Once, in the cold winter season, my mother caught a cold and fell ill. “Something has been chilling me all day today,” she complained to her little daughter. The girl was terribly surprised and asked: “Mom, who can chill you?” "No one, just chilly," she smiled. “Strange,” said the girl, “can it be so?” "Maybe. There are actions that, as in a fairy tale, are done by themselves or by some unknown force ... We don’t know this, we don’t see and don’t know who is acting, so we say this: it’s shivering, it’s getting dark, it’s dozing ... "" What What kind of fairy tale is this?”, you ask. Answer: "Impersonal verbs."

Definition

In Russian, there are some verbs that denote actions on their own, that is, without any character. We are talking about a group called "impersonal verbs". What is their feature? If personal verbs are conjugated, then the latter cannot change in persons and numbers. They are used exclusively in impersonal sentences. For example: "It's getting dark. Along the alleys, over sleepy ponds, I wander at random ”(Ivan Bunin),“ By midnight it’s a little cold ”(Kuprin),“ It’s snowy, snowy all over the earth, to all limits ... "(Pasternak). And now let's figure out what these unusual verbs mean, and in what grammatical forms they can be used.

Lexical meanings

Their lexical meaning is quite diverse. In general, it determines the general meaning of the impersonal sentence. So, impersonal verbs can have the following meanings. The first and most common are the phenomena and states of nature. For example: it's getting dark, it's getting light, it's drizzling, it's snowing, etc.

The second is the psychophysical states of a person or a living being (sick, cold, unwell, dozing, vomiting, and many others).

Third - the actions of elemental forces (she was unlucky, everything was covered with snow).

The fourth is the presence or absence of something (missing, missing). And the last is the obligation (it is necessary, it is proper, it follows, it is appropriate, it is obvious, it must).

Use

Impersonal verbs (examples follow) can be used in different grammatical forms. Firstly, it is an indefinite, or initial form of the verb (freeze, become, dusk). They can also be used in the indicative and conditional moods. In the indicative mood, they tend to change over time. The impersonal form of the verb can coincide in form with verbs in the 3rd person singular of the present or future tense (drizzle, will drizzle; shiver, shiver; it gets dark, it gets dark), as well as with neuter past tense verbs (it froze, blew, felt sad) .

Please note that in general, the category of person in these verbs is a pure formality, since the form of the third person (or the form of the neuter gender) is in a kind of “frozen” state, and there simply cannot be another. In the conditional mood, the sign of which is the particle "by / b", they are used, respectively, with these particles (it would thaw, it would get warmer, it would warm). Remember that the particle "by / b" is always written separately with verbs. And, finally, in the imperative mood - with a touch of desirability (let it get warmer). The topic “Impersonal verbs: examples of use” does not end there. Let's go further...

Kinds

There are several types of impersonal verbs. These are, in fact, the impersonal verbs themselves, which do not correspond to any subject (it is getting light, shivering, getting dark). Further - impersonal forms of verbs, which are formed from personal ones with the help of the suffix -sya (I think he hears it). Also, some personal verbs can also act in an impersonal sense. In this case, the sentence can often be constructed in two ways: either one predicate, expressed by an impersonal verb, without a subject, or with a subject, which names the subject of the action, and with the same predicate verb, but already used in a personal form. Let's consider such sentences with impersonal verbs: "hail beat the whole crop" or "hail beat the whole crop"; "I don't spell" or "I don't write"; "dampness blew from the apartment" - "dampness blew from the apartment." As you can see, a sentence with the use of an impersonal verb and a sentence with the same verb, but in a personal form, differ only in expressive and semantic shades.

Fiction

This is especially noticeable in examples from fiction, in poetry: “The whole chest was covered with a chill, flooded with a feeling of joy, delight” (Paustovsky), “I had a good friend - where better to be - but everything happened, we had no time talk to him" (Simonov). Sentences built according to the formula "subject plus predicate expressed by a personal verb" convey a more specific, unambiguous picture of the world, without any undercurrents. And phrases with verbs in an impersonal meaning, describing certain actions, processes or phenomena, appear to the reader more vague, and therefore more mysterious and mysterious. In this regard, impersonal verbs in the hands of a writer or poet become a real tool capable of creating unknown worlds and distances.

