Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Spanish

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Spanish Look in just about any good Spanish dictionary, and most verbs will be listed as either transitive (verbo transitivo, often abbreviated in dictionaries as vt or tr) or intransitive (verbo intransitivo, abbreviated to vi or int). These designations can give you an important clue as to how the verb is used in sentences. What Are Transitive and Intransitive Verbs? A transitive verb is simply one that needs a direct object (a noun or a pronoun that the verb acts upon) to complete its thought. An intransitive one does not. An example of a transitive verb is the English verb to get and one of its Spanish equivalents, obtener. If you were to use the verb by itself, such by saying I get in English or obtengo in Spanish, it is clear you arent expressing a complete thought. Theres a natural follow-up question here: What are you getting?  ¿Quà © obtengas? The verb simply isnt complete without an accompanying noun (or pronoun) to indicate what is being obtained: I am getting an error message. Obtengo un mensaje de error. Another transitive verb is to surprise or its Spanish equivalent, sorprender. To express a complete thought, the verb must indicate who is surprised: It surprised me. Me sorprendià ³. To get, to surprise, obtener and sorpender, then, are all transitive verbs. They must be used with an object. Intransitive verbs are used without objects. They stand by themselves without acting on a noun or pronoun. Although they can be modified in meaning using adverbs or phrases, they cannot take a noun as an object. An example is the English verb to flourish and its Spanish equivalent, florecer. It doesnt make sense to flourish something, so the verb stands alone: The sciences flourished. Florecà ­an las ciencias. There are many verbs that can be used either transitively or intransitively. One example is to study or estudiar. You can use an object for a transitive usage (I am studying the book. Estudio el libro.) or without an object for an intransitive usage (I am studying. Estudio.). To write and escribir can be used in exactly the same ways. Take Note Transitive verbs (or verbs that are used transitively) need a direct object to be complete.Intransitive verbs do not need an object to be complete.Usually, but not always, Spanish verbs and their English counterparts match each other in transitivity. Verb Usage in Spanish vs. English The distinctions between transitive and intransitive verbs usually dont give Spanish students a lot of trouble. Most of the time, when a transitive verb is used in English, youll use a transitive one in Spanish. However, there are some verbs that can be used transitively in one language but not the other, or the opposite. That is one reason you may want to check the dictionary before you try using a verb in a way you havent heard it before. An example of a verb that can be used transitively in English but not Spanish is to swim, as in He swam the river. But the Spanish equivalent, nadar, cant be used in that way. While you can swim something in English, you cant nadar algo in Spanish. Youll need to recast the sentence: Nadà ³ por el rà ­o. The opposite can happen as well. In English, you cant sleep something, but in Spanish you can: La madre durmià ³ al bebà ©. The mother put the baby to sleep. In translating such verbs to English, youll often need to recast the sentence. Note that there are some verbs that are classified as neither transitive nor intransitive. These include pronominal or reflexive verbs (often abbreviated in Spanish as prnl), compulative or linking verbs (cop), and auxiliary verbs (aux). Pronominal verbs are listed in dictionaries as ending in -se. Examples of Spanish Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Use Transitive verbs: Comà ­ tres hamburguesas. (I ate three hamburgers.)El estudiante golpeà ³ la pared. (The student hit the wall.)Cambiarà © el dinero en el aeropuerto. (I will change the money in the airport.) Intransitive verbs: Comà ­ hace dos horas. (I ate three years ago. Hace tres horas is an adverbial phrase, not an object. The verb in the next example is also followed by an adverbial phrase.)La luz brillaba con muchà ­sima fuerte. (The light shone very strongly.)Las mofetas huelen mal. (Skunks stink.)