Verb Transitivity For Intermediate learners
What is Transitivity in French?
In French, transitivity (transitivité) describes the relationship between a verb and what comes after it. Transitivity is the property of a verb that shows whether it requires an object or not.
There are three major groups:
Intransitive verbs → do not take an object
Transitive verbs → need an object (direct or indirect)
Attributive verbs → have an attribute of the subject
Intransitive Verbs (Verbes intransitifs)
An intransitive verb does not take a direct object. It expresses an action that exists independently, often linked to a prepositional phrase.
Je dors.
I sleep
Il arrive tôt.
He arrives early
Nous marchons dans le parc.
We walk in the park.
Even if followed by a prepositional phrase (dans le parc), the verb is still intransitive.
Transitive Verbs (Verbes transitifs)
A transitive verb is a verb that cannot be complete on its own. It needs an object to receive the action.
Je mange une pomme.
I am eating an apple.
Without the object, the sentence feels incomplete or changes meaning.
There are two main types of transitive verbs in French:
Direct transitive verbs → with a direct object (COD)
Indirect transitive verbs → with an indirect object (COI)
Direct transitive verbs (verbes transitifs directs)
A direct transitive verb takes a direct object (COD). A direct object receives the action without a preposition.
It answers the questions: "quoi ? / qui ?" (what / whom)
Sentence | COD | English |
|---|---|---|
Je mange une pomme. | une pomme | I am eating an apple. |
Il lit le livre. | le livre | He reads the book. |
Nous regardons les étoiles. | les étoiles | We are watching the stars. |
Direct object pronouns
Direct objects can be replaced by le, la, les.
Je mange la pomme. → Je la mange.
I eat the apple. → I eat it.
Il lit les journaux. → Il les lit.
He reads the newspapers. → He reads them.
Past participle agreement with COD
With avoir as auxiliary, the past participle agrees only if the COD comes before the verb. Look at the examples:
J'ai mangé la pomme. → no agreement
I ate the apple.
La pomme que j'ai mangée. → agreement
The apple I ate.
Indirect transitive verbs (verbes transitifs indirects)
An indirect transitive verb takes an indirect object (COI). An indirect object is linked by a preposition (usually à).
It answers the questions: "à qui ? / à quoi ?" (to whom / to what).
Sentence | COI | English |
|---|---|---|
Je parle à mon ami. | à mon ami | I talk to my friend. |
Elle répond au professeur. | au professeur | She answers the teacher. |
Nous pensons à nos vacances. | à nos vacances | We think about our vacation. |
Indirect object pronouns
Indirect objects can be replaced by lui and leur.
Je parle à mon frère. → Je lui parle.
I'm talking to my brother → I'm talking to him.
Il écrit à ses parents. → Il leur écrit.
He writes to his parents → He writes to them.
Warning!
Indirect objects never trigger past participle agreement with avoir.
Les personnes à qui j'ai parlé étaient gentilles. → no agreement (correct: j'ai parlé / incorrect: j'ai parlées)
The people I spoke to were nice.
Verbs that take both COD and COI
Some verbs can have both a direct and an indirect object.
Il offre un cadeau (COD) à son ami (COI).
He gives a gift to his friend.
Verbs that change meaning (Semi-Transitive)
Some verbs are transitive or intransitive depending on context.
Verb | Transitive | Intransitive |
|---|---|---|
monter | Il monte les valises. → He carries the suitcases upstairs. | Il monte rapidement. → He goes upstairs quickly. |
sortir | Elle sort la poubelle. → She takes out the trash. | Elle sort ce soir. → She goes out tonight. |
Attributive Verbs (Verbes attributifs)
An attributive verb (verbe attributif) is a verb that links the subject to an attribute, often using a noun, adjective, or pronoun. The attribute describes or identifies the subject. They are always followed by a subject complement (attribute), not a direct or indirect object.
They are often called copulative verbs (verbes copulatifs) because they link the subject to an attribute.
Most common attributive verbs: être, devenir, sembler, rester, paraître
Elle est heureuse.
She is happy.
Il devient médecin.
He becomes a doctor.
Cela semble difficile.
That seems difficult.
Ils restent calmes.
They remain calm.
Le projet paraît compliqué.
The project seems complicated.
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