Verbos transitivos y intransitivos For Intermediate learners

Verbos transitivos y intransitivos en español

What are Transitive and Intransitive Verbs?

A direct object is the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb. A verb that requires a direct object is called a transitive verb (verbo transitivo) and one that does not need it is called an intransitive verb (verbo intransitivo).

Transitive Verbs

A verb that requires a direct object in order to express a complete meaning is called a transitive verb. The direct object receives the action of the transitive verb and answers the question "¿Qué?" or "¿A quién?" in relation to the verb. It can be a noun or a pronoun. Here are some examples:

Example

Comí una manzana.

I ate an apple.

*We can ask ¿Qué comiste? To find the direct object. So, the verb is transitive.

Compramos una casa.

We bought a house.

Escribió una carta.

He/She wrote a letter.

Transitive Verbs vs. Linking Verbs

Transitive verbs are actions verbs, which means they connect the doer of an action (the subject) to the person or thing that receives the action (the object). Linking verbs, however, do not denote an action; rather, they connect the subject to a description or state. The word that follows a linking verb is not its direct object, but rather a subject complement. Compare the examples:

Example

Él es mecánico.

He is a mechanic.

*This is a linking verb. "Mecánico" is a description for the subject, specifies his job. No action is involved.

Él repara coches.

He repairs cars.

*This is a transitive verb. "Coches" is the direct object that receives the action of fixing (repara).

Intransitive Verbs

An intransitive verb does not take a direct object. The verb expresses the complete meaning of the action on its own. Although adverbs and prepositional phrases can come after these verbs, they are not direct objects since they do not receive the action of the verb; rather, they indicate the place, time, or other complementary information about the action of the verb. For example:

Example

Dormí bien.

I slept well.

Llegamos tarde.

We arrived late.

Mi hermano corre todos los días.

My brother runs every day.

* Here, "todos los días" is not a direct object. It is an adverb of frequency that modifies the verb.

Tip!

Many verbs can be both transitive and intransitive, depending on how they are used in the sentence. For example:

Example

Comí una tortilla.

I ate a tortilla.

*Transitive: una tortilla is the direct object.

Comí temprano.

I ate early.

*Intransitive: no direct object.

Corrió una maratón.

He/She ran a marathon.

Corrió en el parque.

He/She ran in the park.

The Passive Voice

Only transitive verbs can be made passive, because the object of the verb in the active voice becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Since intransitive verbs do not take direct objects, they cannot be made passive.