Indefinite form of the verb (initial form, infinitive). What is the indefinite form of the verb

When it comes to the form of the verb, we say: “Build 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 + time. Building your answer according to this formula, you will never miss anything. Now let's move on to the definition of all three terms.

Person and number to determine the form of the verb

The face is the one who performs the action. To determine it, ask a question to the verb who? or what? If the answer is:

  • I / we - then 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 talking. For example: you lie, you go,
  • he / she / it / they - then this is a 3rd person verb, it refers to someone else (not to the speaker and not to 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 is happening now, right now. Even if the time is not indicated in the sentence, you can understand it yourself. For example: sculpt (when?) now building (when?) today,
  • in past tense verbs, the action takes place in the past: yesterday, a week ago, etc. For example: drawing (when?) yesterday,
  • in future tense verbs, the action will only take place in an hour, tomorrow, etc. For example: learn (when?) tomorrow.


Infinitive

Verbs in the indefinite form do not have gender, person, or number, but they do have an aspect. These verbs end in -ty, -ty or -who. Their form is determined using the question:

  • what to do?, then it is imperfect. For example: (what to do?) read ;
  • if a question is asked about the verb what to do?, he is 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 the action is either completed in the past or will be completed in the future.


It is easy to determine the form of the verb, since everything is done almost intuitively, the main thing is to remember the algorithm: person + number + time.

The morphology of the Russian language is multifaceted and interesting. It studies the features of parts of speech, their permanent and variable features. The article discusses verbs-infinitives in detail.

Infinitive

Not everyone knows what an infinitive is. in its original form. It represents the verb in dictionaries. For example, in the explanatory dictionary there is no verb dating, since this is a personal form, the dictionary entry is devoted to the same verb, but in the initial form - meet. You can put the verb in this form by asking the question what to do? or what to do?: dating - what to do? meet, draw - what to do? draw, call back - what to do? call back. The infinitive differs from other verb forms not only in a question. Suffixes of infinitives (verbs in the initial form) are special: -t, -ti, -ch. Therefore, the analyzed word is an infinitive if the verb has such morphemes.

The verb and its indefinite form

Pupils and students who are especially keen on learning the Russian language are concerned about the question of why the infinitive is called the indefinite form of the verb. Firstly, the very word "infinitive" goes back to the Latin word, which translates as "indefinite". Secondly, the form of the verb is not determined by the infinitive, more precisely, its personal form, the form of tense, mood, gender, number, and so on. The infinitive determines the constant features of the verb, such as aspect, conjugation, reflexivity and transitivity. They will be discussed below.

Invariable signs of the verb

When performing, it is required to designate its signs. Permanent signs are indicated by the indefinite form of the verb.

View is a part-time category that reflects the relation of an action to its internal limit: completed / happening. Infinitive verbs that answer a question what to do? look perfect: say, prepare, leave. Verbs in the initial form that answer the question what to do? are imperfect: talk, cook, go. Species pairs are distinguished, that is, words with the same meaning, but of a different type: decide - decide, say - speak, sew up - sew up, bake - bake.

Traditionally defined by the initial form. The 2nd conjugation includes those that end in -it(exception shave, lay, build), and verbs hold, drive, see, watch, hear, breathe, hate, endure, offend, twirl, depend; to the first - all other verbs. The conjugation of not all verbs can be determined by the infinitive. A class is distinguished which, when changed, combine the endings of 1 and 2 conjugations. These are the words to give, eat, run, want.

Transitivity is the next constant feature. Infinitive verbs that can govern a noun in the accusative case are called transitive, and those that cannot are intransitive. For example, sew on (what?) a button, record (what?) a film, draw (who?) a child- transitional; be surprised, call, shoot are not used with the accusative case, that is, intransitive.

Reflexive are those verbs that have the postfix -sya: build, wash, make a reservation. Irreversible - those who do not have this affix.

Question about the morpheme

Indicators of the initial form of the verb - morphemes -t, -ti, -ch - cause discussions among linguists. Many define them as endings, referring to their ability to change: say - said, indicate - indicated. However, the infinitive is considered an invariable form, so it should not have endings. An increasingly common version is that the morphemes denoting the infinitive are inflectional suffixes.

