRANSITIVE: cannot have an object

Now we’re going all the way back to first grade sentence structures here, but remember that English takes on a SVO sentence structure: I bought a car. I (S) bought (V) a car (O). In this case, our object (O), belongs to the transitive verb “to buy,” and without (O) this sentence makes no sense. “I bought”? What did you buy? Without an object, transitive verbs generally cannot function on their own. (There are exceptions, but don’t focus on those for now).

Comparatively, intransitive verbs do not need objects in order to make sense. For example, “The car stopped.” In this case, our (S), the car, is performing our (V), “to stop”. Thus, the (V) does not need an object. 

Also, some verbs can operate as both transitive and intransitive. For example:

She sings Christmas carols. (transitive; V = to sing, O = Christmas carols)

She sings in the shower. (intransitive; S = she, V = to sing)

This is also the case with Japanese, but Japanese doesn’t use the same verb for both sentences.

So how do we find transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese?

Japanese has what I like to call sibling verbs, which means that many transitive verbs have a sibling intransitive verb that looks similar, but is ever-so-slightly different. While this can be a little confusing at first, in the long run -- and with exposure -- it’ll start to make more sense.

Transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese generally have the same meaning, but one means someone had a direct hand in the action (object) and one did not.

ボールが落ちた。（おちる - to drop）The ball dropped.

ボールを落とした。（おとす - to drop）I dropped the ball.

See how both verbs take on a similar English meaning, but when used in a Japanese sentence, their meaning can change?

In 1, “the ball” is our (S), and “to drop” is our (V). No (O) is necessary for this sentence to make sense, and it’s assumed that no one/nothing had any direct action on the ball. In 2, our (S) is missing but it’s assumed that someone or something has directly participated in the action of dropping the ball. Thus, “the ball” is our (O) in the second sentence.

Now, let’s look at another pair: 開く vs. 開ける

Can you guess which might be transitive and intransitive? Most likely not, but this is where particles create context for Japanese speakers, and where it can create both context and verb identification for learners as well.

ドアが開く。（あく - to open）The door will open.

ドアを開ける。（あける - to open）I will open the door.

In 1, ドア is our subject and therefore must take the が (subject marker) particle. It can also take は, but you’re safe to use が in this sentence as we’re not creating any comparisons. In 2, ドア is our object and therefore must take the を (direct object) particle. The subject/topic of this sentence is missing, but it’s assumed that someone or something has directly participated in the action of opening the door. 

So is が always used with intransitive verbs?

NO. Like I said before, it’s also possible to use は with intransitive verbs, as long as you don’t use を to mark an object, since intransitive verbs can’t take an object. This is where it’s important to understand how to use は and が, but that’s a lesson I won’t cover here. 

But please don’t drop を just yet! Here’s why...

In some sentences with intransitive verbs, を does exist! This is because it’s not exactly in the way learners are originally introduced to the particle. It’s no longer a direct object marker! Let’s look at some quick example sentences:

レストランを出ました。（でる - to go out, leave, depart）I left the restaurant.

電車が駅を出ます。（でる - to go out, leave, depart）The train will leave the station.

鳥は空を飛びます。（とぶ - to fly) Birds fly in the sky.

In 1 and 2, the verb 出る (the intransitive sibling to 出す - to take out), cannot take objects. They’re actions performed by our (S), which in the case of 2 is “the train,” as denoted by the が particle, and in 3 is “birds,” as denoted by the は particle. 

So yes, you can use を with intransitive verbs, but it CANNOT function as a direct object particle. It’s grammatically incorrect in that case. 

Transitive and Intransitive Verb Pairs

English (and many other languages) don’t have the issue of “verb pairs” wherein one is transitive and the other is not. As in the example above using “to sing,” the same verb is used in both sentences but used transitively in one and intransitively in another. This is not the case with Japanese, as all intransitive verbs have transitive pairs.

It’s not necessary to memorize every verb and its pair, but it is handy to recognize patterns. Here are some patterns worth learning to recognize (left is intransitive, right is transitive):

PATTERN 1: intransitive if ends with ある. Replace with える.

上がる（あがる）to rise ー 上げる（あげる）to raise

集まる（あつまる）to gather ー 集める（あつめる）to collect

決まる（きまる）to be decided ー 決める（きめる）to decide

PATTERN 2: intransitive if ends with れる. Replace with す.

壊れる（こわれる）to break ー 壊す（こわす）to break

倒れる（たおれる）to fall, to collapse ー 倒す（たおす）to throw down, knock down

汚れる（よごれる）to get dirty ー 汚す（よごす）to make dirty

PATTERN 3: intransitive if ends with れる. Replace with る.

売れる（うれる）to be sold ー 売る（うる）to sell

切れる（きれる）to be cut ー 切る（きる）to cut

割れる（われる）to break ー 割る（わる）to break

PATTERN 4: intransitive if ends with あれる. Replace with う.

生まれる（うまれる）to give birth ー 生む（うむ）to be born

PATTERN 5: transitive if ends with す. Replace with る.

写る（うつる）to be in a photo ー 写す（うつす）to copy, to photograph

回る（まわる）to turn, rotate, spin ー 回す（まわす）to turn, rotate, spin

直る（なおる）to be fixed, repaired ー 直す（なおす）to fix, repair

PATTERN 6: transitive if ends with あす. Replace with える.

遅れる（おくれる）to be delayed ー 遅らす（おくらす）to delay

濡れる（ぬれる）to get wet ー 濡らす（ぬらす）to wet

増える（ふえる）to increase ー 増やす（ふやす）to increase

PATTERN 7: transitive if ends with あす. Replace with う.

乾く（かわく）to dry ー 乾かす（かわかす）to dry

飛ぶ（とぶ）to fly ー 飛ばす（とばす）to fly, send up, splash

泣く（なく）to cry ー 泣かす（なかす）to make … cry

PATTERN 8: transitive if ends with おす. Replace with いる.

起きる（おきる）to get up ー 起こす（おこす）to wake (up)

降りる（おりる）to get off ー 降ろす（おろす）to drop (off), unload

下りる（おりる）to go down ー 下ろす（おろす）to pull down

This seems kind of overwhelming!

Don’t worry -- patterns aren’t perfect. Your best bet is to learn each verb in context and begin to understand when certain verbs are and aren’t used, and what is the most natural way to use them. You can only do this through exposure and practice of Japanese! Patterns can allow you to make more educated guesses about whether or not a verb is transitive or intransitive, but they’re NOT foolproof. There are always exceptions and outliers!

With that being said, good luck on your journey with Japanese verbs! Besides the conjugations and types of verbs, Japanese verb rules aren’t monstrous. With a little practice, exposure, and determination, you’ll eventually become a pro at identifying and using various verbs. 頑張れ！ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