自動詞・他動詞
Describe a change or someone causing it
You'll be able to distinguish verbs for events that happen from verbs for actions done to something.
父はドアを開けます。
chichi wa doa o akemasu.
What do you think this sentence means?
My father opens the door.
Choose an event or an action on something
An intransitive verb describes what happens to a thing. A transitive verb describes someone acting on an object. These are different verbs, not one predictable conjugation.
Intransitive / transitive pairs
event → action on an object
開く / 開ける
aku / akeru
open
event → action on an object
閉まる / 閉める
shimaru / shimeru
close
event → action on an object
つく / つける
tsuku / tsukeru
come on / turn on
event → action on an object
消える / 消す
kieru / kesu
go out / turn off
Form and use 自動詞・他動詞
Learn pairs together: 開く/開ける, 閉まる/閉める, つく/つける, 消える/消す. The changing thing often takes が; an object someone acts on takes を. An intransitive description need not mean nobody caused the event.
ドアが開きました。
doa ga akimashita.
The door opened.
芽衣は電気をつけました。
mei wa denki o tsukemashita.
Mei turned on the light.
電気がつきました。
denki ga tsukimashita.
The light came on.
An event versus an action
The same situation can be described with the changing thing or the person acting on it.
閉まる
ドアが閉まりました。
doa ga shimarimashita.
The door closed.
Reports the door’s change without naming who closed it.
閉める
父がドアを閉めました。
chichi ga doa o shimemashita.
My father closed the door.
Identifies the person who closed the door.
風でドアが急に閉まりました。
kaze de doa ga kyuu ni shimarimashita.
The door suddenly shut because of the wind.
寝る前に、部屋の電気を消しました。
neru mae ni, heya no denki o keshimashita.
I turned off the light in my room before going to bed.
会議は九時に始まります。
kaigi wa kuji ni hajimarimasu.
The meeting starts at nine.
7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.