Lesson 9 Does it occur to you?

As you already know, Japanese verbs are either transitive (他動詞) or intransitive (自動詞). Many English verbs, such as “stop,” can be both, but not all verbs. What verb does Tomoko use incorrectly?

Sasha: Hi Tomoko. Did you get my message yesterday?
Tomoko: Sorry, Sasha. I couldn’t check my messages yesterday because a problem was occurred with my smartphone.

What’s wrong here? “Occur” is an intransitive verb (自動詞). Because only transitive verbs (他動詞) can be used in the passive voice (受身形), “occur” cannot be used in the passive voice. Tomoko should say “a problem occurred with my smartphone.” The same is true for “happen” and “appear.” I hope this problem does not occur again.