What is the infinitive in Russian? Its functions and morphological features

With the question of what is an infinitive in Russian, children first encounter in an elementary school, a more detailed study begins in the fifth grade. Usually mastering the material on this topic is easy, but some aspects can be difficult even for an adult. What kind? Consider this article.

What is the infinitive in Russian?

The infinitive is an indefinite or, as it is called in another way, the initial form of the verb. It has the meaning of an action, but it does not specify it, that is, it does not have the features of a person, time, number and inclination.

The question of the indefinite form of the verb in modern Russian remained for a long time controversial in the circles of domestic linguists. The classical point of view contrasts the view that the infinitive is a special part of speech. However, the overwhelming majority of scientists tend to believe that this is the basic form of the verb.

In the role of the formal index of the infinitive are the formative suffixes "ti" and "ti". Some tutorials treat them as inflexions. The suffix "Th" is productive, with its help all new verbs in Russian are formed.

In a small group of words, the infinitive is considered to be "ch" (lie down, help, guard, cut), which is part of the root and stored in derived forms.

Morphological signs

To understand what an infinitive is in Russian is not difficult. Much more difficulty arises in determining the partial signs of the initial form of the verb.

To correctly perform the morphological analysis of the infinitive, it must be remembered that this is an immutable word. So, it does not have non-permanent features, which are characteristic for verbal forms: number, gender, person, time, inclination.

From the constant characteristics of the infinitive, you can identify the following categories: type, conjugation, recurrence and transitivity.

How to determine the type and repayment?

The form of the verb in an indefinite form can be perfect or imperfect. In the first case, the infinitive gives an answer to the question: "What to do?" (Sing, dance, read, dig, hang), in the second - "What to do?" (Go, draw, consider, sing, wash).

Recurrence is a constant sign that indicates that the action is directed at its performer. The formal indicator is the postfix "Xia". If it is present in the word - infinitive return (swim, worry, laugh), if not - irrecoverable (grind, believe, do).

Determine the conjugation

Infinitive can refer to I or II conjugation, be disjointed or included in the composition of exceptions.

Verbs I conjugations in the initial form can end in "yat", "et", "ut", "et", "ot", "yut". II conjugation - only on "it". When the infinitive is changed by face and number, words of the first type have endings: -y (-yu), -yesh, -et, -em, -et, -out (-yut). The second type: -y (-yu), -you, -it, -im, -it, -at (-yat).

The conjugation of the infinitive of the verb in Russian is defined according to the standard plan, observance of which will avoid mistakes:

1. First you need to put stress in the word.
2. If the vowel in front of the formal infinitive is in a strong position, conjugation is established over it.
3. When she is in an unstressed position, the word is changed by faces and numbers and looks at which letter is in the ending.

To the indefinite form of a disjointed type include words such as "want" and "escape." When you change the faces and numbers, you can observe the endings of both types.

The verbs "give" and "eat" are conjugated in a special way. They are called isolated because the first person of the singular number has endings that are not characteristic of other words.

Transitivity

The transitivity of the infinitive is determined by the ability of a word to be combined with a direct complement, which can be represented by a noun or pronoun:

1. In the accusative case without a preposition.
2. In the genitive case, if there is an indication of a part of the whole or is used together with a negative particle "not."

Functions of the infinitive in Russian

The basis of the infinitive serves as a basis for the formation of new words: verbs and the participle of the past tense, the verbal participles of the perfect species. But this is not the only function.

In the Russian language in the sentence, the infinitive can be any member:

1. The predicate ("It is best to say this at once").
2. Subjects ("Finding out what is the meaning of life is the main goal for many philosophers").
3. Supplement ("The king ordered to bring a guest to his").
4. Circumstance ("Here come to seek a better life from different cities").
5. An inconsistent definition ("He was often visited by the same idea - to quit a boring job").

We answered the question: "What is the infinitive in Russian?". And also examined the difficulties that may arise in the study of this topic. Now you can easily find the vague form of the verb in the sentence, and then establish what morphological features it has. This knowledge will help not only to correctly use the infinitive, but also not to make mistakes in the subsequent word formation.