Infinitive form of verbs. What is the infinitive form of a verb? Infinitive verbs in Russian

It would seem, what a simple thing! But this linguistic phenomenon also has its own characteristics and even “pitfalls,” which will be discussed later in this article.

Brief description of the infinitive in Russian

An infinitive verb is what we see written in a dictionary entry. It has no mood, person, number, time, that is, it is not changed depending on who performs the action, since there is simply no such subject. However, such a verb still has some characteristics - aspect (perfect or imperfect) and conjugation (first or second). In addition, it is characterized by recurrence or irrevocability, as well as transitivity or intransitivity.

How to understand that a verb is in the infinitive

To determine that a given form of a word denoting an action is actually an infinitive, you need to ask questions about the infinitive form of the verb. These include: " what to do?" (for example, "read" or "talk") or " what to do?” (for example, “give as a gift” or “drink”). If the verb answers them, then it is in the initial form.

In addition, there are always suffixes: -t-, -ti-, -who-, -est- and -sti-. It is worth noting that some linguists argue that these are the endings of indefinite verbs, since this morpheme is subject to change. However, the controversy still does not subside.

What is the indefinite form of the verb used for?

The Russian language is quite rich in various possibilities for using the infinitive. The indefinite form of a verb can be the subject, predicate, attribute, object in a sentence, and also be an integral part of the verbal predicate, express the imperative mood or the future tense. Next, we will take a closer look at each of the listed cases using examples.

Specific syntactic roles of the verb in the initial form

So, a verb in an indefinite form is a subject if it is characterized in any way. For example:

• Drawing was the meaning of his life.
• Being a mother is the meaning of Svetlana’s life.

In these sentences " paint" And " to be (mother)"are subject because they are separate, independent actions.

In addition, a sentence can contain two infinitives, one of which characterizes the other:

• To live is to love.

Then here " live" is the subject, and " be in love" - predicate. In this case, the member of the sentence is easily determined: the subject comes before the predicate. Also instead of " Means" there may be a dash or the words “ this", "is"and the like.

An infinitive can be a modifier if it stands in this form, for example:

• He went to bed with a firm decision to read a book tomorrow.

It turns out that the verb “read” here answers the question “in what way?” With what decision did he go to bed? Read (a book tomorrow). That is, an indefinite verb is a definition if it refers to a noun that means necessity, decision, desire, expression of will, and the like.

The infinitive form of a verb can also be an object if, for example, it is used in the following phrase:

• Dad asked Lena to pick up her pencil.

That is, the verb “asked” has a full lexical meaning here. Both verbs refer to different people (" asked" - to dad, and " raise" - to Lena).

The infinitive is an integral part of the verbal predicate if it is used with a verb that denotes the beginning, continuation or completion of an action, that is, it has an auxiliary meaning. For example:

• The puppy quickly began to fall asleep.
• The teacher continued teaching the lesson.

"Began" And " continued" are precisely such verbs, therefore " fall asleep" And " lead" will be parts of the predicate.

The infinitive expresses the imperative mood if used in a commanding tone. For example, a squad leader may order: “ Be silent!", and the captain of the ship shouted: " All hands on deck!»

The initial form of the verb expresses the future tense in sentences like this:

• Yes, Ivan should not be a pilot!

That is, it should contain some shade of annoyance or regret.

Common spelling mistakes

Most of the time, the indefinite verb is an easy thing to spell, but sometimes people still get confused. This happens when the verb is reflexive. The soft sign before the suffix is ​​simply forgotten - Xia-, so it turns out that the verb is in the third person and singular. And sometimes this makes it very difficult to understand when reading.

In order to avoid mistakes and write suffixes (or endings of indefinite verbs) correctly, you need to mentally ask them questions each time: “h what to do?" or "h what to do?“If the verb clearly answers them, you need to put a soft sign. For example, in the last word in the sentence " Petya is going to get some sleep today." a soft sign is given, since Peter going what to do? Get some sleep.

