There is something confusing to me in this lesson. Is it really true that all transitive verbs can be used reflexively?

"Mi piace Lingq" -- "Lingq" is the subject, mi is the direct object ie "Lingq pleases me" or "I like Lingq"

That makes sense. But this one is different

"mi prendo delle medicine" -- in this case "mi prendo" is reflexive ie "I take for myself". Is that really preferable to "Io prendo delle medicine"?

You say: "mi" si usa con i verbi "transitivi"

Are you really saying that every transitive verb is reflexive? It seems that you are. In your example, "mi bevo un bicchiere di vino" - bevere can really be used reflexively here? Is that preferable to "io bevo" ?

Confusion!

Tanya


PS e vero! mi piace molto bene Lingq!

Hi Tanya, I am not a native speaker of Italian, but I have a feeling that the author is letting some of his local dialect grammar sneak into his Italian grammar lessons. For example, "mi prendo delle medicine" to me sounds strange, and in standard Italian there is no reason to include "mi" in that sentence. A doctor will tell you "Prendi la medicina tre volte al giorno." not "Prenditi la medicina tre volte al giorno." But of course, it may depend on some context: I have heard both "mangio la mela" and "mi mangio la mela", and from what I gather, adding the mi simply adds emphasis to the sentence.

Let's wait to see if someone more authoritative on the subject responds.

There seem to be a huge confusion, even among Italians, about pronouns.

Reflexive pronouns are those that reflect the action of the verb on the subject itself (i.e. where mi = me, me stesso). Reflexive verbs can be used in a non-reflexive way. E.g. "mi alzo" means "I rise myself" and you can also say "alzo (la mano)", which is a transitive use of verb alzare.

"Mi piace" is not reflexive, but rather pronominal. Mi = a me. Likewise, "mi pento" (I repent) is not reflexive, but just pronominal.

The "mi" in sentences like "mi mangio una mela" is called "ethical dative", because it has no other meaning than to show the personal involvement of the subject in the action. The action gives some benefit or some damage to the subject.

Pronouns are one of the most difficult parts of speech in Italian, so you should learn them properly in order to speak well. I recommend using a grammar for them, as well as for verbs.

Oh, about your question, well... no, not all transitive verbs can be reflexive, of course if you want them to make sense.

E.g. "aprire" is transitive, but you can't say "mi apro" (I open myself) like "mi lavo" (I wash myself), unless you use it in a sentence like "mi apro una bottiglia di vino" (I open myself a bottle of wine), where "mi" is no longer reflexive, anyway.

In the case of "mi apro una bottiglia di vino", "mi" would not be a direct object, but instead it would be an indirect object, as in "I open a bottle of wine for myself" as opposed to "ti apro una bottiglia di vino" -> "I open a bottle of wine for you."

Thank you for all the informative replies.

This concept of "ethical dative" I never heard of before. Very interesting. I guess the "mi prendo delle medicine" example is an example of that. It's not reflexive as I had assumed, given the syntax. Is this commonly used?

I am really enjoying my Italian lessons on Lingq. I took Italian in college (early 80's) and spent a semester in Rome. I never really got my Italian to the point where I wanted it, and I find the Beginner 2 Lingq lessons to be on the perfect level for me.