Impersonal form of the verb

Infinitives refer to the impersonal forms of the verb. This is due to the fact that this is an invariable form in which the person, gender, number are not determined. Infinitives do not carry nouns in the nominative case, unlike personal forms. They only name the action without its relation to the person. The infinitive is also not associated with the category of time, which is determined by personal forms. Their inclination is also indeterminate. That is, the infinitive is unreal, it is out of time, it only names the action. Some students ask the question of what is the dependence of the infinitive on the verb. An infinitive is, in a different way, a verb in its initial form.

In Russian grammar, other non-personal forms are also distinguished - these are participles and participles. They, like the infinitive, do not change in faces. A gerund is such an invariable form of a verb that combines the features of an adverb and a verb and answers the question having done what? doing what?: reading, publishing, pointing, humming. The participle is such a form of the verb that denotes a sign by action, combines the signs of an adjective and a verb, answers the questions of adjectives: which? surrounded, acting, watching, forgotten.

The role of the infinitive in a sentence

The peculiarity of the indefinite form of the verb is that it can play the role of any member in the sentence. Quite often the subject is a verb-infinitive in Russian. Examples: Seeking the truth in everything was her goal in itself. To appreciate the work of others is worthy. It's useless to talk to him. Denoting an action, the infinitive plays the role of a predicate: You will not see rest! Don't understand him. She is unrecognizable. Often it comes in following the auxiliary verb: The family wanted to stay here for a month. Lena started working immediately after her appointment. He stopped joking after receiving the remark.

Minor members of the sentence can also be expressed in the indefinite form of the verb. So, the infinitive plays the role of an object in sentences: The captain gave the order to advance. They agreed to meet. She quickly got used to work. The definition can be expressed in the infinitive: She had a desire to change the world for the better. He took the opportunity to leave. The hope of leaving by morning reassured them. The circumstance represented by the initial form of the verb: Vera was going to go to the sea. Volunteers stopped by the lake to feed the birds. Children come to her from all over the city.

Infinitives in folklore and fiction

Infinitives have long been used by the people in oral folk art, more precisely in proverbs. The indefinite form of the verb in them is necessary to create a generalization of the content: Promise less, sin less. To indulge a thief is to steal yourself. Not hard to do, but hard to come up with. In fiction, infinitive verbs are widely used. Examples: "Dense stump - I will be able to live", "That's why I called you - to find out", "Let me come first", "and no one cared about his worries, and so - just to talk"(Shukshin V.M. "Stoves-benches"); "No one wants to change... equilibrium","the habit of smilingin a way... slightly pulled aside the lower part of his... face","you could ask not to sprinkle it with crushed peanuts"(Iskander F.A. "Summer Day").

The indefinite or initial form of the verb (and strictly the language of science - it is called the infinitive) linguists call its form, denoting the strictly action itself, regardless of such grammatical categories as person and number, and answering the question "what to do?". The word "do" itself is one example of an infinitive, or indefinite form of a verb.

This gives an answer to the question, what is the peculiarity of the indefinite form of the verb.

In the Russian school, the topic of the infinitive is usually touched upon in the middle classes.

Formal signs of the infinitive

In Russian, the signs of the infinitive are the suffixes "t" or "ti": go, run, stand, crawl, find, determine, etc. After vowels, "t" is used, after consonants - "ti": run, but go.

It also matters that the infinitive always answers one question - what to do?

The group of verbs that ends with “ch” stands out in particular: lie down, bake, protect, burn, etc. Initially, in the Old Russian language, they also had the suffix “ti” after “g” at the end: lay down, pekti, protect, burn. Such an archaic form has been preserved to this day in other Slavic languages ​​closest to Russian - Ukrainian and Belarusian. In Russian, "gti" gradually transformed into "ch".

In English, the indicator of the indefinite form is the particle to used before the verb: to go, to love, to run, etc. The infinitive has its formal features in every language, but it is not possible to consider them all within the framework of one publication, and it is not makes sense. Everyone who has studied English knows this, and it doesn't matter if it was taught in the first grade or in the older ones.

In Russian, a verb in an indefinite form is characterized by such constant features as transitivity, reflexivity, type of conjugation. All this is also studied in the middle classes, which can be easily remembered.

According to the indefinite form, the conjugation of those verbs is usually determined, the ending of which in other forms is unstressed. We all heard about it more than once in the school class at Russian lessons.

