Blog about English
Verbs that require or do not require direct objects.
English verbs may be transitive, intransitive or both.
Whether a verb takes a direct object depends on its meaning and usage.
She opened the window.
Она открыла окно.
"opened" is transitive because it takes the direct object "the window".
The window opened suddenly.
Окно внезапно открылось.
"opened" is intransitive here because it has no direct object.
They are eating lunch.
Они обедают.
"are eating" is transitive because it takes the direct object "lunch".
Transitive verbs require or normally take a direct object.
The object receives the action of the verb.
She bought a new laptop.
Она купила новый ноутбук.
"bought" is transitive and takes "a new laptop" as its direct object.
He closed the door.
Он закрыл дверь.
"closed" takes "the door" as its direct object.
We watched the film last night.
Мы смотрели фильм прошлой ночью.
"watched" is followed by the direct object "the film".
Intransitive verbs do not take a direct object.
They may be followed by adverbials or prepositional phrases instead.
The baby cried all night.
Ребёнок плакал всю ночь.
"cried" is intransitive and does not take a direct object.
They arrived at the station.
Они прибыли на станцию.
"arrived" is intransitive; "at the station" is a prepositional phrase, not a direct object.
The children laughed loudly.
Дети громко смеялись.
"laughed" is intransitive and is followed by the adverb "loudly".
Many English verbs can be used both transitively and intransitively.
The meaning often changes slightly depending on whether an object is present.
The door opened slowly.
Дверь медленно открылась.
"opened" is intransitive because there is no direct object.
She opened the door slowly.
Она медленно открыла дверь.
"opened" is transitive because "the door" is its direct object.
The children are eating.
Дети едят.
"are eating" is used intransitively because no object is mentioned.
The children are eating lunch.
Дети обедают.
"are eating" is transitive because "lunch" is the direct object.
Only transitive verbs can take a direct object.
Recognizing direct objects helps learners identify verb types correctly.
I read the newspaper every morning.
Я читаю газету каждое утро.
"the newspaper" is the direct object of the transitive verb "read".
She called her mother.
Она позвонила своей матери.
"her mother" is the direct object of "called".
They built a house.
Они построили дом.
"a house" is the direct object of "built".
Transitive verbs can be monotransitive, ditransitive or complex transitive depending on the complements they require.
Monotransitive verbs take one direct object (She opened the window). Ditransitive verbs take two objects (She gave me a book). Complex transitive verbs take a direct object and an object complement (They elected him president).
She opened the window.
Она открыла окно.
"opened" is monotransitive because it takes one direct object, "the window".
She gave me a book.
Она дала мне книгу.
"gave" is ditransitive because it takes two objects, "me" and "a book".
They elected him president.
Они избрали его президентом.
"elected" is complex transitive because "him" is the direct object and "president" is its object complement.
Some verbs can be used both transitively and intransitively, with or without a change in meaning.
Compare The door opened with She opened the door, and The children are eating with The children are eating lunch. Understanding these patterns helps learners choose the correct sentence structure.
The glass broke.
Стакан разбился.
"broke" is intransitive because there is no direct object.
She broke the glass.
Она разбила стакан.
"broke" is transitive because "the glass" is its direct object.
The children are eating.
Дети едят.
"are eating" is intransitive because no object is specified.
The children are eating dinner.
Дети ужинают.
"are eating" is transitive because "dinner" is the direct object.
Only transitive verbs can normally form passive constructions.
Because the object of an active sentence becomes the subject of a passive sentence, intransitive verbs generally cannot be used in the passive.
They repaired the car.
Они отремонтировали машину.
"repaired" is transitive because it takes the direct object "the car".
The car was repaired yesterday.
Машина была отремонтирована вчера.
The direct object "the car" in the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
They arrived early.
Они приехали рано.
"arrived" is intransitive, so it does not normally form a passive construction.
The transitivity of a verb determines which complements and sentence patterns are grammatically possible.
Some verbs allow multiple patterns, while others require a specific structure. Dictionaries often indicate these patterns.
She explained the problem to me.
Она объяснила мне проблему.
"explained" takes the direct object "the problem" followed by the prepositional phrase "to me".
She told me the truth.
Она сказала мне правду.
"told" allows the pattern verb + indirect object + direct object.
He depends on his parents.
Он зависит от своих родителей.
"depends" is followed by the preposition "on", so "his parents" is not a direct object.
Some verbs change their transitivity according to meaning or occur in fixed expressions.
Dictionary entries often indicate whether a verb is transitive, intransitive or both, helping learners choose the correct construction.
She runs every morning.
Она бегает каждое утро.
"runs" is intransitive when it means "move quickly on foot".
She runs a successful business.
Она управляет успешным бизнесом.
"runs" is transitive here because "a successful business" is its direct object.
He has three children.
У него трое детей.
"has" is transitive here and takes "three children" as its direct object.
Verb transitivity differs across languages, so direct translation may produce incorrect English.
Learners should rely on English verb patterns rather than transferring patterns from their first language.
We discussed the problem.
Мы обсудили проблему.
"discussed" is transitive and is followed directly by "the problem"; no preposition is needed.
We discussed it yesterday.
Мы обсуждали это вчера.
"discussed" takes the pronoun "it" directly as its object.
She entered the room.
Она вошла в комнату.
"entered" is transitive here and takes "the room" directly; the preposition "into" is not normally used.
Choose the correct verb pattern and object according to the verb's transitivity.
Common mistakes include adding unnecessary objects, omitting required objects, confusing transitive and intransitive meanings, and attempting to form passive sentences from intransitive verbs.
We discussed the problem.
Мы обсудили проблему.
Do not add a preposition after the transitive verb "discuss" before its direct object.
She arrived at the airport.
Она приехала в аэропорт.
Use the preposition "at" because "arrive" is intransitive and does not take a direct object.
The accident happened yesterday.
Авария произошла вчера.
Do not use a direct object after the intransitive verb "happened".
The window was broken.
Окно было разбито.
"break" can form a passive construction when it is used transitively, as in "Someone broke the window".