Understanding Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in French: A Guide

Let’s dive into the fascinating world of verbs — specifically transitive and intransitive verbs! You might also wonder, what about direct and indirect transitive verbs? Don’t worry, we’ll cover those too!

We’ll make sure you understand how these verbs function and give you plenty of examples along the way.

What is a Transitive Verb?

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a complement to make its meaning complete. In simple terms, the action of the verb needs something to “act upon.” Without this complement, the action feels unfinished or unclear.

For example, the verb manger (to eat) is transitive because it often needs an object to clarify what’s being eaten:

• Tu manges. (You’re eating.)

While this is a grammatically correct sentence, it’s missing the information of what you’re eating. To complete the meaning, you could say:

• Tu manges des pâtes à la sauce tomate. (You’re eating pasta with tomato sauce.)

Here, the complement “des pâtes à la sauce tomate” (pasta with tomato sauce) directly answers the question “Quoi ?” (What?), making “manger” a direct transitive verb.

• Il lit un journal. (He’s reading a newspaper.) — The complement “un journal” answers the question “Quoi ?” (What?).

• Nous regardons un film. (We’re watching a movie.) — The complement “un film” answers the question “Quoi ?” (What?).

Direct vs. Indirect Transitive Verbs

Now, transitive verbs can be divided into direct and indirect.

Direct Transitive Verbs

A direct transitive verb accepts a direct object complement to complete the action. The object answers the questions “Who?” or “What?”. Using our earlier example:

• Tu manges quoi ? (What are you eating?) — Des pâtes à la sauce tomate (pasta with tomato sauce).
• Il lit quoi ? (What is he reading?) — Un livre (a book).
• Elle regarde quoi ? (What is she watching?) — Un film (a movie).
• Il aime quoi ? (What does he like?) — Les films de science-fiction ! (sci-fi movies!)
• Elles boivent quoi ? (What are they drinking?) — Du café ! (Coffee!)
• Tu éteins quoi ? (What are you turning off?) — La télé ! (The TV!)
• Tu manges quoi ? (What are you eating?) — Des pop-corn. (Popcorn.)

Here is a list of common direct transitive verbs:

Verb	Example
aimer to like/love/enjoy	Il adore les films de science-fiction !
allumer to turn on	Allume la lumière !
boire to drink	Tu veux boire quelque chose ?
chercher to look for	Tu cherches tes lunettes ?
conduire to drive	On conduit une voiture électrique.
dessiner to draw	Elle dessine des portraits.
éteindre to turn off	J’ai éteint la télé !
gonfler to inflate	Vous devez gonfler vos pneus.
manger to eat	Elle mange des pop-corn.
prendre to take	Je prends un bain après le sport.
regarder to watch/look at	Elle regarde le paysage.

Indirect Transitive Verbs

An indirect transitive verb, on the other hand, accepts an indirect object complement, which answers the questions “To whom?” or “To what?”.

For instance, take the verb “parler” (to talk):

• Elle parle à qui ? (Who is she talking to?) — Elle parle à la voisine (She’s talking to the neighbor).
• Elle parle de quoi ? (What is she talking about?) — Elle parle de ses vacances (She’s talking about her vacation).

Here, the complement “à la voisine or “de ses vacances” is an indirect object complement because it answers the question “À qui ?” (To whom?) or “De quoi ?” (About what?).

In each case, the indirect transitive verbs need an indirect object complement to complete their meaning. Let’s take a look at a few more examples:

• Elle parle à qui ? (Who is she talking to?) — À son frère ! (To her brother!)
• Ils manquent à qui ? (Who misses them?) — À leurs amis ! (Their friends miss them!)
• Cette chanson plaît à qui ? (Who enjoys this song?) — Aux enfants ! (The kids!)
• Tu réponds à qui ? (Who are you answering?) — À la prof ! (The teacher!)
• Il pense à quoi ? (What is he thinking about?) — À ses vacances ! (About his vacation!)

