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Italian Transitive And Intransitive Verbs Posted by on Jun 30, 2017 in Grammar

Why is it so important to understand the difference between verbi transitivi (transitive verbs) and verbi intransitivi (intransitive verbs)? Read on to find out …

Siamo rimasti a Verona per due giorni. Photo by Geoff.

What are Transitive and Intransitive verbs?

Transitive:
The word transitive comes from the Latin transire meaning ‘to pass’, ‘to cross’, ‘to go beyond’, therefore it describes actions that move from the subject or doer directly to the object, without making use of prepositions such as di, da, per, a etc.
Examples:
The classic example that we learn at school is: io mangio la mela (I eat the apple); in this sentence io is the subject of the verb, mangio is the transitive verb, and la mela is the direct object.
It’s not always necessary to express the direct object, for example: la sera mangio presto (in the evening I eat early). Here, the direct object would be ‘dinner’, ‘meal’, or ‘food’, but it is implicit rather than expressed.
Another example would be: Giovanni guida la macchina per andare a lavorare (Giovanni drives his car to go to work). Here, guidare is a transitive verb because it is followed by the direct object, la macchina. However I could also omit ‘la macchina’ and simply say Giovanni guida per andare a lavorare.

Intransitive:
When using intransitive verbs, the action does not move directly from the subject to the object but makes use of a preposition such as di, da, in, a etc.
Some important intransitive verbs are those which don’t express an action but rather a state or a condition, such as essere (to be), stare (to stay), divenire (to become), or movement such as andare (to go), venire (to come), arrivare (to arrive), etc. When using these verbs we frequently add information, such as ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘how’, ‘for how long’, and so on.
Examples:
il treno è arrivato in stazione (the train arrived at the station). Here, il treno is the subject, è arrivato is the intransitive verb, in stazione is the indirect object introduced by the preposition in
sto in ufficio tutto il pomeriggio (I’ll be in the office all afternoon)
Giovanni va al lavoro in macchina (Giovanni goes to work by car)

Italian and English, Different Rules

A common cause of confusion is that verbs which are transitive in Italian are sometimes intransitive in English and vice versa.
Take the transitive verb ascoltare (to listen) for example: in Italian we say ascoltare una canzone (literally: to listen a song, without the proposition ‘to’). In English, however, we say ‘to listen to a song’, making the verb ‘to listen’ intransitive.
A good bilingual dictionary should help you to identify whether verbs are transitive or intransitive. When looking up a verb in your dictionary you should find that it is followed by either vt (also v.tr) which is short for verbo transitivo, or vi (also v.intr) short for verbo intransitivo.

The Importance of Understanding the Difference between Transitive and Intransitive

Knowing the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs will help you to understand which auxiliary verb to use in the past tense: essere or avere?

  • In the past tense all transitive verbs are built with the auxiliary avere: e.g. Ho mangiato la mela (I have eaten the apple), Abbiamo visto un cinghiale (we saw a wild boar), Avete finito i lavori sulla casa (have you finished the work on the house?)
  • All verbs in the reflexive form are built with the auxiliary essere: e.g. Mi sono svegliato alle sette (I woke up at seven, literally: I am woken at seven), Ti sei lavato le mani? (Have you washed your hands?)
  • All verbs expressing a state or condition are built with the auxiliary essere: e.g. Sei stata in ufficio questa mattina? (Have you been in the office this morning?, literally: Are you been in the office …?), Siamo rimasti a Verona per due giorni (We stayed in Verona for two days)

For all other intransitive verbs you’ll need to use your dictionary as there’s no fixed rule.

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Comments:

  1. Kimberly Koehler:

    Direct objects are not preceded by a preposition:
    “Io mangia la mela”. Indirect objects ARE: “Ho comprato il regalo per Maria”. Intransitive verbs do not need objects:
    “Dormo bene ogni notte”. Your grammar explanations are usually wonderful but today’s post could have been clearer.

    • Serena:

      @Kimberly Koehler Salve Kimberley, mi dispiace che il post non ti sia piaciuto.
      Non capisco cosa vuoi dire con il secondo esempio: “Ho comprato il regalo per Maria”. ‘Comprare’ è un verbo transitivo, qui seguito dal complemento diretto e poi da quello indiretto.
      ‘Dormire’ è un verbo sia intransitivo che transitivo, per esempio: dormire un sonno tranquillo.
      Saluti da Serena

  2. Jen:

    The rule regarding the use of avere or essere depending on whether the verb is transitive or intransitive is really helpful, thanks.
    Also love your blog more generally, I look forward to your posts.

    • Geoff:

      @Jen Grazie mille Jen! 🙂

  3. Joe:

    Hai fatto un ottimo lavori ,spiegare questo

  4. Ron:

    When does one say e’ fatto instead of ha fatto …

    • Geoff:

      @Ron Salve Ron,

      Here are a couple of examples to help answer your question:

      Il lavoro è fatto = The work is done
      E’ fatto così = It’s done like this

      Giorgio ha fatto un buon lavoro = Giorgio did a good job
      Chi ha fatto questa foto = Who took this photo?

      Hope that helps, a presto, Geoff 🙂

  5. Gianna Shaw:

    Molto interessante grazie 😀

    • John Cunnell:

      @Gianna Shaw Questo è un soggetto che non capisco chiaramente. Per essempio:
      “Hai mangiato la mela?”
      “Si, l’ho mangiata”
      Sono 90% securo che questo essempio sia corretto. Non sono scettico, ma il 90% è asintoticamente il più vicino al certo che posso ottenere senza incorrere in problemi.

      Ma ora considera questo:
      “Hai mangiato delle mele?”
      “Si, me ne sono mangiate” oppure “Sì, me ne ho mangiato” Secondo me, quest’ultima non sia corretto.

      Quindi la mia domanda è: Nel presente perfetto indicativo sia per i verbi transitivi che intransitivi in ​​cui l’oggetto è espresso con un pronome oggetto diretto o indiretto il verbo ausiliare è sempre “essere” con i suoi accordi di genere e numero associati?

      Sarei sbalordito se la risposta fosse un semplice “sì”. Ma se lo è, mi ricompenserò con un’altra pagina di esercizi verbali congiuntivi.

  6. Libin Andrews:

    Lei è molto gentile. Lei i scritti sono davvero utili. Grazie mille!


Leave a comment to Gianna Shaw