What is the infinitive form in Russian. Indicative tense forms
Often, when studying Russian at school, students do not fully understand what an infinitive is. The first thing worth mentioning when talking about this form is that it refers to verbs. Is the most generalized and abstract from the entire complex personal forms. So why is it needed in speech and what is an infinitive in general?
Description
In Russian, a compound predicate containing two words is quite common. If the second of them has one of the formative suffixes (-ть or -ти), then it is the infinitive of the verb. For example, he played - he likes to play, he slept - he wants to sleep. The ending of such words depends on what sound comes before the suffix. If it is a vowel, then the verb will end in -т (jump, eat, plow, be silent). If it is a consonant and is part of the root, then the ending will be -ti (to go, to carry, to carry), but there are exceptions. If the stress does not fall on the suffix, it again turns into a short -t (for example, climb). If the verb ends in -ch, you should remember that this is part of the root, not the ending. It’s just that such words have a zero inflectional suffix. This is easy to confirm when conjugating, for example, flow - flows, burn - burns, oven - bakes. Thus, the impersonal form of the verb, which is characterized by indefiniteness, is the infinitive. Examples of its use:
1) Need be able to remain silent in any situation.
2) Play it was quite interesting.
Origin
Research in this area was carried out by the famous Russian linguist and semiotician V.V. Ivanov. He believes that the infinitive of a verb in the Russian language goes back to nouns that have a verbal base when inflected in the accusative and dative cases, since these cases are most prone to dynamics. But the main difference between this form is the absence of any personal expressions. Verbal nouns in declension show that their creation was facilitated by the desire to represent the action in the form of an object. But the infinitive that arose from them not only did not lose its original purpose, but also expanded the scope of its application. But many linguistic scientists reject this theory, since it has no confirmation in written sources of the time when the norms of the Russian language were just being formed. In addition, this view is based on the version of the existence of the Proto-Slavic language, which is still in great doubt. Therefore, there are other versions of the origin of the infinitive. The first of them is that this form of the verb was once agreed with the subject, which had a dative form (you wouldn’t know, it’s not for her to decide, he can’t sleep). Second - imperfect verbs in the future tense had special form, which has lost consistency in persons and numbers (He asked me to remain silent).
Lots of doubts
But contradictions in the polemics of researchers are caused not only by the origin of the infinitive, but also by its main feature - belonging to the verb. Some scholars believe that this is only a form of names, which in no way can denote action. Others say that this is a nominative, that is, the original form of the verb, which carries a potential relationship to something or someone. That is, the infinitive provides us only with an idea for action and does not have additional complications like other categories. The argument used by all defenders of the indefinite form of the verb is aspect - a sign by which an action can be perfect or imperfect. This proves that the verb in the infinitive form has a right to exist in the Russian language, and it belongs precisely to this part of speech. But that's not all. Reflexivity, which is inherent in verbs, also exists in the infinitive.
In German
Many languages around the world have this form of the verb. German was no exception. What is an infinitive in this grammar? It is an abstract action that has nothing to do with the person performing it. This is the basic form of the verb, which in Old High German is often conjugated with other words from this part of speech. But this ability has not survived to this day. With the infinitive in this language there is a preposition zu, which has completely lost its original meaning and has become simply a formal accompaniment. In German there is also a similarity between the indefinite form and verbal nouns, but it is very small. It is expressed in substantivization, that is, in the transition of actions into objects due to their ability to point to a particular object. What makes this form closer to names is that it is often used as an object or subject. IN German There are 6 forms of the infinitive, which are divided according to the characteristics of active, passive and state.
In English
The impersonal form of a verb in English, which refers only to the action but does not carry any information about who performed it, is the infinitive. A table with examples for this language is studied at school. It looks like this:
The table shows that the infinitive has both tense and voice in the active state, and only tense in the passive state.
One of the main features of this form is the particle to. She only descends in rare cases. The infinitive can be used in six forms:
- simple in active voice;
- long lasting;
- perfect;
- absolutely continuous;
- simple in passive voice;
- perfect in passive voice.
Which form will be used depends entirely on the predicate in the sentence. If the particle to is not used, it is the so-called “bare infinitive”. This is possible in three cases:
1) It comes after one of the modal verbs (may, will, shall and others).
2) It is built into a construction that has a verb of perception (feel, see, hear and others), but often in such cases it is replaced by a gerund.
