UKRAINIAN PARTICIPLES

In Ukrainian, participles (дієприкметники) are verbal forms that combine the properties of verbs and adjectives. They describe actions or states related to a noun and are categorized based on several criteria. Here’s a breakdown of the types of Ukrainian participles:


1. By Voice (За станом):

  • Active Participles (Активні дієприкметники):
    Describe a subject performing an action.
    • Example: пишучий (“writing”), говорящий (“speaking”).
    • Note: Active participles are rare in modern Ukrainian and are often replaced by relative clauses or other constructions.
  • Passive Participles (Пасивні дієприкметники):
    Describe a subject that is undergoing or has undergone an action.
    • Example: написаний (“written”), зроблений (“done”).

2. By Aspect (За видом):

  • Perfective Participles (Доконані дієприкметники):
    Related to completed actions.
    • Example: збудований (“built”), випитий (“drunk”).
  • Imperfective Participles (Недоконані дієприкметники):
    Related to ongoing or habitual actions.
    • Example: пишучий (“writing”), роблений (“being done”).

3. By Tense (За часом):

  • Present Participles (Теперішні дієприкметники):
    Indicate an action happening simultaneously with the main verb.
    • Example: співаючий (“singing”), граючий (“playing”).
  • Past Participles (Минулий дієприкметники):
    Indicate an action that occurred before the main verb.
    • Example: написаний (“written”), зроблений (“done”).

4. By Function (За функцією):

  • Attributive Participles (Атрибутивні дієприкметники):
    Used as adjectives to describe a noun.
    • Example: зруйнований будинок (“a destroyed building”).
  • Adverbial Participles (Дієприслівники):
    Although not true participles, these are related forms describing an action associated with the main verb, functioning as adverbs.
    • Example: сидячи (“while sitting”), пишучи (“while writing”).

5. By Formation (За формотворенням):

  • Synthetic Participles (Синтетичні дієприкметники):
    Formed directly from the verb root using suffixes like –учий, –ючий, –ачий, or –ячий (for active participles) or –ний, –тий (for passive participles).
    • Example: читаючий (“reading”), закритий (“closed”).
  • Analytical Participles (Аналітичні дієприкметники):
    Formed using auxiliary words and participle-like constructions. These are less common in Ukrainian.

Examples in Sentences:

  • Active: Пишучий студент зробив помилку. (“The writing student made a mistake.”)
  • Passive: Лист написаний учителем. (“The letter is written by the teacher.”)
  • Perfective: Випита вода була холодною. (“The drunk water was cold.”)
  • Imperfective: Читаючий учень заважав іншим. (“The reading student was disturbing others.”)