Hi All,

For anybody who's interested or wants/is able to contribute, I have compiled a list of Esperanto verbs which appertain to that mysterious category of "sometimes transitive, sometimes not". Reta Vortaro was the source, I downloaded the database and wrote a little program that scans each verb for "x" or "tr/ntr" transitivity. You can see the list below.

But I'm sure there will be some missing. If anybody can spot any missing verbs could you let me know and I'll amend the list? Dankon!

adiaŭdiri
aklami
alesti
aliri
aloji
aludi
ambicii
amindumi
antaŭi
antaŭiri
antaŭstari
anticii
antipatii
apelaci
aperti
aplaŭdi
apostrofi
apudi
artifiki
aspiri
atenti
atingi
avanci
babili
balbuti
baloti
bati
beki
blovi
brokanti
ĉantaĝi
cedi
ĉeesti
cerbumi
disponi
dubi
egali
eniri
enketi
enpenetri
ensvarmi
envii
eskapi
esperi
fajfi
fanfaroni
favori
festi
fidi
figuri
flanki
flati
forgesi
friponi
fuĝi
fumi
funebri
gapi
garantii
ĝeni
ĝislimi
helpi
honti
hurai
imponi
indulgi
influi
informi
insidi
instrui
interkonsenti
jesi
juĝi
kalkuli
kandidati
koketi
koleri
komandi
komedii
kompati
konfidi
konkuri
konkursi
konscii
konsenti
kontakti
kontrasti
kontraŭparoli
kontraŭparoli
kontraŭstari
kontribui
kredi
krii
kulpi
kulti
kunesti
limi
loĝi
ludi
malfidi
malkonsenti
maloportuni
malsimpatii
marodi
memori
mensogi
minaci
miri
montri
naŭzi
obei
odori
operacii
opozicii
ordi
ori
paniki
pardoni
paroli
partopreni
penetri
pensi
penti
peri
persvadi
petegi
peti
pigri
postiri
pretendi
prezidi
prioritati
procesi
profiti
protesti
protokoli
radii
radiki
rajdi
raporti
regi
resoni
respondi
revi
rezigni
rimarki
sekreti
servi
simili
simpatii
ŝipi
slogani
snobi
soifi
sopiri
sponsori
suferi
superatuti
superi
tamburi
transpasi
urĝi
valori
venki
veti
volonti
vomi
zorgi

This is a crazy coincidence - I actually came onto the forum today specifically to ask a question about these "x" verbs. I don't really understand the difference between "x" verbs and "tr" verbs - transitive verbs don't always have an object, do they? Hopefully someone can help...

mvk20:This is a crazy coincidence - I actually came onto the forum today specifically to ask a question about these "x" verbs. I don't really understand the difference between "x" verbs and "tr" verbs - transitive verbs don't always have an object, do they? Hopefully someone can help...

Spooky

The "x" means that the verb can actually function (and sometimes MUST function) in either a transitive or intransitive capacity.

A good example is fumi, which in it's intranstive usage means to give off smoke, as in "the fire is smoking", whereas it would be transitive for something like "smoking a cigarette", where the cigarette is the direct object. These are clearly 2 separate meanings, which come from the conventional usage in the source language(s) from which the verb was taken, and which have been imported into the meaning of the esperanto word.