Grammatica - loco

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those that can take a direct object and intransitive verbs are those that
can’t. Verbs that are transitive in English may not necessarily be so in Dutch.
For example, if one wants to translate ‘I answered the question’ one will
find in the dictionary under ‘to answer’ the words antwoorden and
beantwoorden. A good dictionary will indicate that the former is intransitive
and the latter transitive. The above example will thus be translated by either
Ik beantwoordde de vraag or Ik antwoordde op de vraag (intransitive
verbs often take prepositional objects, i.e. they are only capable of taking
an object if connected to that object by a preposition).
It is not possible to give rules for such difficulties but the following
common examples will serve to illustrate what one has to be wary of:
to burn branden (intr.) Het hout brandde. 35
The wood was burning.
verbranden (trans.) Hij verbrandde het hout.
He burnt the wood.
to leave vertrekken (intr.) De trein vertrok om tien uur.
The train left at ten o’clock.
verlaten (trans.) De trein verliet Ede om tien uur.
The train left Ede at ten o’clock.
to taste smaken (intr.) Deze appel smaakt heerlijk.
This apple tastes delicious.
11.18.2
proeven (trans.) Proef deze appel!
Taste this apple.
Sometimes a verb which is both transitive and intransitive in English, but
only intransitive in Dutch, is made transitive by the use of laten as an
auxiliary (or doen in more formal style). This is done when no separate
transitive verb exists in Dutch:
to sink zinken (intr.) Het stuk metaal zonk.
The piece of metal sank.
35 Branden also exists as a transitive verb but only in a more figurative sense, e.g. zijn
tong/vingers branden ‘to burn one’s tongue/fingers’.
Transitive
and
intransitive
verbs
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