Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: Differences, Rules, and Examples

Key takeaways

• A transitive verb takes a direct object: someone or something receives the action.
• An intransitive verb does not take a direct object: the action is complete on its own.
• Many English verbs are ambitransitive: they can function as both transitive and intransitive depending on context.
• Only transitive verbs can form passive voice sentences; intransitive verbs cannot.
• Common verb pairs (raise/rise, lay/lie, set/sit, fell/fall) confuse learners because one is transitive and the other is not.

There is a grammar distinction that sits behind several of the most common English errors, including confusing rise with raise, saying she was arrived instead of she arrived, or using passive voice with an intransitive verb. That distinction is the transitive/intransitive split.

Understanding it requires one question: does this action pass through to an object, or is it complete by itself?

This guide covers the definition and test for transitive and intransitive verbs, common examples of each, ambitransitive verbs, the transitive verb pairs that most often cause errors, and the connection to passive voice. italki has 30,000+ tutors across 150+ languages, making it simple to find English teachers online who can work through grammar distinctions like these in the context of your real writing and speaking.

What makes a verb transitive?

A transitive verb passes its action to a direct object. You can identify a transitive verb by asking what? or whom? after the verb.

• She wrote a letter. (Wrote what? A letter.)
• He kicked the ball. (Kicked what? The ball.)
• They bought tickets. (Bought what? Tickets.)

Test transitive verbs in your own sentences by writing simple statements and get immediate feedback from an English teacher on italki.

What makes a verb intransitive? An intransitive verb is complete without a direct object. Asking what? or whom? after the verb gets no answer.

• The sun rose. (Rose what? Nothing.)
• She arrived. (Arrived what? The question makes no sense.)
• The baby slept. (Slept what? No object needed.)

Common transitive verbs

Verb	Example sentence
bring	Bring your passport.
buy	He bought a new phone.
call	She called her sister.
eat	They ate the whole pizza.
find	I found my keys.
make	We made a plan.
put	Put the book on the shelf.
send	He sent an email.
take	She took the bus.
write	I wrote three paragraphs.

Common intransitive verbs

Verb	Example sentence
arrive	The guests arrived late.
come	She came in the morning.
cry	The child cried loudly.
die	The plant died in winter.
fall	The leaves fall in October.
happen	What happened next?
laugh	Everyone laughed.
lie (to recline)	He lies on the sofa.
sit	Please sit here.
sleep	The cat slept all day.

Internalise the transitive/intransitive distinction through sentence-building practice with an English tutor.

Ambitransitive verbs

Verb	Transitive	Intransitive
eat	She ate her lunch quickly.	She ate at noon.
read	He read the report.	He reads every morning.
run	She ran the company for ten years.	He runs every morning.
open	They opened the window.	The door opened slowly.
grow	The farmer grows tomatoes.	The city grew quickly.
write	She writes novels.	She writes every day.
move	Can you move the table?	The crowd moved forward.

Practice recognising ambitransitive verbs in context by creating both transitive and intransitive versions with online English teachers on italki.

The transitive/intransitive pairs that cause the most errors

Transitive	Intransitive	Key difference
raise (to lift something)	rise (to go up)	Raise needs an object; rise does not.
lay (to place something)	lie (to recline)	Lay needs an object; lie does not.
set (to place something)	sit (to be seated)	Set needs an object; sit does not.
fell (to cut down a tree)	fall (to drop)	Fell needs an object; fall does not.

Wrong: The sun raises at 6 AM. Right: The sun rises at 6 AM.

Wrong: Lay down and rest. Right: Lie down and rest.

Work on the most confusing pairs (raise/rise, lay/lie) with an English online tutor until your choice between them becomes automatic.

Transitive verbs and passive voice

Only transitive verbs can form passive voice sentences because passive voice moves the object into subject position:

Active: The committee approved the report. (report = object)

Passive: The report was approved by the committee.

Intransitive verbs cannot form passive voice because they have no object to move into subject position.

Wrong: The conference was arrived at by many guests. Right: Many guests arrived at the conference.

The transitive/intransitive distinction is abstract on paper but concrete in your writing. The wrong verb choice sounds off to native speakers even if you cannot explain why. An English tutor on italki can correct you in real time, show you why one verb works and another doesn’t, and drill problem pairs until you stop making the mistake. Book a trial lesson on italki today.

FAQ

How do I know if a verb I do not recognise is transitive or intransitive?

Look it up in a dictionary that marks verb type. Most good dictionaries label verbs as vt (transitive), vi (intransitive), or v (both). If no dictionary is available, ask yourself: Can I complete this action without doing it to something or someone? If yes, it is likely intransitive.

Can the same verb be transitive in one meaning and intransitive in another?

Yes, and this is very common. Run can be transitive (she runs the department) or intransitive (she runs every morning). Smell can be transitive (the dog smelled the bone) or intransitive (the flower smells nice).

Does the transitive/intransitive distinction exist in all languages?

Most languages make some version of this distinction, though how it is marked varies. Some languages use different verb forms for transitive and intransitive uses. Others rely on context.