Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs | I’m Breaking vs It’s Broken

Today, we’re going to talk about transitive and intransitive verbs. This article goes over the concepts in this video. I recommend you watch the video first and read this article whenever you want to review.

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

In English, there are some words like “break” that can be either transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs use both a subject and a direct object, while intransitive verbs have just a subject.

Transitive:
I broke the computer.

Here, “I” is the subject, and “computer” is the direct object.

Intransitive:
The computer broke.

Here, “computer” is the subject, and there is no direct object.

However, in Japanese, these words can change depending on whether they are transitive or intransitive.

壊こわす
Kowasu
To break (something)

壊こわれる
Kowareru
To break

パソコンを壊こわしました。
Pasokon wo kowashimashita.
(I) broke the computer.

In Japanese, it is normal to omit the subject. If you want to specify that you, not someone else, broke the computer, just add 私は(watashi wa). You can also use が(ga) instead of は(wa).

私はパソコンを壊こわしました。
Watashi wa pasokon wo kowashimashita.
I broke the computer.

私わたしがパソコンを壊こわしました。
Watashi ga pasokon wo kowashimashita.
I (am the one who) broke the computer.

*You can learn about wa and ga in this video.

Then there is the intransitive form of “to break”:

壊こわれる
Kowareru
To break (intransitive)

パソコンは壊こわれました。
Pasokon wa kowaremashita.
The computer broke.

In Japanese, you can also omit the direct object as long as the listener knows what you’re talking about from the context.

私わたしが壊こわした。
Watashi ga kowashita.
I broke (it).

As mentioned earlier, intransitive verbs can never have an object in front of it, just a subject.

私わたしは寝ねる
Watashi wa neru
I sleep

私わたしは寿司すしを食たべる
Watashi wa sushi wo taberu
I eat sushi

Just like in English, you can use prepositions like “with” to include another noun. Nouns that are coupled with a preposition don’t count as direct objects.

箸はしで寿司すしを食たべる
Hashi de sushi wo taberu
(I) eat sushi with chopsticks

Let’s go back to omitting nouns for a minute. You may be thinking, if you use a transitive verb and omit the subject, isn’t it the same as using the intransitive verb?

パソコンを壊こわしました。
Pasokon wo kowashimashita.
(I) broke the computer.

パソコンが壊こわれました。
Pasokon ga kowaremashita.
The computer broke.

They may seem the same, but they imply different things. The first sentence indicates that someone broke the computer, but the second sentence implies that the computer broke because of something beyond anyone’s control, or it doesn’t matter who broke the computer.

 

Vocabulary

消きえる
Kieru
To turn off

消けす
Kesu
To turn something off

つく
Tsuku
To turn on

つける
Tsukeru
To turn something on

開あく
Aku
To open

開あける
Akeru
To open something

閉しまる
Shimaru
To close

閉しめる
Shimeru
To close something

 

Example Sentences

電気でんきが消きえた。
Denki ga kieta.
The light turned off.

電気でんきを消けした。
Denki wo keshita.
(I) turned off the light.

(subject は/が) objectをつける
(subject wa/ga) object wo tsukeru
(subject) turns on (object)

電気でんきをつけた。
Denki wo tsuketa.
I turned on the light.

テッドは電気でんきをつけた。
Teddo wa denki wo tsuketa.
Ted turned on the light. (sounds like an answer to “What did Ted do?”)

テッドが電気でんきをつけた。
Teddo ga denki wo tsuketa.
Ted turned on the light. (sounds like an answer to “Who turned on the light?”)

電気でんきがついた。
Denki ga tsuita.
The light turned on.

窓まどを開あけてください。
Mado wo akete kudasai.
Please open the window.

ドアが開あく
Doa ga aku
The door opens

ドアが開あいた
Doa ga aita
The door opened

風かぜでドアが開あいた。
Kaze de doa ga aita.
The door opened because of the wind.

勝手かってにドアが開あいた…怖こわい！
Katte ni doa ga aita… Kowai!
The door opened by itself… I’m scared!

