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WORD FORMATION OF PERFECT AND IMPERFECT VERBS

2 min read · 447 words

 

WORD FORMATION OF PERFECT AND IMPERFECT VERBS

In aspectual pairs of verbs, if the imperfective and perfective verbs share a common root, one verb is formed, "produced," or "motivated" from the other. Accordingly, one verb is called "producing" (verb-proizvodit) or "motivating" (verb-motivirovat), and the other is "derived" (verb-proizvodijen) or "motivated" (verb-moivirovan).

If the motivating verb is imperfective, the perfective verb is formed in one of two ways:

  1. By adding a prefix to the motivating verb

To cook

varitj - svaritj 

To do / to make

djelatj - sdjelatj 

To eat

kušatj - skušatj 

To wash

mǐtj - pomǐtj 

To write

pisatj - napisatj 

To draw / to paint

risovatj - narisovatj 

To put

stavitj - postavitj 

To build

stroitj - stroitj 

To read

čitatj - pročitatj 

To learn

učitj – naučitj


  1. Replacing the suffix "-a-" with the suffix "-nu-"

To wave

mahatj - mahnutj 

To jump

prǐgatj - prǐgnutj 

To perish

pogibatj - pogibnutj 

To get used 

privǐkatj - privľknutj 


kričatj - kričnutj (to scream)
The imperfective verb "kričatj" was borrowed from Russian. From it, the perfective verb "kričnutj" (pronounced "kritʂnutʲ") was formed.
The noun "krik" was also borrowed from Russian. From it, the adverb "kriklivo" and the adjective "kriklivǐj" were formed. However, verbs cannot be formed from nouns in LPQR, so it is impossible to form the word "kriknutj"


If the motivating verb is a perfective verb, the imperfective verb is formed by changing or adding a suffix. Two methods are used for this.

The suffixes “-i-” and “-ǐ-” are replaced with the suffixes “-ja-” or “-a-”


rješǐtj - rješatj

To decide

ob’jasnitj - ob’jasnjatj

To explain

brositj - brosatj

To throw

lišǐtj - lišatj

To deprive

končitj - končatj

to finish

Izložǐtj - izložatj

to set out

prjedložǐtj - prjedložatj

to offer

 

 

prjedpoložǐtj - prjedpoloźatj

to assume

 

 

vložǐtj - vložatj

to invest

 

 

priložǐtj - priložatj

to attach

 

 

doložitj - doložatj

to report

 

 


The imperfective verb is formed using the suffixes “-va-,” “-iva-,” “-ǐva-”


datj - davatj

to give

nadjetj - nadjevatj

to put on

uznatj - uznavatj

to know

pjerjepisatj - pjerjepisǐvatj

to rewrite

 



The imperfective verb “pisatj” (to write) was borrowed from Russian. From this verb, using the prefix "na-," we form its paired verb "NApisatj," which indicates the result of the action "pisatj."

Using other prefixes, we form other perfective verbs—IZpisatj (to fill with writing), Opisatj  (to describe), PJERJEpisatj (to copy), PODpisatj (to sign), PRIpisatj  (to attribute), VǏpisatj (to copy out / to write out), ZApisatj (to write down)—which have additional meanings but also indicate the presence of a result.

If we replace the suffix "-a-" in these verbs with "-ǐva-," we again obtain imperfective verbs that do not indicate the result but describe the actions themselves:

izpisǏVAtj, opisǏVAtj, pjerjepisǏVAtj, pripisǏVAtj, vǐpisǏVAtj, zapisǏVAtj