Change

Change (/'tʃeɪndʒ/) is a fairly common English verb. Exchange has slightly different meaning but the same grammar.

• The French verb changer (/ʃɑ̃.ʒe/) is a obvious cognate, whereas other romance languages use the less obvious cognate cambiar(e)
• It is an ergative verb - so it can be intransitive, e.g. "I want to change", or transitive "I want to change something", or reflexive "I want to change myself".
• The direct object can be plural, e.g. "I want to change jobs"
• The direct object can be the old thing, e.g. "I want to exchange my old car"
• The second object is indirect and takes e.g. "I want to exchange my old car for a new one"
  • Hence *"I want to change a new phone" is a common error, particularly by Chinese students.
  • We can use the pronouns it or that to fill in the first d.o. slot. e.g. "I want to exchange it for a new one."
• We can also use to - "I want to change to a new course".