LEARN + JAPANESE / 44 of 186 JLPT N4
Did It Happen, or Did You Do It 自動詞・他動詞
The door opened, but was it the wind or someone’s hand? Japanese often pairs an intransitive verb for a change that happens with a transitive verb for someone causing it. The pair shifts whether the sentence names a doer.
Lin turned off the light.
The light went out.
Hint · 힌트
消す (transitive, someone turns something off) and 消える (intransitive, something goes out on its own) describe the same result, a light no longer being on, but only one names who did it. を marks the object of the transitive verb; が marks the subject of the intransitive one, and the two verbs are never interchangeable despite looking related.
The window was open.
The wallet was on the ground (had fallen).
Hint · 힌트
Attach ている to the intransitive half and you get a neutral resultant state, no blame or intention implied, unlike てある which always points at someone’s deliberate action. 窓が開いています just says the window is open; who opened it, or why, isn’t part of the sentence at all.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| to turn on (transitive) | |
| to turn on, come on (intransitive) | |
| to stop something (transitive) | |
| to come to a stop (intransitive) | |
| to drop (transitive) | |
| to fall (intransitive) | |
| to get something dirty (transitive) | |
| to become dirty (intransitive) | |
| to break something (transitive) | |
| to become broken (intransitive) | |
| to take out, put out (transitive) | |
| to come out, exit (intransitive) | |
| to start something (transitive) | |
| for something to start (intransitive) | |
| entryway, front door | |
| key, lock | |
| TV program | |
| floor | |
| socks | |
| air conditioner |
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