The function assumed by a syntactic constituent , different from the grammatical subject, which is obligatorily requested by a transitive verb , is called a direct object . Also known as direct object , its function is related to the accusative case .
The direct object complements the verb . Its inclusion is essential to complete the meaning of the action; Otherwise, adequate understanding is impossible. The action of the verb, in fact, falls on the direct object .
Let's look at a case: “Juan Martín del Potro defeated Rafael Nadal.” In this case, the direct object is “Rafael Nadal” , since if it is only expressed “Juan Martín del Potro won” the information would not be understood.
Transitive verbs, therefore, must always be complemented by a direct object to make sense . Some of the most common are the following: call, bring, pass, accompany, need, send, help, buy and eat . Note that some of them can be used without a direct object, since they also belong to the opposite group, the intransitive verbs ; such is the case of "eating."
We can say "eating is necessary to live" , but we can also use it as a transitive verb in a sentence like the following: "I ate everything I had in the refrigerator" . Intransitive verbs, therefore, contain all the meaning necessary to give us a clear idea of the action they represent: "Yesterday I walked two kilometers more than normal" , "These birds fly in a surprising way" , "My brother came especially early this morning .
In our language , the direct object can always be replaced by “la” , “las” , “lo” or “los” . Returning to the previous example, it could be said: “Juan Martín del Potro defeated him .”
This resource is the most common method for recognizing the direct object. By replacing the syntactic constituent with one of these personal pronouns, the sentence must make sense. Another strategy is to ask the question “To whom?” or “What?” , which must be able to be answered by the direct object:
“Matías called Gonzalo” (Who did Matías call? Direct object: “Gonzalo” ) / “Matías called him”
“I brought cookies for the snack” (What did I bring for the snack? Direct object: “cookies” ) / “I brought them for the snack”
When an active sentence is converted into a passive sentence, on the other hand, the direct object becomes the patient subject . In the sentence “The impact broke the car” , the direct object is “the car” . When going from the active voice to the passive voice, it would look like this: “The car was torn apart by the impact.”
Spanish speakers are not always aware of the importance of the direct object, unlike those who learn Spanish as a foreign language, because we include it automatically when we need it to complement a transitive verb. Skill or naturalness in the use of language can even lead us to omit a direct object without replacing it with its corresponding personal pronoun, simply to know that our interlocutor understands what we are referring to.
If someone asks us “did you remember to put cutlery in your bag?” and his interlocutor answers "yes, I put this morning" , it is understood that the verb "put" is complemented by "cutlery", although there is no written reference to said direct object. This example is colloquial , so it does not represent the most correct or recommended way of speaking in Spanish, but it is one that we find very frequently in everyday speech.
It is important to note that not all transitive verbs allow this type of omission , not even in informal conversations. Such is the case of "say": when asked "did you tell him to come?" We cannot answer "yes, I said" , but we necessarily need to include a direct object (and, in this case, also an indirect one), such as "yes, I told you so" .