What are called verbs in Russian? This is a part of speech that in its initial form answers the questions “What to do?” ( drink, sing, paint, walk) or “What to do?” ( drink, sing, paint, go). Verbs most often denote an action, sometimes a state. They can be personal, i.e. denoting an action that a certain person performs.

Examples. blooms bird cherry. Her fragrance circling head. Here is someone from the hill went down. In this case, the verbs “blooms” and “descended” call the action that a specific person performs (bird cherry blooms, somebody went down), which is why they are called personal.

Impersonal verbs express an action that takes place without its producer.

Examples. It's getting dark. It's getting cold. me a little feverish.

Impersonal verbs can be combined into semantic groups.

First group.

It includes verbs that express actions that take place in nature. It's getting dark, it's getting colder, it's snowing, it's freezing.

Second group.

Verbs expressing a state or feeling. Chills, feverish, unwell.

Third group.

Impersonal verbs fixing desire, necessity, possibility or measure of action. Enough, should, should.

Impersonal verbs and personal verbs are inextricably linked in the language. In particular, often the personal form acts as an impersonal one.

Examples. Ringing(l.ch.) call, the holidays have come. in my head ringing(bl.ch.) from an overabundance of emotions.

In the first sentence, the personal form of the verb "rings" denotes an action that is performed by a certain manufacturer (ringing). In the second case, the action takes place (occurs) regardless of the producer, in itself, it denotes a state, therefore, in this case it does not and cannot have a producer. (Can someone ring in their head?) It's impersonal

Impersonal verbs are frozen (used) only in certain, fixed forms.

If they are worth it, they can be used exclusively:

• in the third person singular;
• in the present or future tense;
• in past tense, neuter form

Example. Soon it will get dark very early. (Ch. used in the future tense, singular, third person). autumn getting dark early. (Present tense, singular, third person). Today froze. middle genus, unit number).

If the verbs are in then they are used in the neuter gender.

Example. Quicker would freeze about.

in an indefinite form.

Example. Soon starts to get dark.

Impersonal verbs are always the main member (predicate) in the meaning of these sentences is determined by the meaning of impersonal verbs. Some of them record the state of wildlife ( How early it gets dark in autumn!). Others are the state of a living being, including a person. ( Breathe easy in spring. Fear filled his heart.) Finally, sentences of this kind are capable of having the semantic meaning of obligation or necessity. ( He pronounced the words clearly, as befits a good teacher.).

There are much more personal verbs that can act in an impersonal form (in our language). The structures of such sentences, their meanings are very diverse. They decorate speech, give it figurativeness, emotionality.

Example. Sky laid dark clouds.

Verb tenses in Russian are an important morphological category. This is a non-permanent sign. It denotes the moment of performing a certain action in relation to the moment of speech. This attribute changes depending on the context.

Examples. I I draw I love you I draw. The action is happening at the moment.

I love you painted, just like that did not recognize. The action took place in the past.

I draw you queen. I I will draw tomorrow morning. The action will take place in the future.

To determine the tense of a verb, it is enough to ask a question.

Impersonal verbs are those that express actions and states that occur on their own, without their producer (subject). With such verbs, the use of the subject is impossible: it is getting dark, it is dawning. Impersonal verbs in their lexical meaning can express: 1) natural phenomena; freezes, evening; 2) the physical and mental state of a person: fever, do not feel like it; 3) the modal meaning of obligation: it is necessary, it follows, it is appropriate, etc.; 4) the action of an unknown force: it leads, carries, carries, carries, etc.; 5) the action of elemental force (in combination with the instrumental case): The paths were clogged, tightly covered with snow (Furm.).

By education, impersonal verbs can be irrevocable and reflexive forms: it is getting light, it is getting dark. The irrevocable form of impersonal verbs has varieties: 1) proper-impersonal verbs: And it dawns a long time ago (Barat.); 2) personal verbs in impersonal use; cf .: There is a Russian spirit, there it smells of Russia (P.). “How strong the wormwood smells on the borders!” (T.). The reflexive form of impersonal verbs in most cases is formed from personal verbs (often intransitive) through the affix -sya; not sleeping - not sleeping. The following varieties of the reflexive form of impersonal verbs are distinguished: 1) verbs with an impersonal meaning that do not have matches in the group of personal verbs: To tell the truth, it was great on this sofa (T.); 2) impersonal verbs, coinciding in form with personal ones: One came true (cf. the prediction came true), the other dreamed (cf. happiness dreamed) (pog.).

