Every time I'm feeling confident about the correct usage of に, を, and で, I get
thrown for a loop. Could someone please explain to me the use of に in this
sentence:

_I will study a lot and pass the test_

> watashi wa takusan benkyō shite tesuto **ni** gōkaku shimasu  
>  私はたくさん勉強してテスト **に** 合格します。

I chose を instead of に and it was marked incorrect on my test. I'm not really
sure why. I'm assuming that に is correct because I should have interpreted the
sentence as "I will study a lot **to pass the test** "?

Thank you very much in advance for any clarification.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-30T20:11:26.960
72200
2022-09-09T01:53:48.177
2022-09-09T01:53:48.177
9831
34091
question
grammar particle-に particle-を transitivity
に vs. を in "to pass a test"
I suppose the one sentence answer is that 合格する is an **intransitive** verb and
so it cannot use を to indicate the object.

There's two things to note here I think:

  1. する-verbs can be either intransitive, transitive, or both. Only transitive verbs can use the direct object marker を. 

> 合格 (intransitive)
>
> 検索{けんさく} (transitive): 索引{さくいん}で関係事項{かんけいじこう} **を検索** する
> ([デジタル大辞泉](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E6%A4%9C%E7%B4%A2/#jn-69682))
>
> 完成{かんせい} (both):「大作{たいさく} **を完成** する」「ビル **が完成** する」
> ([デジタル大辞泉](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E5%AE%8C%E6%88%90/#jn-48651))

  2. に means many things, one of which can translate to the English "to". In this case it is used to indicate the (indirect) object of the verb 合格する. 

Some additional references:

  * [Usage of Particle Ni](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/12130/usage-of-particle-ni)
  * [Wasabi's guide to uses of に](https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-grammar/japanese-particle-ni-clear-up-all-doubts-you-may-have/)
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-30T21:53:27.423
72201
2019-09-30T21:53:27.423
10045
72200
answer
The ultimate answer to your question is "Japanese is different from English".
I understand you want a reason, but there may not be a good reason. Some
English transitive verbs are translated using a Japanese intransitive verb,
and vice versa. For each verb, you have to remember the correct particle, one
by one.

**Intransitive in English, Transitive in Japanese**

  * to look at the picture 絵 **を** 見る 
  * to listen to the music 音楽 **を** 聞く
  * to hope for a success 成功 **を** 望む
  * to graduate from the school 学校 **を** 卒業する
  * to refer to a dictionary 辞書 **を** 参照する

**Transitive in English, Intransitive in Japanese**

  * to reach the destination 目的地 **に** 着く
  * to enter the park 公園 **に** 入る
  * to meet her 彼女 **に** 会う / 彼女 **と** 会う
  * to kiss him 彼 **に** キスする
  * to marry her 彼女 **と** 結婚する
  * to say yes はい **と** 言う

Tricky ones like 合格する are asked in exams. In general, it's always best to
learn verbs along with its concrete usage examples.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-01T01:45:19.120
72206
2019-10-01T01:45:19.120
5010
72200
answer
The reason it takes に _could_ be that 合格する carries an image of "matching". The
verb 合う ("to match"), which uses the same character, also takes に to mark its
target.

By the way, 会う, which shares an origin with 合う, is also used with に and not を.
Why so is a [question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/88919/43676)
frequently asked by learners.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-09T01:25:40.523
96169
2022-09-09T01:25:40.523
43676
72200
answer