After learning paired transitive/intransitive verbs (開く/開ける, 落ちる/落とす), you might develop a habit: whenever you see two similar-looking verbs, you automatically assume one is intransitive and the other transitive.
Careful -- that habit will lead you into a trap.
The Trap: Not All Look-Alike Verbs Are Transitive/Intransitive Pairs
Some Japanese verbs look like they form a pair, but both are transitive:
| Verb A | Verb B | Reality |
|---|---|---|
| 教える (おしえる) | 教わる (おそわる) | Both transitive |
| 預ける (あずける) | 預かる (あずかる) | Both transitive |
教える / 教わる: Teach vs. Learn From
教える: I teach someone
先生が学生に日本語を教える。 -> The teacher teaches Japanese to the students.
教える is a classic double-object transitive verb -- who (が) teaches whom (に) what (を).
教わる: I learn from someone
私は先生に日本語を教わった。 -> I learned Japanese from the teacher.
教わる is also transitive -- who (は/が) learned what (を) from whom (に).
Comparison
| 教える | 教わる | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Teach (give knowledge to someone) | Learn from (receive knowledge from someone) |
| Subject | The teacher | The learner |
| に | The person being taught | The person you learn from |
| を | What is being taught | What is being learned |
Both require に (person) and を (content), so both are transitive.
教える's に = teach to whom 教わる's に = learn from whom
預ける / 預かる: Deposit vs. Keep
預ける: Entrust something to someone
荷物をフロントに預ける。 -> Leave luggage with the front desk.
預かる: Hold something for someone
フロントが荷物を預かる。 -> The front desk holds the luggage.
Comparison
| 預ける | 預かる | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Deposit (hand something over for safekeeping) | Keep (hold something for someone) |
| Subject | The person depositing | The person keeping |
| を | The thing being deposited | The thing being kept |
Both verbs take を (direct object), so both are transitive. The difference is perspective -- the depositor vs. the keeper.
How to Avoid Being Fooled
Method 1: Check the dictionary. Modern dictionary apps mark verbs as 「自」(intransitive) or 「他」(transitive). When in doubt, look it up.
Method 2: See if the verb can take を (a direct object). If it can, it is transitive.
Method 3: Remember that while most look-alike pairs are indeed transitive/intransitive, the rule "まる ending -> intransitive" is not 100% reliable. 教わる and 預かる end in わる/かる yet are both transitive.
Summary
- Two similar-looking verbs are not necessarily a transitive/intransitive pair
- 教える/教わる: Teach vs. learn from -- both transitive
- 預ける/預かる: Deposit vs. keep -- both transitive
- When unsure, check the dictionary for the 「自」/「他」label
- The most reliable test for transitive verbs: can they take を (a direct object)?
Self-Test
Q1. Fill in the particles: 「先生＿＿日本語＿＿教わった」
Show answer
先生に日本語を教わった。 -> I learned Japanese from the teacher.
教わる's に = the person you learn from; を = what you learned.
Q2. What is the key difference between 教える and 教わる?
Show answer
The subject is different. The subject of 教える is "the person teaching" (teacher), while the subject of 教わる is "the person learning" (student).
Both are transitive and both require に and を. The difference is perspective: one speaks from the teacher's viewpoint, the other from the student's.
Q3. How can you tell that 預ける and 預かる are both transitive?
Show answer
Both can take を (direct object):
- 荷物を預ける -> Deposit luggage (luggage is the object)
- 荷物を預かる -> Keep luggage (luggage is the object)
Verbs that take を are transitive. Intransitive verbs take が for their subject and do not have a を-marked object.