Thus, the indefinite verb is a rather interesting and important part of the language that can be used in different cases, the main thing is to master them well.

In contact with

Indefinite verbs are used in dictionaries. What is an infinitive? Features are as follows:

1. Verbs in the indefinite form answer the questions “what to do?” and “what to do?”
2. Endowed with grammatical features of the form (perfect or imperfect).
3. It can be returnable or non-refundable.
4. Saved.
5. When forming, suffixes of the indefinite form of the verb are used -т, -ти, -ч. For some verbs it is -st, -sti.

Important! Any verbal word form can be put into initial form using the question “what to do?” or “what should I do?”

Such word forms are called indefinite because it is impossible to determine their basic grammatical features: tense, person, mood, gender and number, which is how they differ from the rest.

Infinitive form of the verb: signs

Signs of the infinitive form of the verb

The main features are the endings of verbs in -ti, -t and -ch. Questions “what to do?” will help determine this. and “what to do?”

Examples of education

The infinitive ends with the suffix –ti if it is preceded by a consonant: come, crawl, shake. The suffix –т is used after vowels: write, fly, shoot, pull.

In some words ending in -ch, there is no ending in the initial form, and -ch is included in the structure of the root. For example, attract, bake, preserve, grind.

How to use the infinitive form of a verb

The infinitive is necessary to form other verb forms and check spelling.

Often the endings of verbs in personal word forms are unstressed, which raises doubts about their writing. To check your spelling, you need to know how to put a verb into the indefinite form.

For example:

• You are building - What to do? build. This means that the correct ending is -ish.
• Gluing, gluing - What to do? glue. The correct spelling is -it and -il.
• I hated it - What should I do? hate. Correctly write the vowel -e.

An unstressed suffix in an infinitive indicates its writing in the past tense, in the adverbial and participial form.

Gluing - gluing - gluing - gluing - gluing.

What is a reflexive or non-reflexive verb?

Sometimes after the word-forming suffix –ть, -ти, -ч, an additional postfix – ся or –сь is used. For example, pray, take care, ask, take shelter.

Postfix allows you to determine returnable and non-returnable forms.

The rule explains that word forms with -sya (-s) are considered reflexive and mean the action of someone or something directed towards oneself, contact or the position of an object. For example, capsize, deteriorate, equip, make your way.

Irreflexive infinitives express an action towards someone or something. For example, reeling, eavesdropping, stroking.

Reflexive verb

Signs of transitive and intransitive infinitive

Transitivity in an indefinite form allows us to identify an additional word indicating an object or phenomenon involved in the action.

The following is used as an additional word:

• A noun or pronoun used in the accusative case and without a preposition. For example, putting on a coat, preparing lunch.
• A noun (accusative or genitive) expressing an attitude or proportion of something and used without a preposition. For example, pouring tea, waiting for guests.
• A negative expression with an infinitive uses a genitive noun or pronoun. For example, not to have a chance, not to hurt her.

Additional words give meaning to the infinitive, and without them the essence of what is happening is lost. Some part of the action is transferred to objects or circumstances, they acquire a clear meaning.

In an intransitive infinitive, the action denotes one word.

Perfect and imperfect types

Verb words are classified into perfect and imperfect.

Imperfects characterize an action that lasts without a specific time reference. These actions can be called eternal; there is no indication of their completeness or incompleteness. They are approached by the question “What to do?”

• I'm going on a trip.
• The street lights began to go out.

Perfect infinitives indicate completed action or something that will definitely happen. The result can already be observed or is still expected. The question “What to do?” is used.

• After opening the can, the contents must be transferred.
• Have you received instructions on what to report?

Known a small part of ambiguous infinitives. They are used in both forms in one word form. They are defined by meaning. A standard question can be asked about dual verbs in the infinitive.

