Transitive and intransitive verbs, and

Unit 14 (Unidad 14)
Transitive and intransitive verbs, and
reflexive verbs (Los verbos transitivos e
intransitivos, y los verbos reflexivos)
This unit should be read in conjunction with the unit on pronouns (unit 17).
Level 1
1.1 Transitive verbs (Verbos transitivos)
1.2 Intransitive verbs (Verbos intransitivos)
1.3 More differences between transitive and intransitive verbs (M
´
as diferencias
entre verbos transitivos e intransitivos)
1.4 Reflexive verbs (Verbos reflexivos)
1.5 Use of the pronoun (Uso del pronombre)
1.6 Reflexive verbs as reciprocal verbs (Verbos reflexivos como verbos rec
´
ıprocos)
1.7 Reflexive verbs with parts of the body (Verbos reflexivos con partes del cuerpo)
1.8 Variations on the place of the reflexive pronoun (Variaciones sobre la
posici
´
on / ubicaci
´
on (M) del pronombre reflexivo)
1.1 Transitive verbs
A transitive verb has a subject – an actor who or which acts directly upon some person
or thing and an object. This object must be expressed or the verb ceases to be transitive.
This comment applies to both Spanish and English. Thus in Ve olacasa (I see the
house), veo is a transitive verb because it has an object, i.e. casa. Examples of other
verbs used transitively, and there are innumerable verbs that may be used in this way,
are:

Lee el peri´odico She reads the newspaper Veo la pel´ıcula I see the movie
Conduce el coche She drives the car Visito la ciudad I visit the town
Prepara la cena He prepares the meal Toman el avi´on They catch the airplane
1.2 Intransitive verbs
If the verb does not have a direct object it is used intransitively. Here are some examples:
Corro/ando todos los d´ıas I run/walk every day
Vamos a Roma We are going to Rome
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ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH
Venimos aqu´ı con frecuencia We come here frequently
Los ni˜nos nadan en el r´ıo Thechildren swim in the river
El sol brilla The sun shines
El pasto (M)/la hierba crece Thegrass grows
1.3 More differences between transitive and
intransitive verbs
In English, most verbs may be used transitively or intransitively. This is not the case in
Spanish. If we take the use of a transitive verb in English, Theman opens the door,wediscover
that the verb to open may be used intransitively: The door opens.The Spanish equivalent
abrir may only be used transitively: El hombre abre la puerta.Itcannot be used in an
intransitive way unless it becomes reflexive (i.e. La puerta se abre; see “Reflexive verbs”
below: 1.4). But, before passing on to reflexive verbs, we would do well to consider
how the two Spanish verbs bajar and subir may be used transitively and intransitively.
By comparing the transitive and intransitive uses of bajar and subir,you will see the
differences more clearly:
Transitive use Intransitive use
Baja las escaleras Bajan de la monta˜na
She goes down the stairs They go down the mountain
Baja los libros, por favor Los precios bajan/suben
Bring down the books, please Prices are going down/up
El ni˜no sube las escaleras de dos en dos Sube al primer piso

Thechild goes up the stairs two by two She goes up to the first floor
Sube los sillones con una polea La temperatura sube
She takes up the armchairs with a pulley The temperature’s going up
1.4 Reflexive verbs
i A transitive verb is called reflexive when its action returns upon the actor – in other
words, when the subject and object are identical. A reflexive verb is a kind of
transitive verb because it does have a direct object. Although reflexive verbs exist in
English, it is possible in most cases not to use them. For example, we would much
more easily say I washed this morning than I washed myself this morning. However, in
Spanish, this is not the case. If we said Lav ´e esta ma ˜nana a Spanish speaker would
wonder what you were washing, the car, your clothes, sheets, etc. If you wanted
to say that you were actually washing yourself, you would need to use a reflexive
pronoun with the verb lavar. So, the me of me lavo is most necessary if you want
to be clear about what is being washed – in this case, you. Whatever the form of the
subject, and whether expressed or not, the object is always a pronoun, always
expressed, and agreeing in person and number with the verb (see unit 17 for
pronouns).
The usual position of the pronominal object or pronoun object is immediately before the
verb or the auxiliary verb. The following pattern of the verb ba
˜
narse (to have a swim
but in M to have a shower) will serve for all tenses and combinations:
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14 Transitive/intransitive and reflexive verbs
yo me ba˜no
t´uteba˜nas
´el/ella/Ud. se ba˜na
nosotros/as nos ba˜namos
vosotros/as os ba˜n´ais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se ba˜nan

ii Bear in mind again that the Uds.inMexico, as in all Spanish America, is used to cover
vosotros / as as well as the Uds.ofSpain.
Of course, ba
˜
nar is also used non-reflexively to mean to give a bath to or to give a shower to
(M).
Here are just a few very common verbs used reflexively and non-reflexively:
acercar to bring closer acercarse to get closer
acostar to put to bed acostarse to go to bed
afeitar (not in M) to shave (someone) afeitarse to shave (yourself)
alegrar to make happy alegrarse to cheer up
arreglar to arrange, to fix arreglarse to get ready
avergonzar to put to shame avergonzarse to be ashamed
cansar to tire cansarse to get tired
despertar to wake (someone) up despertarse to wake up
enfadar to make angry enfadarse to get angry
enojar (M) to make angry enojarse to get angry
levantar to lift up levantarse to get up
mojar to wet mojarse to get wet
pasear to take for a walk pasearse to go for a walk
rasurar (M) to shave (someone) rasurarse to shave (yourself)
iii A great number of verbs may be used reflexively in this way.
Examples of verbs used reflexively and non-reflexively
Acerca la silla, por favor Bring the chair closer, please
Me acerco a la ventana I get closer to the window
Voyapasear al perrito I’m going to take the dog for a walk
Se est´an paseando They’re out for a walk
Su actitud enoja (M)atodo el mundo Her attitude makes everyone angry
Se enoja al enterarse de lo ocurrido She gets angry when she learns what has
happened

