Japanese Language/Transitive and intransitive verbs
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In the following sentences, the verb "eat" is Intransitive: "The food is eaten." "Tabemono ga taberaremasu." / "食べ物は食べられます。"
In the following sentences, the verb "eat" is Transitive: "I eat food." "Tabemono wa tabemaru." / "食べ物を食べます。"
Some more pairings, along with their pattern, are listed in the following tables:
Pattern 1: Transitive ➔ Intransitive verbs = eru ➔ aru
Transitive verbs,
English |
Transitive -eru (Plain form) | Transitive -eru (Masu-form) | Intransitive verbs,
English |
Intransitive -aru (Plain form) | Intransitive -aru
(Masu-form) |
to raise something | あげる | あげます | Something rises | あがる | あがります |
to collect something | あつめる | あつめます | Something is gathered | あつまる | あつまります |
to increase something | たかめる | たかめます | Something increases | たかまる | たかまります |
to tell, inform something | つたえる | つたえます | Something spreads or goes around | つたわる | つたわります |
to finish, end something | おえる | おえます | Something finishes or ends | おわる | おわります |
to change something | かえる | かえます | Something changes (かわる) | わる | わります |
to spend, take (time) something | かける | かけます | Something is taken (resources) | かかる | かかります |
to decide something | きめる | きめます | Something is decided | きまる | きまります |
to lower, pull down, reduce something | さげる | さげます | Something falls, lowers, or drops | さがる | さがります |
to close something | しまる | しまいます | Something closes | しまる | しまいます |
to stop something | とまる | とめます | Something stops | とまる | とまります |
to start something | はじめる | はじめます | Something starts | はじまる | はじまります |
to bend, curve something | まげる | まげます | Something bends, curves, or turns | まがる | まがります |
to find something | みつける | みつけます | Something is found | みつかる | みつかります |
Pattern 2: Transitive ➔ Intransitive = su ➔ reru
Transitive verbs, English | Transitive Verbs (-su) | Transitive Verbs, -eru
(Masu-form) |
Intransitive verbs,
English |
Intransitive Verbs (-reru) | Intransitive Verbs -aru
(Masu-form) |
to break | こわす (壊す) | こわします (壊します) | to break | こわれる (壊れる) | こわれます (壊れます) |
to throw down, knock down | たおす (倒す) | たおします (倒します) | to fall (to the ground), collapse | たおれる (倒れる) | たおれます (倒れます) |
to make (it) dirty | よごす (汚す) | よごします (汚します) | to become dirty | よごれる (汚れる) | よごれます (汚れます) |
Pattern 3:
Pattern 4:
Pattern 5:
Pattern 6:
Pattern 7:
Pattern 8:
Other: