Jisho

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2 Replies ・ Started by sherryfraser at 2018-05-15 22:33:58 UTC ・ Last reply by jakobd2 at 2018-05-16 06:04:13 UTC
This is a discussion about 怖がる

Is this verb actually transitive?

Jisho currently lists 怖がる as intransitive. The examples of this word that I've seen generally specify an object with を. For example:

彼は犬を怖がる。("He's afraid of dogs." or "He fears dogs".)

彼女はヘビをとても怖がっている。("She's very afraid of snakes." or "She fears snakes very much.")

There are more listed at http://www.romajidesu.com/dictionary/meaning-of-%E6%80%96%E3%81%8C%E3%82%8B.html if you click on the 'Sentences' tab.

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Leebo at 2018-05-16 00:47:11 UTC

Regardless of how it's categorized, it's used with を. You can check a monolingual dictionary if you want to confirm. Whether it's officially transitive or intransitive isn't super relevant in the end. I don't know if edict is just wrong, or if it's an exception, like 触る, which is a word that is always labeled as intransitive but gets used with を.

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jakobd2 at 2018-05-16 06:04:13 UTC

imabi.net has around 9 lessons just on transitivity / intransitivity. You should give them a good read. Just there being an を doesn't have to mean that a verb is transitive.

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