Compared to personal, impersonal verbs do not change in person and number, as well as in gender. They are only used in the 3rd person singular. hours of present and future tense and in the form of units. h. past tense of the neuter gender.

These forms of impersonal verbs, unlike the corresponding personal forms, are not determined by agreement with the subject, as they are used in impersonal sentences. Impersonal verbs have the form of the subjunctive mood of the neuter gender singular. hours and indefinite form; they have no imperative form.

Valgina N.S., Rosenthal D.E., Fomina M.I. Modern Russian language - M., 2002.

Often we have to describe various natural phenomena, the physical or mental state of the living beings around us, and give advice. In such cases, impersonal forms of verbs come to the rescue.

If in a sentence an action occurs without a character or object, then verbs are used in it, which are called impersonal. The process takes place on its own without subjects. In such sentences, there is no place for the subject, and the verb is the predicate. Why do we need impersonal verbs so much?

Impersonal verbs - emotionality and figurativeness of speech.

As we have already found out, there is no subject in sentences. In this case, it cannot be under any circumstances. Consequently, impersonal verbs acquire the main semantic meaning. They play the role of the main member (predicate) in the sentence. Impersonal verbs characterize various uncontrolled states of nature, man, living beings and spontaneous actions. They give speech an emotional coloring, imagery and enrich the Russian language.

Consider several groups of such verbs with examples.

The first group is impersonal verbs that describe natural phenomena.

• Outside the window it's getting dark and it's snowing. And it blew in winter, it's getting colder.
• How much it freezes. And it doesn't fascinate me at all.
• It would be warmer sooner and it would smell faster in spring.
• It will brighten earlier and darken later.

Note that impersonal verbs appear in sentences only in certain forms. In the indicative mood, they are used in the present and future tenses, in the third person singular. For example, it’s getting dark, it’s snowing, it’s getting colder, it freezes, it doesn’t fascinate, it will brighten.

In the past tense, impersonal verbs are used in the neuter form. For example, it blew in winter.

In the neuter gender, impersonal verbs are also used in the conditional (subjunctive) mood. For example, it would be warmer, it would smell.

In the infinitive form, impersonal verbs are also not rare. For example, dark.

The second group is impersonal verbs that help convey the physical or psychological state, feeling of a person or any other living being.

• Today I don’t think, I don’t read, I don’t play.
• I also can't sit at home.
• 'Cause on such a good day
• It is easy to breathe on the street and you want to have fun.
• The cat is unwell today.
• She is feverish and shivering.
• And so she was upset.
• Where is Dr. Aibolit, I immediately thought?

From these examples, it can be seen that many impersonal verbs are formed from personal forms in the third person, singular with the help of the postfix -sya-. These are the following words: read, play, sit, breathe, have fun, be unwell. Other impersonal verbs are also used in the example: sad, thoughtful, feverish, shivering. They are easy to find in sentences by the absence of a subject.

The third group of impersonal verbs is used when it is necessary to express a desire, the possibility of action, the absence or presence of something.

• Everyone should exercise in the morning.
• You should get up early.
• It is recommended to stretch first for order.
• Want to be healthy?
• The main thing is not to be lazy.
• It is fitting for a person to work every day.
• You suddenly don’t have enough strength, you don’t have enough time.
• Enough laziness to encourage you.
• It is proper for a person to observe the daily routine.

It is easy to see that impersonal verbs of the third group are used in the rhymed lines: follows, should, recommended, want, befits, lack, lack, enough.

To consolidate the material, I would like to add a few more examples of sentences with personal and impersonal verbs. I hope this helps to better understand the topic. In Russian, there are a large number of personal verbs that can appear in an impersonal form.

Suggestion examples.

The example of these sentences shows the relationship between personal and impersonal verbs in Russian. Difficulties with their difference usually do not arise. The absence of a subject and the inability to insert it is the main feature that helps to immediately identify impersonal verbs in a sentence. In this case, the action occurs by itself, regardless of the specific person (object). I advise you to remember that impersonal verbs are used in a certain form and do not change in numbers, persons and genders and do not form participles, gerunds.

In conclusion, I would like to wish learning without cramming. Take care of it with pleasure. The Russian language is rich, beautiful and powerful. The use of impersonal verbs diversifies your speech, gives it emotionality, figurativeness, artistry.