Features of the syntactic role of the infinitive

If the various variants of the conjugated forms of the verb in the sentence most of all gravitate towards the role of the predicate, and the remaining cases of their use are rather an exception to the rules, then the infinitive can be used as any member of the sentence: subject, object, definition.

In a sentence, it is usually used together with a predicate, in the role of which a noun, an adverb, an indefinite form of another verb, or a full adjective in the instrumental case with a linking verb is used.

Look to the world positively is an important skill.

Believe the deceiver is stupid (option: no sense).

Save- it means to earn.

come in the area became unsafe in the evenings.

Make no mistake means to do nothing.

Predicate

There are two cases of using the indefinite form of the verb as a predicate:

  1. As part of a compound predicate of a two-part sentence.
  2. In a one-part impersonal sentence.

Examples of two-part sentences:

  • I have to do it.
  • I really want you help.
  • worker finished grind detail.
  • He dreams go abroad.
  • He continued vigorously work over the project.
  • The new employee soon adapted to the team and stopped working. set extra questions.

Examples of impersonal one-part sentences:

  • Well, how not be in love this city!
  • Impossible pass the!
  • How would we meet.

Definition

As an inconsistent definition, the verb in the indefinite is used when explaining a noun.

Often we tend to desire (to what?) hug immensity.

Usually in such cases, the indefinite form of the verb is combined with abstract nouns expressing desire, aspiration, intention, habit, inclination, ability, readiness, etc.

Circumstance

Usually in this role, the indefinite form appears with the verb of movement or other action and explains why this action was taken. Between the predicate and such a circumstance, the goal can be put "to".

For example:

  • I went to drink water.
  • The major came out to check the posts.
  • They came to Sochi to relax by the sea.

Addition

The infinitive acts as a complement when it refers to the subject to which the action expressed by the predicate is directed. So, in the sentence "I want to help you" it is part of the compound verb predicate. But if we say “I asked a colleague to help me”, “help” already acts as an addition. This nuance must be taken into account in order to determine the role of the infinitive in such sentences.

Here are some more examples in which the indefinite form acts as a complement:

  • We asked a friend meet us at the station.
  • The boss persuaded him take vacation later.
  • The boss asked me come in to him as soon as I get to work.

Stylistic nuances of using the indefinite form of the verb

Verbs in the indefinite form are often used in official instructions, orders, written and oral orders. Speeches addressed by officers to soldiers are especially often saturated with them.

Through the infinitive, an indication is conveyed of the rigidity of a particular order or requirement, the rigor of its observance. For example: "Ensure the result no later than July 20." It sounds even stricter than the form of the imperative mood - "provide". Although the imperative itself, especially if it is not accompanied by the word “please”, carries a considerable similar load.

It is not surprising why their use is so popular in the army, where great importance is attached to discipline, diligence and subordination, and in civil structures with a rigid administrative vertical, for example, government bodies.

Yes, and various prohibitions, designed in the form of a combination of the infinitive and the particle “not”, have the same function: do not smoke, do not litter, etc.

After all this, you are unlikely to have any doubts about what the indefinite form of the verb is.

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 an idea of ​​the time of the action. That is, the infinitive does not have the definiteness of the 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 the term is derived, can be translated as "uncertain".

The indefinite form of the verb: 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 indefinite form of the verb. Time and face remain unclear, and no reference is made to the details of what is happening.

Infinitive suffixes

The infinitive ends with word-forming suffixes:

  • -t - give birth, grow up, die;
  • -ch, - protect, burn, flog;
  • -ti - carry, grow, row.

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

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

Signs of the infinitive

The infinitive is the form of the verb that always remains the same. It cannot be conjugated, presented in a different time or person. Infinitives can only have constant verbal features that are present in any verb, regardless of their form. Such signs include transitivity/intransitivity, recurrence/irreturnability and perfection/imperfection.

Transitive and intransitive infinitives

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

  • nouns or pronouns put in the accusative case without a preposition: make an injection, thread;
  • nouns put in the genitive case, without a preposition, which express the share of something, or involvement: wait for trouble, pour water;
  • nouns or pronouns put in the genitive case, if the verb has a negative expression: be unable to 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, goes to the object or circumstance, giving it a specific semantic load.

