Kaze de mado ga shimarimashita

Transitive and intransitive verb

  1. Dareka ga nanika o shimasu. (Someone does something.)
  2. Dareka ga shimasu. (Someone does.)

In the sentence No.1, there is an object marked by the particle “o”, indicating the presence of a transitive verb. However, in sentence No.2, there is no object, indicating the use of an intransitive verb.

Transitive Verbs:

  • Definition: Verbs that require a direct object to complete their meaning.
  • Example:
    • Watashi wa hon o yomu. – I read a book.
    • Here, “hon” is the object of the verb “yomu”.

Intransitive Verbs:

  • Definition: Verbs that do not require a direct object to complete their meaning.
  • Example:
    • Doa ga hiraku. – The door opens.
    • There is no direct object in this sentence; “hiraku” is intransitive.

Examples of Verb Pairs:

In Japanese, many verbs come in pairs, where one verb is transitive, and the other is intransitive. These pairs often don’t follow specific rules for identification, making it essential to learn each pair individually.

akeru, aku (open)
shimeru, shimaru (close)
ugokasu, ugoku (move)
dasu (pull out), deru (go out)
kimeru, kimaru (decide)
kesu (erase), kieru (disappear)

Many transitive verbs finish with su-sound (“su” is originally the meaning of “suru”.), but there are many exceptions.

Expression

Kuruma ga ugokimashita.
Untenshu ga kuruma o ugokashimashita. *untenshu = driver

Kaze de mado ga shimarimashita. *mado = window
Satousan ga mado o shimemashita.

Kodomo ga soto ni demasen. *soto = outside
Oya ga kodomo o soto ni dashimasen.

Exercise

Questions

Translate them into Japanese.

  1. He moved the car.
  2. The car moved.

Answers

  1. Kare ga kuruma o ugokashimashita.
  2. Kuruma ga ugokimashita.