3) It stands next to the verbs of encouragement or permission (bid, have, make and others).
In French
What is an infinitive in French linguistics? This is an unconjugated, and therefore impersonal, form of one of the most important parts of speech, namely the verb. In this language, it can denote both an action and an object. In a sentence it can be a subject, an object (direct, indirect and adverbial), or a predicate. A verb that is in the infinitive form always ends - ir. It can be in the past or present tense.
Thus, a verb that is indefinite and has no connection with the one who performs the action is an infinitive. Examples of this form can be found in many languages of the world, such as Russian, German, English and French.
From English the word ‘ infinitive’ translates as “uncertain”. In fact, the very concept of the infinitive has become entrenched in the language as an impersonal form of the verb, which is devoid of any tense, person, number or mood:
In Russian, the indefinite form is also represented:
Tell him to SPEAK louder - nothing can be heard.
Tell him TO SPEAK louder, I can hear nothing.
It should be noted that in English Unlike Russian, we encounter six forms of the infinitive - simple, objective, infinitive phrases and complex shapes infinitive. In this article we will talk about simple infinitive, consider its functions in a sentence, features of use and translation.
Simple infinitive in English
Let's see how the use of infinitive forms in English helps to implement grammatical relationships in a sentence.
The infinitive answers the question “What (to) do?”, however, it will never be used as an independent predicate. Distinctive feature the infinitive is the presence of a particle to And complete absence endings:
Infinitive vs. Verb (verb)
He likes to travel abroad. - He travels abroad.
He loves to travel abroad. - He travels abroad.
In some cases the particle to may be missing. For example, when paired with a modal verb in English, you should use the infinitive ( initial form) without particle to:
Can you feel the love tonight? -Can you feel the touch of love tonight?, - sings Elton John in the soundtrack to the cartoon “The Lion King”.
The simple form of the infinitive is a dictionary form and is used much more often than complex forms. They are addressed to avoid duality of meaning, in order to avoid distortion of the intent.
Using the English Infinitive in a Sentence
Speaking about a verb group, it can express a part compound predicate, be defined by an adverb and have a direct object. As a member of a noun phrase, the infinitive is often used as a subject, object, and even a modifier.
Verb functions
Functions of a noun
In formal statements it usually appears at the beginning of a sentence, while in more informal communication are used first introductory structures like ' it is well-known’, ‘it is difficult’ and others:
To talk like that was very rude of you. - It was very rude of you to speak in such a tone.
It was very rude of you to talk like that. - It was rude to speak in such a tone.
Very often the infinitive can be found after transitive verb. In this case, it expresses the complement in the sentence and is translated into Russian through the initial form:
My husband decided to take us to Paris on holiday. - My husband decided to take us to Paris on vacation.
We offer you a list of verbs after which the infinitive can act as an object.
In the role direct object The simple infinitive can also be used with question words ( how, when, what, etc.) and after constructions with verb forms to be:
I'm glad to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
Don't look at me. I don't know what to do. - Don't look at me. I don't know what to do.
As a definition, a simple infinitive answers the question “which?” and comes after the word being defined in English:
I need a new house to live in. - I need new home, in which I can live (to live there).
We cannot put an infinitive after a verb. This will no longer be a definition, but an addition and the sentence will lose meaning:
The order of words is very important here, otherwise you can often get nonsense and not be understood.
Very often, as a definition, a simple infinitive comes after pronouns something, somebody, anything, anybody, nothing, nobody or after ordinal numbers:
I have nothing to wear. - I have nothing to wear.
In conclusion, we would like to add that we only told you about the simple infinitive. In our future publications we will definitely return to this phenomenon of English grammar.
We wish you success in your studies and interesting practice!
Victoria Tetkina
Infinitive(from Latin infinitus - indefinite) - indefinite form a verb that names an action or procedural state without indicating the time of the action, its relationship to reality and to the subject of the action. The infinitive answers the questions what to do? what to do?: love, be, say.
As the most abstract, most generalized verbal form, infinitive contrasted with a complex of personal forms. is the most “pure” representative lexical meaning. He expresses the general grammatical meaning of the verb(action value) and has only those morphological characteristics which are constant for all verb forms: reflexivity, transitivity, aspect, conjugation.
