Re: USAGE: 'born'

Muke Tever wrote:
> If "to be born" was _lexically_ an *active* verb (like Sp. <nacer>), then its
> passive would mean something like "to be given birth to".
>
>     Maria nació.   "Mary was born."
>     Maria se nació.  "Mary was born [PASS]"
>         (which makes me want to ask: ¿Cómo se nació Maria?)
Nacerse is not a legal verb in Spanish.

To be born is an intransitive verb, an intransitive verb CANNOT have a
passive, because it cannot have an object.  A passive is when an object
is made into the subject.  If one used it transitively, it would have a
causative meaning (or an idiomatic meaning, but that's another issue),
i.e., "cause to be born", e.g. "give birth to".

> [I don't actually know a Spanish verb for 'to give birth'.]
Parir.

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