Learn Japanese Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Questions and Answers

Question 1

You see that the lights in a room are on. Which sentence correctly describes this existing state?

Accepted Answer

電気がついています。

Answer

The intransitive verb つく (tsuku - to turn on by itself) is used with the 〜ている form to describe a resulting state. 「電気がついています」 (Denki ga tsuite imasu) means "The light is on," which correctly describes the state of the lights without mentioning who performed the action.

Question 2

Which of the following statements best describes the primary function of a transitive verb (他動詞 - tadoushi) in Japanese?

Accepted Answer

It describes an action performed by an agent that directly affects an object, which is marked by the particle を.

Answer

A transitive verb (他動詞) describes an action that a subject performs on a direct object. This direct object is marked with the particle を (o). For example, in 「私がドアを開ける」 (I open the door), 開ける is the transitive verb acting on the object ドア.

Question 3

In the sentence「会議を＿＿＿＿＿。」(kaigi o _____.), which verb correctly fills the blank to mean "(Someone) will start the meeting"?

Accepted Answer

始める (hajimeru)

Answer

The particle を (o) marks 会議 (kaigi - meeting) as the direct object. This requires a transitive verb. 始める (hajimeru) is the transitive verb meaning "to start something." 始まる (hajimaru) is intransitive and means "(something) starts."

Question 4

What is the intransitive (自動詞) counterpart to the transitive (他動詞) verb 落とす (otosu - to drop something)?

Accepted Answer

落ちる (ochiru)

Answer

The verb 落とす (otosu) is transitive, meaning "to drop something." Its intransitive pair, which describes something falling by itself, is 落ちる (ochiru).

Question 5

A student wants to say, "The car stopped." Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct and most natural?

Accepted Answer

車が止まりました。(Kuruma ga tomarimashita.)

Answer

The sentence describes something that happened on its own (the car stopped), so the intransitive verb 止まる (tomaru) is needed. The subject of an intransitive verb is marked with が (ga). Therefore, 「車が止まりました。」 is correct. 「車を止めました。」 uses the transitive verb 止める (tomeru) and means "I/someone stopped the car."

Learn Japanese Practice Test

Learn Japanese Practice Test

Learn Japanese Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Questions and Answers