• The entire area should be cleaned tomorrow. - "What to do?".
• Remove trash from your desk and room. - "What to do?".
• You need to explore the city. - "What to do?".
• They were to explore the city at dawn. - "What to do?"

Perfect and imperfect appearance

The infinitive is the initial meaning of the verb. The peculiarity of the infinitive is that it denotes only a pure action, not tied to the person who performs it, does not indicate whether one or more persons perform the action, and also does not give the concept of the time the action was performed. That is, the infinitive does not have a definite past, present or future tense.

This part of speech is also called the “indefinite form of the verb” because it does not characterize any details of the action being performed, revealing only its original meaning. Latin word infintus, from which this term is derived, can be translated as "uncertain".

Indefinite verb form: rules and examples

The infinitive can only answer questions:

• "What to do?";
• "What to do?".

It is impossible, for example, to ask "Doing what?""What is he doing?",“What are we doing?”"What are they doing?""What you are doing?",“What did you do?”"What will you do?", since the infinitive is the infinitive form of the verb. The time and person remain unclear, and no reference is given to the details of what happened.

Infinitive suffixes

The infinitive ends with word-forming suffixes:

• -t - give birth, grow up, die;
• -whose, - to protect, burn, whip;
• -ti - carry, grow, row.

It can also be supplemented with a postfix -sya (-sya), by which we can judge which indefinite form of the verb is non-reflexive and which is reflexive:

-sya (-sya) - to toil, to pray, to beware.

Signs of the infinitive

The infinitive is a form of the verb that always remains the same. It cannot be conjugated or represented in another tense or person. Infinitives can only have constant verbal features that are present in any verbs, regardless of their form. Such characteristics include transitivity/intransitivity, recurrence/irrevocability, and perfection/imperfection.

Transitive and intransitive infinitives

The transitivity of a verb is determined in accordance with the presence of an additional word of an indefinite form of the verb, denoting an object or phenomenon to which the action is partially transferred. Intransitive verbs consist of one single word that directly denotes an action. The transitive infinitive may include:

• nouns or pronouns put in the accusative case without a preposition: give an injection, thread;
• nouns placed in the genitive case, without a preposition, which express a share of something, or participation: wait for trouble, pour water;
• nouns or pronouns placed in the genitive case, if the verb has a negative expression: not be able to, not notice them.

Thus, these words are part of the verb, filling it with meaning, and without them the essence of the action is lost. Part of the action, in turn, transfers to an object or circumstance, giving it a specific meaning.

Reflexive and irreversible infinitives

The infinitive form of a verb can also be reflexive or non-reflexive. Irreflexive verbs express an action performed by someone or something in relation to someone or something. Reflexives express an action directed by someone or something towards itself, or mean another closed interaction or state of an object and have a postfix at the end -sya (sya). On -xia The reflexive indefinite form of the verb usually ends. The rule states that reflexive verbs cannot be transitive.

Examples of irreversible infinitives: put on, lower, peek. Examples of reflexive infinitives: to dress, to lower oneself, to sneak.

As we see from the above examples, some reflexive verbs can be obtained from non-reflexive ones by simply adding a postfix -xia(as in the case of a pair " lower-lower"). This only changes the direction of action, but the general meaning remains. In rare cases, according to the rules and norms for the use of verbs, it is impossible to use a verb in both of its word forms - perfect and imperfect, as, for example, the reflexive indefinite form of the verb is unacceptable for “put on” (example " put on - get dressed"). “Put on” denotes an action performed in relation to some object or person, while “dress” can be addressed exclusively to the object itself performing the action (it can be used in other word forms, but provided that this reflexive meaning is preserved) . Despite the fact that such a limited in use indefinite form of the verb is not often found, the rule remains the rule. Also, from some imperfect forms of verbs, we will not be able to create a perfect one, based on their key meaning, which we can see in the example of the verb “peep” - you cannot peek for yourself. By the same principle, in the Russian language there is no imperfect form of the verb “to sneak” - you cannot " sneak" anything.

