Transitivity For Intermediate learners
What is Transitivity?
Transitivity is a property of a verb that demonstrates whether the action is transferred to a direct object or not. The direct object is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the transitive verb and can usually be found by asking "what?" or "whom?" For instance, in the sentence "the cat chased the mouse." The mouse is the direct object of the transitive verb, chase.
Maria reads a book.
reads (transitive verb) - a book (direct object)
He loves her.
loves (transitive verb) - her (direct object)
The baby sleeps.
sleep (not transitive) - (no direct object)
Types of German Verbs
Here are the three types of German verbs based on transitivity:
Transitive Verbs (Transitive Verben)
Intransitive Verbs (Intransitive Verben)
Ambitransitive Verbs (Wechselweise Verben)
Transitive Verbs
A transitive verb is a verb that needs a direct object (Akkusativobjekt) in order to make sense. You can find its direct object by asking "what?" or "whom?". Its direct object can be a noun or pronoun. The noun must be in the accusative case.
Der Schüler liest das Buch.
The student reads the book.
Ich koche eine Suppe.
I cook a soup.
Sie liebt ihn.
She loves him.
Ditransitive Verbs
A ditransitive verb can take two objects: a direct object and an indirect object. The direct object should always be in the accusative case, and the indirect object must be in the dative case. These verbs usually describe acts of:
Giving
Telling
Sending
Showing
[Subject (Nominative) + Verb + Indirect Object (Dative) + Direct Object (Accusative)]
Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.
I give the man the book.
Sie zeigt mir ihre Fotos.
She shows me her photos.
Here are some of the common ditransitive verbs in German:
geben | to give |
|---|---|
schenken | to give (as a gift) |
erzählen | to tell |
zeigen | to show |
schicken | to send |
bringen | to bring |
kaufen | to buy |
wünschen | to wish |
leihen | to lend |
sagen | to say |
Intransitive Verbs
An intransitive verb does not take a direct object, and it makes sense without it.
Das Baby schläft.
The baby sleeps.
(no direct object)
Er arbeitet im Garten.
He works in the garden.
(no direct object)
Sie ist nach Berlin gefahren.
She has traveled to Berlin.
(no direct object)
Ambitransitive Verbs
An ambitransitive verb can be either transitive or intransitive based on the context.
Ich ändere den Plan.
I change the plan.
ändern - (transitive)
Der Plan ändert sich.
The plan changes.
ändern - (intransitive)
Er fährt den Wagen.
He drives the car.
fähren - (transitive)
Er fährt nach Hause.
He drives home.
fähren - (intransitive)
Note!
Intransitive verbs can't be put into the passive voice, since they don't have a direct object.
Der Koch kocht das Essen.
The chef cooks the meal.
(active - transitive verb)
Das Essen wird vom Koch gekocht.
The meal is cooked by the chef.
(passive - transitive verb)
Die Kinder schliefen.
The children slept.
(active - intransitive verb)
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