1.5 Use of the pronoun
i When the subject is a pronoun, it is often omitted unless emphasis is required. The
reflexive pronoun usually tells you what the subject is. As with all pronouns (see unit
17 on pronouns), the reflexive object can be attached to the infinitive or precede an
auxiliary verb coming before the infinitive. The meaning is the same. It may be added
in passing that these two usages are equally common in Italian, and in Old French.
Me quiero lavar / Quiero lavarme I want to wash
¿Te quieres acostar? / ¿Quieres acostarte? Do you want to go to bed?
Nos vamos a rasurar / Vamos a rasurarnos (M) We are going to have a shave
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ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH
ii One of the most common and idiomatic uses of Spanish reflexive verbs, as with many
idiomatic uses, does not have a direct equivalent in English. The reflexive may be
used in the singular or plural form. The reflexive can only be rendered in a passive
way in English, unless you choose to change the English construction completely:
Se venden peri´odicos aqu´ı Newspapers are sold here / They sell
newspapers here
Se compran carros (M)enunsupermercado Cars are sold in a supermarket / They
sell . . .
Se alquila un piso Apartment for rent
Se renta un departamento (M) Apartment for rent
Se busca una secretaria We are looking for a secretary (to work)
Se plantea el siguiente problema Thefollowing problem arises
Se reduce la deuda a mil d´olares The debt is reduced to a thousand dollars
iii Complications arise when the reflexive pronouns (see unit 17 on pronouns) are no
longer the direct object but the indirect object. Take the following two cases:
Me lavo I wash (myself) Me lavo las manos I wash my hands
Me corto I cut myself Me corto el dedo I cut my finger
In these cases, Me in Me lavo is a direct object but in Me lavo las manos it is an
indirect object, since the direct object is las manos. Similarly, in the second example,

el dedo is the direct object and Me is the indirect object. Note also that, in this type of
construction, a possessive adjective is not used – rather the definite article. This is not
the case in English. Fortunately, pronouns preceding verbs in the perfect tense have no
repercussions on the past participle, as they do in French and Italian, largely because the
perfect tense in Spanish is only conjugated with haber, and not ser or estar.
Examples
Se ha vendido la casa The house has been sold
Se han comprado los boletos (M)/las entradas The tickets have been bought
1.6 Reflexive verbs as reciprocal verbs
i Reflexive verbs can often be referred to as reciprocal verbs when several actors or
subjects act upon each other. In these cases, the subject is always plural:
Se enga˜nan They deceive themselves / They deceive
one another
Nos felicitamos We congratulate ourselves / each other
Se miran They look at themselves / at each other
Se ven en el espejo They see themselves / each other in the
mirror
Se ayudan los siniestrados The victims help themselves / each other
ii Sometimes, a reinforcing expression is used to make the meaning clear:
Se detestan mutuamente They loathe each other
Los pol´ıticos no se entienden entre s´ı Politicians don’t understand each other
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14 Transitive/intransitive and reflexive verbs
Los soldados se ayudan unos a otros The soldiers help each other
Se odian una a otra They hate each other
iii There are some Spanish verbs which may only be used in the reflexive form, or are
rarely used in a non-reflexive form, and have no genuine reflexive interpretation:
abstenerse de to abstain from
arrepentirse de to repent of
atreverse a to dare to

ausentarse to absent yourself
dignarse to deign to
jactarse de to boast of
quejarse de to complain of
Examples
Se arrepienten de su error They repent over their error
Se atreve a subir a la cumbre She dares to climb up to the top
Se digna concedernos una entrevista She deigns to give us an interview
Nos quejamos de nuestra mala suerte We complain of our bad luck
1.7 Reflexive verbs with parts of the body
Where parts of the human body are concerned, the reflexive pronoun is very com-
mon. It has repercussions in other parts of the sentence as well. Consider the following
sentences:
Me pongo la chaqueta I put on my jacket
Te quitas los zapatos Yo u take your shoes off
Se rompi´oelbrazo He broke his arm
Se hace da˜no en el tobillo She hurts her ankle
Se lastimaron la cabeza (M) They hurt their heads
Note two features here. One is the use of the reflexive and the second is the use of the
definite article before the direct object: la chaqueta, los zapatos, etc. The possessive
adjectives corresponding to my, your...(mi, tu, su, etc.) are not possible here. The
reflexive does the work of the possessive adjective.
1.8 Variations on the place of the reflexive pronoun
As seen above, and with all other personal pronouns, the reflexive is regularly attached
to the infinitive or may precede an auxiliary verb which comes before the infinitive.
Quiero lavarme / Me quiero lavar I want to wash (myself)
Vamos a acostarnos / Nos vamos a acostar We are going to bed
Debo hacerlo / Lo debo hacer Ihavetodoit
Similarly, the reflexive is either attached to the gerund or placed before the verb estar.
Bear in mind that a written accent needs to be placed over the appropriate vowel when

the reflexive is added to the gerund:
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