It seems that we are facing a circumstance so common, so trivial, isn't it? Of course, there are many complaints that we have to make: we complain about the chaos in traffic, the rise in the prices of goods, the delay in service, in short, there are several complaints. But, as our objective has an end in itself, let's leave the issue aside, and move on to what really interests us:
The verb to complain obeys to which rulership? Do we complain about something or something?
Here we are faced with a linguistic fact, expressed by the relationship between verbs and their complements, which, in turn, concerns the use or not of the preposition. Therefore, let us analyze:
Complaining about something is the same as complaining about something. In this case, we have that the verb in evidence is classified as an indirect transitive, which requires the use of the preposition. As an example of this nature, we quote:
The population complained about the constant noise.
Now, in case we said:
The population claimed their rights.
The meaning attributed to verbal action is that of demanding, demanding.
In this sense, we affirm that the verb in question is classified as a direct transitive, thus dispensing with the use of the preposition.
And more: depending on the context in which it is employed, the verb to complain can also be intransitive, that is, have meaning in itself and dispense any kind of complement, as expressed through the following example:
Everyone complained a lot.
Through such assumptions, we can complain whenever necessary, but that we do it properly, especially when it comes to aspects related to grammar.
By Vânia Duarte
Graduated in Letters
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/voce-reclama-algo-ou-algo.htm