Perfective and imperfective infinitives

Infinitives can also be perfective or imperfective. The indefinite form of the imperfective verb expresses actions that continue over time and do not have a specific connection - these are, as it were, eternal actions, and without additional instructions in the context it does not give us an idea of ​​​​the completion or incompleteness of the action. A question would be appropriate here "What to do?". Examples:

Perfective infinitives indicate that the action has already been completed, or will certainly be committed, that the result has already happened, or will still happen (of course, in cases of negation or question, it can have a relatively vague connotation). A question would be appropriate here "What to do?". Examples:

• After reading the note, it was to be burned.
• Thank me that you didn't have to burn that note.
• Were you instructed to burn the note?

Only a small number of dual infinitives are found in the Russian language. The indefinite form of the verb, which refers to both the perfective and the imperfect, can be used either way, depending on the environment, without changing its word form. That is, she also answers the question "What to do?", and to the question "What to do?". Examples:

• An order was received to execute all traitors from now on. - "What to do?";
• An order was received to execute the traitor. - "What to do?";
• In the village they are used to getting girls married quickly. - "What to do?";
• By autumn, Marfa managed to marry all her girls. - "What to do?";
• It's hard to tell your heart. - "What to do?"
• How to tell your heart not to love? - "What to do?"
• Exploring caves is very interesting, but at the same time dangerous. - "What to do?"
• Tomorrow we will have to explore these caves. - "What to do?"
• You can attack them from any direction, while I will defeat them head-on. - "What to do?"
• You will have to attack them from the right, and I will come in from the flank. - "What to do?"

Conjugation of verbs

The conjugation of verbs reflects their change in accordance with person and number. Although infinitives themselves cannot have person, number or gender, and, therefore, cannot be conjugated, they nevertheless serve as a word-formation basis for other verbs, therefore they are classified into one of two verb groups according to the type of conjugation - either I , or to II. Indefinite verb endings belonging to the first group: -e, -yu(except exception verbs). The forms of these verbs have endings -u and -yu, -eat and -eat, -et and -et, -eat and -eat, -eat and -ete. Indefinite verb endings belonging to the second group: -And and on -I(except exception verbs). When conjugated, the forms of these verbs have endings -u and -yu, -ish, -it, -im, -ite, -at and -yat.

Function of the infinitive in a sentence

Verbs, as usual, perform the function of a predicate in a sentence. Together with subjects, they form the grammatical basis of sentences. However, the infinitive, due to its peculiarities of use, can perform completely different functions in a sentence. Therefore, the role of any of the members of the sentence in this case can be played by the indefinite form of the verb. An example of using infinitives as different parts of a sentence:

Morphological analysis of the infinitive in a sentence

To carry out a morphological analysis of a verb in a sentence, you need to determine its part of speech, general grammatical meaning, ask it questions, determine the word form, indicate constant and inconstant morphological features, as well as its function in the sentence. Since the infinitive form of the verb does not change, the morphological analysis of the infinitive is carried out without indicating the inconstant verbal features.

When it comes to the form of the verb, we say: “Construct the verb in the form of the 2nd person plural of the future tense.” Based on this, we can say that the form of the verb is person + number + tense. By building your answer using this formula, you will never miss anything. Now let's move on to defining all three terms.

Person and number to determine verb form

The person is the one who performs the action. To determine it, we ask a question to the verb Who? or What? If the answer is:

• I/we – this is a 1st person verb, it refers directly to the speaker or the group of people in which he is a member. For example: I cook, we build;
• you/you – this is a 2nd person verb, it refers to the one/those with whom we are speaking. For example: you are lying, you are walking,
• he/she/it/they – then this is a 3rd person verb, it refers to someone else (not the speaker or the interlocutor). For example: he runs, she drinks, they are friends.