In relation to personal forms it is characterized high degree regularity: in the Russian language there are almost no personal forms of the verb from which an infinitive cannot be formed and vice versa.
is opposed to the finite forms of the verb because it has no number, no person, no mood, no tense. It has only categories of the form ( write – write), grammatical meanings of reflexivity ( build - be built) and transitivity ( paint, lie) associated with the category of collateral.
The means of forming the infinitive, How verb form, are suffixes(do, sleep, live, saw) And -ty (carry, crawl, go).
Most infinitives with a stem ending in a vowel sound have suffix -т. Some verbs may have this suffix after a consonant: gnaw, put. Suffix -ti(more ancient) can be found in a small group of verbs with a consonant base. This suffix is always stressed. Some forms s-ti have options s:carry – carry(were common in literary language in the 19th century). Suffixes And -ty formative and therefore do not form part of the infinitive.
In Russian there is verb infinitives ending on -whose(preserve, guard, bake). In these verbs -ch is part of the root. Such infinitives are formed from personal forms of verbs in -г, -к, -х with alternation: shore - protect, bake - oven. The ancient forms of these verbs are take care, bake. As a result of historical changes, the combinations [gt] and [kt] formed the sound [h]. In ancient forms, the morphemic composition is clear: [g] and [k] are part of the root, and [t] is part of the suffix.
In addition to the formative suffixes-t and -ti, The infinitive is characterized by the suffixes -a-, -e-, -i-, -yva-, -iva-, -ova-, -eva-, -nu-, etc.: hear, sit, saw, use, grieve, rest, etc.
In a sentence, the infinitive can perform the function of any member of the sentence. Most often it is part of the predicate.
The girl began writing poetry at the age of 6 simultaneously in Russian, German and French (predicate).
And the queen laughs and shrugs her shoulders (predicate).
Smoking is prohibited (subject).
Another attempt to rest was unsuccessful (inconsistent definition).
I suggest you sit and be silent (addition).
We went into some ditch to shoot and swim in a small river (circumstance).
As The subject can be an independent infinitive. Usually it is located before the predicate and is separated from it during pronunciation by a pause, and in writing by a dash.
, part of the predicate, denotes the action of the person named as the subject.
An infinitive that performs the syntactic function of an adverbial purpose, refers to the verbal predicate denoting movement. In some cases, such an infinitive can be replaced with a noun.
Infinitive as an object denotes the action of another person, sometimes not named at all.
All verb forms are formed from two stems: the basics of the infinitive and the basics of the present tense.
From the stem of the infinitive the infinitive itself, the past tense and the subjunctive mood, the participle and the past participle are formed, from present tense basics– present tense, imperative, participle and present participle.
To find the stem of the infinitive, from the singular form feminine of the past tense, we take away the final -la: say, said - the basis of the infinitive skaz -a-.
To find the basis of the present tense, from 3rd person form plural from the present tense we will subtract -at or -ut: to say, they will say - the basis of the present tense is say-.
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What is an Infinitive?
Infinitive– this is (lat. modus infinitivus - indefinite way) the original form of the verb, denoting an action without connection with its subject, i.e., regardless of person, number, tense and mood. The infinitive is characterized by specific differences S^elato - to do), transitivity and intransitivity (to speak - to be silent), reflexivity and irrevocability (to wash - to wash), collateral meanings (to build - to be built, to hug - to hug). By its origin, the infinitive is a verbal noun with the meaning of action.
The infinitive is characterized by the presence of the suffixes -t (yuisa-t, talk-t), -t-i (id-ti, non-pt). (For another interpretation of the morpheme -t, -ti See suffix.) The suffixes -sti, -st are distinguished for verbs with the present tense stem on t, , b based on the relationship between the stems of the present tense, past tense and infinitive (metu - revenge - chalk , lead - lead - led, row - row - rowed, put - put - put). For verbs with a present tense stem on the velar r, k, the infinitive ends in -ch, which is the result of a phonetic change in the group of consonants kt, and gt and reduction, and then the disappearance of the vowel and (pek-ti - stove, bereg-ti - take care).
Dependent infinitive. Infinitive in a compound verbal predicate. He started running and was about to leave.
Independent infinitive. The infinitive functions as the subject or predicate of a two-part sentence and as the main member of a one-part (infinitive) sentence. Smoking is prohibited. Thrush - to grieve, thrush - to yearn. To be a bull on a string/
The infinitive is objective. A verb infinitive indicating the action of a person other than the one to whom the subordinating verb refers;
in a sentence it acts as a complement. He offered to sit down, asked to stay, and was forced to return. I will have Andrei and his violin moved into your room (Chekhov).
