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 infinitive verbs in detail.
Infinitive
Not everyone knows what an infinitive is. This is a verb in its initial form. It represents the verb in dictionaries. For example, in the explanatory dictionary there is no verb you meet, 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?: meeting - 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 contains such morphemes.
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 features of the verb
When performing a morphological analysis of a verb, it is required to identify its features. Permanent signs are indicated by the indefinite form of the verb.
View is a part-of-word category that reflects the relation of an action to its internal limit: completed/happening. Infinitive verbs answering the question what to do? have a perfect look: say, cook, leave. Verbs in the initial form, answering the question what to do? have an imperfect appearance: speak, 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.
The conjugation of a verb is traditionally determined by the initial form. The 2nd conjugation includes those that end in -it (with the exception of shave, lay, build), and verbs keep, drive, see, watch, hear, breathe, hate, endure, offend, twirl, depend; to the first - all other verbs. Not all verbs can be conjugateddetermine by infinitive. A class of heterogeneous verbs is distinguished, which, when changed, combine the endings of 1 and 2 conjugations. These are 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; to be surprised, to call, to 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. Irrevocable - those that do not have this affix.
Question about the morpheme -th
Indicators of the initial form of the verb - morphemes -т, -т, -ч - 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.
Non-personal 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 not connected withcategory 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. The infinitive is, in other words, a verb in its initial form.
In Russian grammar, other non-personal forms are also distinguished - this is participle and participle. They, like the infinitive, do not change in faces. The gerund is such an invariable form of the verb that combines the features of the adverb and the verb and answers the question what did you do? doing what?: reading, publishing, pointing, humming. The participle is 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 one? 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 end 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 is included in the compound verb predicate, following the auxiliary verb: The family wanted to stay here for a month. Lena started working immediately after her appointment. He stopped joking after receivingremarks.
Minor members of a sentence can also be expressed in the indefinite form of the verb. So, the infinitive plays the role of an addition in sentences: The captain ordered 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. 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 from all over the city come to her to study.
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 hemp - I’ll 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 … balance", "the habit of grinning in this way … slightly pulled the lower part of his … face to the side", "you could ask not to sprinkle it with crushed peanuts" (Iskander F. A."Summer Day").
