ditranszitive

Ditransitive refers to a type of verb that requires three arguments to form a complete grammatical sentence. These three arguments typically consist of a subject, a direct object, and an indirect object. The subject performs the action of the verb, the direct object is the entity that is directly acted upon, and the indirect object is the recipient or beneficiary of the action.

For example, in the sentence "She gave him the book," "She" is the subject, "gave" is the ditransitive verb, "him" is the indirect object, and "the book" is the direct object. Ditransitive verbs are common in many languages and often involve the transfer of something from one entity to another.

Other examples of ditransitive verbs include "tell," "send," "show," "lend," and "buy." The order of the direct and indirect objects can sometimes vary depending on the language, but the requirement for three distinct arguments remains a defining characteristic. While some verbs can be used transitively (with one object) or intransitively (with no object), ditransitive verbs specifically necessitate the presence of both a direct and an indirect object to convey their full meaning. The grammatical function of these arguments is crucial for understanding the semantic relationship between the verb and its participants.