The infinitive is subjective. A verb infinitive referring to the same subject of action as the subordinating verb; in a sentence it is part of a compound verbal predicate. He loves to read and is in a hurry to leave. No one knew how to handle horses better than him (Sholokhov). Less often, the subjective infinitive acts as a complement - in cases where it denotes an action performed jointly by a person playing the role of the subject and another person (other persons), or when it denotes an action as an object to which another action is directed. I agreed to meet, learning to swim. On this day, in the morning we agreed to go to the skating rink (Ka verin). In two days he learned to operate a riding-horse mower (Tendryakov) (cf. learned to operate).
Infinitive(from Latin infinitus - indefinite) - an indefinite form of the verb, naming an action or procedural state without indicating the time of the action, its relationship to reality and to the subject of the action. The infinitive answers the questions what to do? what to do?: love, be, say.
As the most abstract, most generalized verbal form, infinitive contrasted with a complex of personal forms. is the most “pure” representative of lexical meaning. He expresses the general grammatical meaning of the verb(action value) and has only those morphological characteristics which are constant for all verb forms: reflexivity, transitivity, aspect, conjugation.
In relation to personal forms, it is characterized by a high degree of regularity: in the Russian language there are almost no personal forms of the verb from which an infinitive cannot be formed and vice versa.
is opposed to the finite forms of the verb because it has no number, no person, no mood, no tense. It has only categories of the form ( write – write), grammatical meanings of reflexivity ( build - be built) and transitivity ( paint, lie) associated with the category of collateral.
The means of forming the infinitive, as a verb form, are suffixes(do, sleep, live, saw) And -ty (carry, crawl, go).
Most infinitives with a stem ending in a vowel sound have suffix -т. Some verbs may have this suffix after a consonant: gnaw, put. Suffix -ti(more ancient) can be found in a small group of verbs with a consonant base. This suffix is always stressed. Some forms s-ti have options s:carry – carry(were common in literary language in the 19th century). Suffixes And -ty formative and therefore do not form part of the infinitive.
In Russian there is verb infinitives ending on -whose(preserve, guard, bake). In these verbs -ch is part of the root. Such infinitives are formed from personal forms of verbs in -г, -к, -х with alternation: shore - protect, bake - oven. The ancient forms of these verbs are take care, bake. As a result of historical changes, the combinations [gt] and [kt] formed the sound [h]. In ancient forms, the morphemic composition is clear: [g] and [k] are part of the root, and [t] is part of the suffix.
In addition to the formative suffixes-t and -ti, The infinitive is characterized by the suffixes -a-, -e-, -i-, -yva-, -iva-, -ova-, -eva-, -nu-, etc.: hear, sit, saw, use, grieve, rest, etc.
In a sentence, the infinitive can perform the function of any member of the sentence. Most often it is part of the predicate.
The girl began writing poetry at the age of 6 simultaneously in Russian, German and French (predicate).
And the queen laughs and shrugs her shoulders (predicate).
Smoking is prohibited (subject).
Another attempt to rest was unsuccessful (inconsistent definition).
I suggest you sit and be silent (addition).
We went into some ditch to shoot and swim in a small river (circumstance).
As The subject can be an independent infinitive. Usually it is located before the predicate and is separated from it during pronunciation by a pause, and in writing by a dash.
, part of the predicate, denotes the action of the person named as the subject.
An infinitive that performs the syntactic function of an adverbial purpose, refers to the verbal predicate denoting movement. In some cases, such an infinitive can be replaced with a noun.
Infinitive as an object denotes the action of another person, sometimes not named at all.
All verb forms are formed from two stems: the basics of the infinitive and the basics of the present tense.
From the stem of the infinitive the infinitive itself, the past tense and the subjunctive mood, the participle and the past participle are formed, from present tense basics– present tense, imperative mood, participle and present participle.
To find the stem of the infinitive, from the feminine singular form of the past tense we subtract the final -la: to say, said - the basis of the infinitive skaz -a-.
To find the basis of the present tense, from the 3rd person plural form of the present tense we subtract -at or -ut: say, say - the basis of the present tense is say-.
Still have questions? Don't know what an infinitive is?
To get help from a tutor -.
The first lesson is free!
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