separate as a transitive verb: cause someone to be separated

[ademoglu]

Hi,

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/separate_2

4 [intransitive] to stop living together as a couple with your husband, wife or partner

separate from somebody

He separated from his wife after 20 years of marriage.

I would like to ask if I can use the verb ''separate'' as a transitive verb, as is in the sentence below.

- I separated his wife from him. (It was me who caused them to be separated.) = (They do not live together because of me)

Thanks.

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: separete as a transitive verb: cause someone to be separated

No, your suggested sentence is not natural. In the context of separation from one's spouse, we only use:

They (the couple) are separated.
She has separated from her husband.
She is separated from her husband.
He has separated from his wife.
He is separated from his wife.

And of course, these days (in many countries), it's just as possible for a wife to be separated from her wife and a husband to be separated from his husband.

If you said "I separated him from his wife" or your example sentence, I would assume the married couple were having a physical fight and you stepped between them to separate them by physical distance, nothing to do with their marital status.

 

[Rover_KE]

Re: separete as a transitive verb: cause someone to be separated

I would like to ask if I can use the verb ''separate'' as a transitive verb.

You can, but not as in the sentence you wrote.

'We must separate the sheep from the goats.'

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: separete as a transitive verb: cause someone to be separated

'We must separate the sheep from the goats.'

And the wheat from the chaff.

 

[Barb_D]

Re: separete as a transitive verb: cause someone to be separated

The doctors successfully separated the conjoined twins.

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: separete as a transitive verb: cause someone to be separated

Ademoglu, take care with your spelling of "separate". You spelt it incorrectly in your title, you spelt it wrongly a different way at the end of your post. It is one of the most misspelt words in English so don't feel too bad!

 

[Barb_D]

Re: separete as a transitive verb: cause someone to be separated

Remember "there is 'a rat' in separate."

 

[emsr2d2]

A couple of correct forms of your suggested "I separated his wife from him" would be "I was the cause of the breakup of their marriage", "I caused their marriage to break up/fall apart", "I'm the reason she left her husband".

Other people would probably just call you a "home wrecker". ;-)