Reflexive and irrevocable infinitives

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

Examples of irrevocable infinitives: put on, put on, peek. Examples of reflexive infinitives: get dressed, get down, sneak.

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

Perfect and imperfect infinitives

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

Perfective infinitives say that the action has already been done, or will certainly be done, that the result is already there, or will still be (of course, in cases of negation or question, it may have a relatively indefinite coloring). A question would be relevant here. "What to do?". Examples:

  • After reading the note should have been 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 contain Russian. The indefinite form of the verb, which is both perfective and imperfective, can be used this way and that, depending on the environment, without changing its word form. That is, she answers the question "What to do?", and to the question "What to do?". Examples:

  • An order was issued to continue to execute all traitors. - "What to do?";
  • An order was given to execute the traitor. - "What to do?";
  • In the village they are used to marrying girls quickly. - "What to do?";
  • By autumn, Martha 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 have to explore these caves. - "What to do?"
  • You can attack them from any direction, while I will smash them head on. - "What to do?"
  • You will have to attack them from the right, and I will go in from the flank. - "What to do?"

Conjugation of verbs

The conjugation of verbs reflects their change in accordance with person and number. Although the infinitives themselves cannot have a person, number or gender, and, therefore, cannot be conjugated, they nevertheless serve as a derivational basis for other verbs, therefore they are assigned to any of the two verb groups according to the type of conjugation - either to I , or to II. The endings of indefinite verbs related to the first group: -e, -yu(except for verbs of exceptions). The forms of these verbs have endings -u and -yu, -eat and -eat, -eat and -eat, -eat and -eat, -eat and -ete. The endings of indefinite verbs related to the second group: -and and on -I(except for verbs of exceptions). 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 the 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 performed by the indefinite form of the verb. An example of the use of infinitives as various members of a sentence:

Morphological analysis of the infinitive in a sentence

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

Instruction

You can determine the infinitive by the question. Find a verb and ask a question to it. If this is a verb in an indefinite form, then it will answer the question “what to do?”, “what to do?”. For example, grow, bake, flood, breed, lie down.
There is always a soft sign at the end of such verbs.

It is difficult to distinguish the infinitive from the personal form if the word is written in transcription. The record of the finals of these forms is the same: [tutor "itsa] (studies) - [tutor" ita] (studies). In this case, pay attention to , the vowel before [-ca] or the context where you can ask a question. If this work is not feasible, then both forms are appropriate.

The indefinite form of the verb is included in the compound nominal predicate. In this case, the sentence contains two heterogeneous verbs. To determine which of them is the infinitive, you need to designate the grammatical basis. The predicate will consist of two verbs. The one that contains the lexical meaning is the infinitive, it needs a soft sign. So, in the sentence "Students will be able to work out additionally" the predicate "will be able to work out." And the indefinite form is "to work out."

The indefinite form of the verb can act as secondary members of the sentence. In such cases, it can be determined by following the logic of reasoning. Ask a question of the indirect case from the predicate to the infinitive. If possible, then in this case it is an addition. For example, in the sentence “The coach told us to do a warm-up”, the word “do” will be an object (said what?). In this case, reason like this: the action indicated in the verb “ordered” is performed, and others will perform it. So this is not a predicate, because it is simple.

Circumstances expressed in the indefinite form of the verb most often answer the questions “for what purpose?”, “For what reason?”. In the sentence “I came to the gym to train”, we ask the question “I came for what purpose?” to the infinitive.
By definition ask a question from . In the sentence “I am fluent in the ability to play the guitar”, the infinitive is -: the ability (what?) to play.

Related videos

note

Only in one-part sentences with the main member of the predicate there are no words from which a question is asked to the verb.

Helpful advice

Ask questions from one word to another. If the minor member is expressed by a verb, then this is only an indefinite form. Be sure to write a soft sign.

Sources:

  • verbs in indefinite form

A verb is a part of speech with permanent and non-permanent features. The person of the verb is its inconstant sign, and only verbs in the present and future tenses have it. Not everyone can immediately identify it. To do this, we will give a short instruction on how to determine the person of the verb.

Instruction

Instruction

You must know that indefinite form verb often called the infinitive. The verb in this form does not change either in numbers or in persons. It is impossible for him to determine both inclination and appearance.

