When learning new verbs, is it best to memorize both the transitive and intransitive versions up front?

Question

How do you handle learning new verbs that have both transitive and intransitive forms? Is it best to immediately memorize both forms?

Answer 1

There are rules to transform each others most of the time, you don't have to memorize both.

Here is a list about 1200 verbs and derivation to transitive and intransitive forms.

• http://homepage3.nifty.com/jgrammar/ja/data/trans.htm

Answer 2

I would say "yes", it is probably better to learn the pairs (sometimes triplets) at the same time. That way you can know the context of when to use which one. If you only learn the 他〜 or 自〜, you may use it incorrectly when you should have used the other one.

Answer 3

Instead of memorizing the words and which form they are, you should memorize a sentence or two using each form. This way of memorizing is especially useful for transitive and intransitive verbs.