Language/French/Grammar/Indirect-and-Direct-Transitive-Verbs

Indirect Transitive Verbs versus Direct Transitive Verbs

Indirect transitive verbs

A verb is said to be indirect transitive when it is accompanied by an indirect object complement.

Example:

• "Il joue aux petites voitures".

He plays toy cars

Here "petites voitures" is the complement of indirect object or COI (complément d'objet indirect).

A verb can be used in the active, passive or pronominal voice.

Indirect transitive verbs, therefore verbs which accept an indirect object complement, do not accept transformation in the passive voice.

We cannot use the passive voice when the verb of the sentence does not admit a direct object complement, as for example in the case of an indirect transitive verb, or in the case of an intransitive verb.

Direct transitive verbs

With the active voice the subject performs the action:

• Le chat mange la souris

The cat eats the mouse

The verb “manger” (to eat) is of direct transitive type.

In the passive voice it is the subject who undergoes the action: “La souris est mangée par le chat” (The mouse is eaten by the cat).

Direct transitive verbs, therefore verbs which accept a direct object complement, accept transformation in the passive voice.

Other Lessons

• Omission of the article in compound nouns linked by à
• Adjectives preceded by de
• Indefinite article
• Double object constructions with no preposition
• Plural forms of adjectives — Adjectives which end in eau
• Subject verb agreement — Verb agreement with fractions
• Use of en with numerals and quantifiers
• Adjectives with complements
• Plurals of nouns ending in –ou
• Conjugation group 2 — verbs whose infinitive ends in —ir
• An adjective agreeing with nouns linked by de
• Plural forms of adjectives — The normal case
• ensuite VS puis
• Differences in the use of numbers in French and English hundreds thousands millions billions
• Easy way of generating the imperfect tense