Intransitive, Transitive and di-transitive verbs

Intransitive, Transitive and di-transitive verbs

Transitive Verbs (sakammaka “with object”)

Most verbs of this sort take an object in the accusative case.

bhikkhu paṭhaviṃ na khaṇati (PC10 simpl)

A monk does not dig the earth.

te suriyaṃ passiṃsu

They saw the sun.

pupphā tathāgatassa sarīraṃ okiranti (DN16.27 simpl)

Flowers scatter down onto the body of the Tathagata.

Intransitive Verbs (akammaka “no object”)

These verbs do not take an object in the accusative case. Sometimes they take what appears to be an object in another case.

so naro hoti

He is a man.

asurā mahāsamudde abhiramanti. (UD45)

The Asuras take delight in the great ocean.

pakkhī sakuṇo ḍeti. (MN51 simpl)

A winged bird flies

so rukkhassa mūlasmiṃ jhāyati.

He meditates at the foot of a tree.

Di-transitive verbs (dvikammaka “two objects”)

These verbs take two objects in the accusative case. They are quite rare. √yāc (beg) √pucch (ask) √pis (send) are the most common ones.

kuṭṭhī naraṃ odanaṃ yācati

The leper begs the man for food.

bhikkhu saṅghaṃ kuṭivatthussa olokanaṃ yācati (VIN1.2.6)

A monk asks the Community to see the place of the hut.

so āyasmantaṃ sāriputtaṃ uttariṃ pañhaṃ apucchi. (MN43)

He asked the Venerable Sāriputta a further question.

The verbs that are intransitive, transitive and di-transitive in English are not the same in Pāli, so look out for them on a case by case basis.