Here is a list of the most important indirect transitive verbs:

Verb	Example
appartenir (à) to belong (to)	Ce collier appartient à la reine.
assister (à) to attend (an event)	Vous devez assister à tous les cours si vous voulez progresser !
manquer (à) to miss (someone)	Tu manques beaucoup à tes amis !
nuire (à) to harm	Ne nuisez pas aux animaux. Respectez-les.
obéir (à) to obey	Ils n’obéissent pas à n’importe qui.
parler (à)(avec) to speak, talk (to)(with)	Parle avec lui, c’est plus simple.
penser (à) to think about	Nous pensons à notre futur.
plaire (à) to like	Cette chanson plaît énormément aux enfants !
résister (à) to resist	Si tu résistes au froid, tu aimeras le Pôle Nord !
répondre (à) to answer	Ne réponds pas à cette question indiscrète !
téléphoner (à) to call (someone)	Je dois téléphoner à mon avocat.

Verbs That Are Both Direct and Indirect Transitive Verbs

Let’s dive a bit further into transitive verbs. Some verbs can have both a direct and indirect object complement. You can convey what is happening to an object and to whom it is happening or to whom it is given.

• Tu achètes quoi à qui ? (What are you buying for whom?) — J’achète des fleurs à ma mère. (I’m buying flowers for my mother.)
• Il demande quoi à qui ? (What is he asking of whom?) — Il demande un conseil à son ami. (He’s asking his friend for advice.)
• Elle envoie quoi à qui ? (What is she sending to whom?) — Elle envoie un message à ses collègues. (She’s sending a message to her colleagues.)
• Vous expliquez quoi à qui ? (What are you explaining to whom?) — Nous expliquons les règles aux nouveaux étudiants. (We’re explaining the rules to the new students.)
• Ils prêtent quoi à qui ? (What are they lending to whom?) — Ils prêtent leur voiture à leurs voisins. (They’re lending their car to their neighbors.)
• Elle raconte quoi à qui ? (What is she telling to whom?) — Elle raconte une histoire aux enfants. (She’s telling a story to the children.)

The following table shows you the most important ones:

Verb	Example
acheter to buy (something for someone)	Elle achète une glace à son fils.
demander to ask (something of someone)	Je demande des informations à ma sœur.
donner to give (something to someone)	Tu donnes un conseil à ton ami.
écrire to write (something to someone)	Elle écrit un mot à son voisin.
enseigner to teach (something to someone)	Elle enseigne le français à tout le monde !
envoyer to send (something to someone)	J’envoie un e-mail à mon chef.
expliquer to explain (something to someone)	Vous expliquez les normes de sécurité aux voyageurs.
laisser to leave (something for someone)	Ils laissent un message aux employés.
lire to read (something to someone)	Tu veux lire ce poème à ta mère ?
offrir to offer (something to someone)	Il offre un café à la jeune femme.
ouvrir to open (something for someone)	Tu ouvres la porte au facteur.
prêter to lend (something to someone)	Je prête parfois mes affaires à mes amis proches.
raconter to tell (something to someone)	On raconte une histoire aux enfants.

What Is an Intransitive Verb?

Intransitive verbs don’t need any complements to complete their meaning. The action is complete by itself.

For example:

• On court. (We are running.)

You don’t need to specify “what or who” is being run. The action is complete on its own, making courir an intransitive verb.

Another example:

• Il dort. (He is sleeping.)

In both cases, the verbs don’t require an object for the sentence to be clear and grammatically correct.

Here is a list of the most important intransitive verbs in French:

Verb	Example
aller to go	Je vais faire les courses tous les mardis.
arriver to arrive	Mes amis arrivent demain soir.
bâiller to arrive	Je n’arrête pas de bailler aujourd’hui.
courir to run	Il court pour attraper le bus !
dormir to sleep	Les enfants doivent aller dormir tôt pour être en forme demain matin.
éternuer to sneeze	Il a éternué trois fois de suite !
mourir to die	Si tu n’arroses pas cette plante, elle meurt.
naître to be born	Il est né le jour de Noël.
partir to leave	Il part de chez lui à 8h.
rester to stay	Nous sommes restées à la maison ce week-end.
rougir to blush	Je rougis parfois en public.
tomber to fall	Il est tombé de sa chaise.
venir to come	Vous venez demain ?

