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Grammar II - 18.1 - Transitive Pairs |
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Some verbs describe situations in which humans act on something (transitive
verbs),
other verbs describe changes that happen to things or people (intransitive verbs). |
| While most verbs are loners and do not have a counterpart of
the opposite transitivity, some important verbs come in
pairs. |
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Transitive verbs:
あける - akeru = open something
しめる -
shimeru = close something
いれる -
ireru = put something
in |
Intransitive verbs:
あく - aku = something opens
しまる -
shimaru = something closes
はいる -
hairu = something
goes inside |
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Transitive |
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Intransitive |
| 開ける |
あける |
open something |
開く |
あく |
something opens |
| 閉める |
しめる |
close something |
閉まる |
しまる |
something closes |
| 入れる |
いれる |
put something in |
入る |
はいる |
something goes inside |
| 出す |
だす |
take something out |
出る |
でる |
something goes out |
| つける |
つける |
turn something on |
つく |
つく |
something goes on |
| 消す |
けす |
turn something off; extinguish something |
消える |
きえる |
something goes off |
| 壊す |
こわす |
break something |
壊れる |
こわれる |
something breaks |
| 汚す |
よごす |
make something dirty |
汚れる |
よごれる |
something becomes dirty |
| 落とす |
おとす |
drop something |
落ちる |
おちる |
something drops |
| 沸かす |
わかす |
boil water |
沸く |
わく |
water boils |
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Transitive verbs call for both the subject (agent) and the
object (the thing that is worked on). Intransitive verbs
call only for the subject (the thing or the person that goes
through the change). |
| たけしさんが
電気を
つけました。 |
Takeshi turned the lights on. |
電気が
つきました。
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The light went on. |
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takeshi-san-ga denki-o tsukemashita. |
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denki-ga tsukimashita |
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| たけしさんが
お湯を沸かしました。 |
Takeshi boiled the water. |
お湯が沸きました。 |
The water boiled. |
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takeshi-san-ga o-yu-o wakashimashita. |
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o-yu-ga wakimashita. |
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Transitive verbs describe activities, while
intransitive verbs describe changes.
They behave differently when they are followed by the
helping verb -te iru.
Let us first recall that activity verbs (hanasu, for
example) + -te iru refer to actions in progress,
while change verbs (kekkon suru, for example) +
te
iru refer to the states resulting from the change. |
スーさんは今、
電話でお母さんと話しています。 |
(activity, action in progress)
Sue is talking on the phone with her mother right now. |
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suu-san-wa ima,
denwa-de okaasan-to hanashite imasu. |
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| 山下先生は結婚しています。 |
(change, result state)
Professor Yamashita is married. |
| yamashita sensei wa kekkon shite imasu. |
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Similarly, when followed by -te iru,
transitive verbs refer to actions in progress,
while intransitive verbs refer to states that hold after the
change takes place. |
| ロバートさんは窓を開けています。 |
Robert is opening the windows. |
ドアを開いています。 |
Doors are open / There's an open door. |
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robaato-san-wa mado-o akete imasu. |
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doa-o aite imasu. |
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| ともこさんは電気を消しています。 |
Tomoko is turning the tight off. |
テレビは消えています。 |
The TV set is off. |
| tomoko-san-wa denki-o keshite imasu. |
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terebi-wa kiete imasu. |
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| ゴジラが町を壊しています。 |
There goes Godzilla, destroying the city. |
このコンピューターは壊れています。 |
This computer is broken. |
| gojira-ga machi-o kowashite imasu. |
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kono konpyuutaa-wa kowarete imasu. |
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