Time to determine the form of the verb

Determining the time is very simple: it is done almost intuitively:

• In present tense verbs, the action happens now, this minute. Even if the time is not specified in the sentence, it can be understood independently. For example: I sculpt (When?) now they are building (When?) Today,
• in past tense verbs the action takes place in the past: yesterday, a week ago, etc. For example: painted (When?) yesterday,
• in future tense verbs the action will only happen in an hour, tomorrow, etc. For example: I will learn (When?) Tomorrow.

Infinitive

Verbs in the indefinite form do not have gender, person or number, but they do have an aspect. Such verbs end in -t, -t or -ch. Their type is determined by asking:

• what to do?, then it is of an imperfect form. For example: (what to do?) read ;
• if a verb is followed by a question what to do?, then he looks perfect. For example: (what to do?) read.

Other verbs also have aspect, but this is not indicated when determining their form. It is worth noting that perfective verbs do not have a present tense, because it is implied that the action was either completed in the past or will be completed in the future.

Determining the form of a verb is easy, since everything is done almost intuitively, the main thing is to remember the algorithm: person + number + tense.

The infinitive is the initial meaning of the verb. The peculiarity of the infinitive is that it denotes only a pure action, not tied to the person who performs it, does not indicate whether one or more persons perform the action, and also does not give the concept of the time the action was performed. That is, the infinitive does not have a definite past, present or future tense.

This part of speech is also called the “indefinite form of the verb” because it does not characterize any details of the action being performed, revealing only its original meaning. Latin word infintus, from which this term is derived, can be translated as "uncertain".

Indefinite verb form: rules and examples

The infinitive can only answer questions:

• "What to do?";
• "What to do?".

It is impossible, for example, to ask "Doing what?""What is he doing?",“What are we doing?”"What are they doing?""What you are doing?",“What did you do?”"What will you do?", since the infinitive is the infinitive form of the verb. The time and person remain unclear, and no reference is given to the details of what happened.

Infinitive suffixes

The infinitive ends with word-forming suffixes:

• -t - give birth, grow up, die;
• -whose, - to protect, burn, whip;
• -ti - carry, grow, row.

It can also be supplemented with a postfix -sya (-sya), by which we can judge which indefinite form of the verb is non-reflexive and which is reflexive:

-sya (-sya) - to toil, to pray, to beware.

Signs of the infinitive

The infinitive is a form of the verb that always remains the same. It cannot be conjugated or represented in another tense or person. Infinitives can only have constant verbal features that are present in any verbs, regardless of their form. Such characteristics include transitivity/intransitivity, recurrence/irrevocability, and perfection/imperfection.

Transitive and intransitive infinitives

The transitivity of a verb is determined in accordance with the presence of an additional word of an indefinite form of the verb, denoting an object or phenomenon to which the action is partially transferred. Intransitive verbs consist of one single word that directly denotes an action. The transitive infinitive may include:

• nouns or pronouns put in the accusative case without a preposition: give an injection, thread;
• nouns placed in the genitive case, without a preposition, which express a share of something, or participation: wait for trouble, pour water;
• nouns or pronouns placed in the genitive case, if the verb has a negative expression: not be able to, not notice them.

Thus, these words are part of the verb, filling it with meaning, and without them the essence of the action is lost. Part of the action, in turn, transfers to an object or circumstance, giving it a specific meaning.

Reflexive and irreversible infinitives

The infinitive form of a verb can also be reflexive or non-reflexive. Irreflexive verbs express an action performed by someone or something in relation to someone or something. Reflexives express an action directed by someone or something towards itself, or mean another closed interaction or state of an object and have a postfix at the end -sya (sya). On -xia The reflexive indefinite form of the verb usually ends. The rule states that reflexive verbs cannot be transitive.

Examples of irreversible infinitives: put on, lower, peek. Examples of reflexive infinitives: to dress, to lower oneself, to sneak.