 

“Te-iru”

You can combine a transitive verb with “te-iru” to indicate that you are in the process of doing something.

話はなしている。
Hanashiteiru.
I am speaking.

ドアを開あけている。
Doa wo aketeiru.
I am opening the door.

When you combine an intransitive verb with “te-iru”, it indicates a state after an action has taken place.

お店みせが開あいている。
O-mise ga aiteiru.
The store is open.

In this case, 開いている (aiteiru) indicates that the store remains open. Be careful not to confuse the intransitive verb with the transitive verb.

❌ お店みせを開あけている。
O-mise wo aketeiru.
I am opening the store.

❌ お店みせが開あけている。
O-mise ga aketeiru.
The store is opening (something).

携帯けいたいは壊こわれている。
Keitai wa kowareteiru.
The phone is broken.

〜を閉しめる
〜wo shimeru
I close 〜

〜が閉しまる
〜ga shimaru
The 〜 closes

銀行ぎんこうがもう閉しまっている。
Ginkou ga mou shimatteiru.
The bank is already closed.

〜をつけている
〜を tsuketeiru
I am turning 〜 on

電気でんきがついている。
Denki ga tsuiteiru.
The light is on now.

〜を消けしている。
〜wo keshiteiru.
I am erasing/deleting 〜.

電気でんきが消きえている。
Denki ga kieteiru.
The light is off/has been turned off.

 

Vocabulary

落おちる
Ochiru
To fall

落おとす
Otosu
To drop

なくす
Nakusu
To lose something

なくなる
Naku naru
To disappear (used for objects)

いなくなる
Inaku naru
To disappear (used for people)

入る
Hairu
To enter

入れる
Ireru
To put something in

出る
Deru
To leave/get out/appear on TV

More Example Sentences

階段かいだんから落おちた。
Kaidan kara ochita.
I fell down the stairs.

崖がけから落おちた。
Gake kara ochita.
I fell off a cliff.

試験しけんに落おちた。
Shiken ni ochita.
I failed the exam.

財布さいふを落おとしましたよ。
Saifu wo otoshimashita yo.
You dropped your wallet.

携帯けいたいをなくしちゃった。
Keitai wo nakushi-chatta.
I lost my phone.

子供こどもがいなくなった。
Kodomo ga inakunatta.
The child went missing.

When you use なくす(nakusu) to say you lost something, you are blaming yourself. Also, make sure you use いなくなる(inaku naru) for people. To say object an object disappeared, you use なくなる(naku naru). If you use なくなる for a person, it means that person passed away. It’s also written with the kanji 亡 (na).

おじいさんが亡くなった。
O-jiisan ga nakunatta.
My grandpa passed away.

お菓子かしを袋ふくろに入いれる。
O-kashi wo fukuro ni ireru.
I put candy in a bag.

建物たてものに入はいる。
Tatemono ni hairu.
I enter the building.

お風呂ふろに入はいる。
O-furo ni hairu.
I take a bath.

お風呂ふろに入はいっている。
O-furo ni haitteiru.
I am taking a bath.

たんすから服ふくを出だす。
Tansu kara fuku wo dasu.
I take clothes out of the drawer.

かばんから財布さいふを出だす。
Kaban kara saifu wo dasu.
I take a wallet out of the backpack.

ここから出だして！
Koko kara dashite!
Get me out of here!

クラブに入いれて。
Kurabu ni irete.
Let me join the club.

お風呂ふろから出でる。
O-furo kara deru.
I get out of the bath.

いつから出で(ら)れる？
Itsu kara de(ra)reru?
When can we leave?

(subject)がテレビに出でている。
(subject) ga terebi ni deteiru.
(Subject) is on TV.

Now you have learned all about transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese, but how do you remember all of the different verbs? Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut, so you just have to practice until you memorize them by heart. However, don’t just drill all the verbs, try making sentences like the ones above, and soon the right words will come to you naturally.