transitivos

Transitivos is a term used in linguistics to describe verbs that require a direct object to complete their meaning. In languages that mark transitivity, a transitive verb expresses an action that is directed toward something, which becomes the object of the verb.

In Spanish grammar, a transitive verb typically requires a direct object. Examples include comer una manzana (to eat an apple) and leer un libro (to read a book). The direct object is the noun phrase that receives the action. Some transitive verbs can also take an indirect object, forming ditransitives, as in dar un regalo a María (to give a gift to María), where un regalo is the direct object and a María is the indirect object.

Many verbs can function both transitively and intransitively depending on usage and meaning. For instance, hablar can be intransitive: ella habla, or transitive: ella habla español. The ability to shift transitivity affects the syntactic structure and the presence of object arguments.

Transitivity relates to a verb’s valency, which refers to the number of arguments required by a verb. A transitive verb has two core participants (subject and direct object); a ditransitive verb has three (subject, direct object, indirect object). Transitive verbs commonly participate in passive constructions in languages that allow it, as in La manzana fue comida por Juan (The apple was eaten by Juan).

Across languages, transitivity interacts with word order, morphological marking, and argument structure, contributing to how verbs are classified and how sentences are built.