As we see from the above examples, some reflexive verbs can be obtained from non-reflexive ones by simply adding a postfix -xia(as in the case of a pair " lower-lower"). This only changes the direction of action, but the general meaning remains. In rare cases, according to the rules and norms for the use of verbs, it is impossible to use a verb in both of its word forms - perfect and imperfect, as, for example, the reflexive indefinite form of the verb is unacceptable for “put on” (example " put on - get dressed"). “Put on” denotes an action performed in relation to some object or person, while “dress” can be addressed exclusively to the object itself performing the action (it can be used in other word forms, but provided that this reflexive meaning is preserved) . Despite the fact that such a limited in use indefinite form of the verb is not often found, the rule remains the rule. Also, from some imperfect forms of verbs, we will not be able to create a perfect one, based on their key meaning, which we can see in the example of the verb “peep” - you cannot peek for yourself. By the same principle, in the Russian language there is no imperfect form of the verb “to sneak” - you cannot " sneak" anything.

Perfective and imperfective infinitives

Infinitives can also be perfective or imperfective. The indefinite form of the imperfective verb expresses actions that continue over time and do not have a specific connection - these are, as it were, eternal actions, and without additional instructions in the context it does not give us an idea of ​​​​the completion or incompleteness of the action. A question would be appropriate here "What to do?". Examples:

Perfective infinitives indicate that the action has already been completed, or will certainly be committed, that the result has already happened, or will still happen (of course, in cases of negation or question, it can have a relatively vague connotation). A question would be appropriate here "What to do?". Examples:

• After reading the note, it was to be burned.
• Thank me that you didn't have to burn that note.
• Were you instructed to burn the note?

Only a small number of dual infinitives are found in the Russian language. The indefinite form of the verb, which refers to both the perfective and the imperfect, can be used either way, depending on the environment, without changing its word form. That is, she also answers the question "What to do?", and to the question "What to do?". Examples:

• An order was received to execute all traitors from now on. - "What to do?";
• An order was received to execute the traitor. - "What to do?";
• In the village they are used to getting girls married quickly. - "What to do?";
• By autumn, Marfa managed to marry all her girls. - "What to do?";
• It's hard to tell your heart. - "What to do?"
• How to tell your heart not to love? - "What to do?"
• Exploring caves is very interesting, but at the same time dangerous. - "What to do?"
• Tomorrow we will have to explore these caves. - "What to do?"
• You can attack them from any direction, while I will defeat them head-on. - "What to do?"
• You will have to attack them from the right, and I will come in from the flank. - "What to do?"

Conjugation of verbs

The conjugation of verbs reflects their change in accordance with person and number. Although infinitives themselves cannot have person, number or gender, and, therefore, cannot be conjugated, they nevertheless serve as a word-formation basis for other verbs, therefore they are classified into one of two verb groups according to the type of conjugation - either I , or to II. Indefinite verb endings belonging to the first group: -e, -yu(except exception verbs). The forms of these verbs have endings -u and -yu, -eat and -eat, -et and -et, -eat and -eat, -eat and -ete. Indefinite verb endings belonging to the second group: -And and on -I(except exception verbs). When conjugated, the forms of these verbs have endings -u and -yu, -ish, -it, -im, -ite, -at and -yat.

Function of the infinitive in a sentence

Verbs, as usual, perform the function of a predicate in a sentence. Together with subjects, they form the grammatical basis of sentences. However, the infinitive, due to its peculiarities of use, can perform completely different functions in a sentence. Therefore, the role of any of the members of the sentence in this case can be played by the indefinite form of the verb. An example of using infinitives as different parts of a sentence:

Morphological analysis of the infinitive in a sentence

To carry out a morphological analysis of a verb in a sentence, you need to determine its part of speech, general grammatical meaning, ask it questions, determine the word form, indicate constant and inconstant morphological features, as well as its function in the sentence. Since the infinitive form of the verb does not change, the morphological analysis of the infinitive is carried out without indicating the inconstant verbal features.