Adding Complements to Intransitive Verbs

While intransitive verbs don’t need a complement, you can still add a circumstantial complement to provide additional details, such as how or where the action is taking place. For example:

• Elle dort bien. (She sleeps well.)
• Elle vient chez moi. (She is coming to my place.)
• Il marche lentement. (He walks slowly.)
• Ils nagent dans la piscine. (They are swimming in the pool.)

If you prefer a more visual explanation, check out our detailed video on transitive and intransitive verbs below!

Verbs That Can Be Both Transitive and Intransitive

Some verbs are even more versatile — they can be both transitive and intransitive, depending on how they are used. Here is a list of the most common ones:

Verb	Transitive Usage	Intransitive Usage
acheter to buy (something for someone)	Elle achète un livre pour son fils. (She buys a book for her son.)	Elle achète souvent ici. (She often buys here.)
changer to change	Il change de vêtements après le travail. (He changes clothes after work.)	Le temps change vite ici. (The weather changes quickly here.)
demander to ask (something of someone)	Je demande des informations à ma sœur. (I ask for some information from my sister.)	Il demande beaucoup. (He asks a lot.)
descendre to go down/get off	Elle descend les escaliers rapidement. (She goes down the stairs quickly.)	Elle descend à la prochaine station. (She gets off at the next station.)
donner to give (something to someone)	Tu donnes un conseil à ton ami. (You give some advice to your friend.)	Elle donne généreusement. (She gives generously.)
enseigner to teach (something to someone)	Elle enseigne le français à tout le monde. (She teaches French to everyone.)	Elle enseigne depuis dix ans. (She has been teaching for ten years.)
entrer to enter	Il entre un mot de passe. (He enters a password.)	Il entre sans frapper. (He enters without knocking.)
envoyer to send (something to someone)	J’envoie un e-mail à mon chef. (I’m sending an email to my boss.)	J’envoie souvent depuis cette adresse. (I often send from this address.)
expliquer to explain (something to someone)	Vous expliquez les normes aux voyageurs. (You explain the rules to travelers.)	Il explique clairement. (He explains clearly.)
écrire to write	Elle écrit un mot à son voisin. (She writes a note to her neighbor.)	Elle écrit chaque jour. (She writes every day.)
lire to read (something to someone)	Tu veux lire ce poème à ta mère ? (Do you want to read this poem to your mom?)	Elle lit tous les soirs. (She reads every evening.)
monter to go up/take up	Elle monte les valises à l’étage. (She takes the suitcases upstairs.)	Elle monte dans sa chambre. (She goes up to her room.)
ouvrir to open (something for someone)	Tu ouvres la porte au facteur. (You open the door for the mailman.)	La boutique ouvre à dix heures. (The shop opens at ten.)
prêter to lend (something to someone)	Je prête mes affaires à mes amis proches. (I lend my things to my close friends.)	Elle prête volontiers. (She lends willingly.)
sortir to go out/take out	Elle sort les poubelles le soir. (She takes out the trash at night.)	Elle sort tous les samedis. (She goes out every Saturday.)

Conclusion

Now, time to recap!
We are now aware that verbs can be transitive or intransitive.

• Transitive verbs require or at least, accept a complement to complete their meaning. There are 2 types of transitive verbs:
  • Direct transitive verbs need a direct object complement (answering who or what).
  • Indirect transitive verbs need an indirect object complement (answering to whom or what).
• Intransitive verbs do not require a complement to complete their meaning, though you can add circumstantial details like manner or place.

While we now understand the basics of transitive and intransitive verbs, some verbs add a bit of complexity. They can shift between being transitive direct and indirect, or even switch between transitive and intransitive uses, depending on context, meaning, or sentence structure.

Congrats! Now you have the tools to identify and use these verbs in French. And if you’d like more practice on this topic, head over to lingoni for interactive exercises and downloadable PDF worksheets. You’ll also find vocabulary sections, podcasts, and much more to help you master French (and even German or English if you’re interested!)

À bientôt ! 😊