Transitive and intransitive verbs - Overgankelijke en onovergankelijke werkwoorden

Verbs can be divided into transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs have a direct object, whereas intransitive verbs do not. In the examples below, the direct object is red.

 

transitive intransitive
Sara belt haar vriend Het meisje huilt
Sara rings her boyfriend. The little girl is crying.

 

It is possible for the same verb to be used both as a transitive and an intransitive verb, depending on the situation:

transitive intransitive
Alan studeert Nederlands Alan studeert hard.
Alan studies Dutch. Alan studies hard.

 

Reflexive verbs can be described as a very special kind of transitive verb in that they take an object that refers back to the subject: Mag ik mij even voorstellen?