You can, of course, form an indefinite form of the verb with the help of auxiliary questions “what to do?”, “what to do?”. But this method may not always be useful to you. Thus, it is difficult for schoolchildren to put impersonal verbs into the infinitive, which in the future may be the result of spelling errors.

Children also confuse third-person verbs with infinitives, which means they will not be able to determine whether to write: "tsya" or "tsya". For example, to the verb in the syntactic construction “seems to be successful”, children find it difficult to put auxiliary questions “what to do?”, “what to do?”. Thus, they will not be able to check the spelling of .

Finding the indefinite form of a verb or forming it is easier, paying attention to some details. So, you should know that the infinitive has the ending "t" or "ti". For example, in "bring" the ending will be "ti", and in the word "in time" - "t".

The ending "ti" is in an indefinite form if it is preceded by a vowel sound, and "t" is after a consonant. So, in the infinitive "bloom" before the end of "ti" there is a consonant sound "s", and in the word "see" - the vowel "e".

To learn how to form an indefinite form, it is necessary to ask the questions “what to do?” or "what to do?" And do not forget to pay attention to the structure of the word.

Sources:

  • the verb in the indefinite form will not happen

The noun is a separate part of the speech of the Russian language. It has the forms of number and case, which classify the categories of gender, as well as animateness and inanimateness, depending on the objects designated.

Instruction

Imagine several variants of the same thing: “home”, “home”, “home”. How to determine its initial form(or dictionary form)? The initial form of the noun is the nominative form. This case denotes the concept expressed by the word. Most often, the names in this case play the role of the subject in the sentence, less often - the predicate. Nominative to the questions: “who?”, “What?” Like what?" - "house", "who?" - "bird". Ask similar questions to determine form noun.

Recall from the school curriculum that, standing in the initial form, in most cases it is in the singular. Therefore, in order to define vocabulary form this part of speech, put it in the singular: “many houses” - “one house”.

Note that some nouns only have form plural, and it is impossible to modify them, leading to the singular. These include, for example, the names of time periods, paired objects, masses of matter: “day”, “glasses”, “trousers”, “weekdays”, “pasta”, “holidays”, “ink”, “scissors”. The initial form of similar is the nominative plural form.

Pay attention to the need for homonyms (words that are the same in sound and spelling, but different in meaning) from each other. For example: “A clock hangs on the wall” (here “clock” will have the initial form only in the plural). Or: “At these hours the sky is usually

Infinitive, or indefinite form of the verb

A verb in its initial or indefinite form is called an infinitive. The infinitive always answers the question "what to do?" or "what to do?" It is never possible to ask questions in relation to the initial form: “what is she doing?”, “what will she do?”, “what will she do?”, “what did she do?”, “what did she do? " etc. That is, the infinitive, by definition, has a minimum number of morphological features.

Examples. The verb "go" answers the question "what to do?". Accordingly, it is a verb in an indefinite (initial) form, or an infinitive. However, the verbs “goes”, “will go”, “go” answer the questions “what is he doing?”, “what will he do?”, “?”. These verbs already have morphological features - persons, numbers and tenses - and are not infinitives.

Another example. The verb "write" answers the question "what to do?" and is an infinitive. From this initial form, verbs are formed in the past and future tenses, first, second and third persons, singular and plural: “wrote”, “wrote”, “”, “”, “will write”.

In other words, the verb in the infinitive is always the zero (indefinite) form, from which you can always form different forms of the same word in different persons and numbers. This process is called conjugation.

What features of the verb can be determined by the initial form

If the infinitive is the initial, zero, indefinite form of the verb, is it possible to determine any signs of this part of speech, or morphological signs, from it? Yes, you can define constants, signs of the verb.

Firstly, according to the indefinite form, it is possible to determine the types of the verb - perfect or. The imperfective verb in the initial form answers the question "what to do?" and denotes an unfinished action. For example, “walk”, “”, “sing”, “”, etc. The perfective verb in the infinitive answers the question "what to do?" and denotes a completed, finished action. For example, “walk”, “read”, “sing”, “compose”, “fly”, etc.

Secondly, by the infinitive you can determine. There are two conjugations - the first and the second. The first conjugation includes all verbs that in the infinitive end in -et, -at, -ut, -ot, -t, -yt, and a few exception verbs in -it. The second conjugation includes most of the verbs in -it, as well as some exception verbs in -at, -yat and -et.