MainGrammar ConjTables Inventory Notes

Deverbal adverbs.

Deverbal adverbs, also known as gerunds, are adverbs formed from verbs. (An adverb, we remind you, is a word that answers the questions when (today), where (here), in what manner (playfully) and so forth.) The implied subject of a deverbal adverb is, normally, the subject of the entire sentence. In Онђ познакћмилась с нќм, рабћтая в ЗЂГСе ‘She met him (while) working in the Bureau of Vital Statistics’ the meaning is that she, not he, worked in the bureau.

There are two suffixes, А and В(ШИ) that form deverbal adverbs, and correspondingly, there are two kinds of adverbs: adverbs in А and adverbs in В(ШИ). Adverbs in А are also called present adverbs, and adverbs in В(ШИ) past adverbs. Usually, any given verb has only one adverb; which suffix to add, А or В(ШИ) depends in most cases on whether the verb is Perfective or Imperfective.

Deverbal adverbs from Imperfective verbs.

All deverbal adverbs from Imperfective verbs are adverbs in А (present adverbs). To form the deverbal adverb from an Imperfective verb add А to the stem and use the rule of likes and unlikes: if the stem ends in a vowel, this vowel drops out before А. If the consonant before the vowel changes in all the non-past forms, it changes in the deverbal adverb also; otherwise it is soft if it can be. As far as spelling is concerned, the deverbal adverb from an Imperfective verb always ends in -я, except after the letters ж, ш, ч, and щ.

Infinitive

3p Plural Non-past

Stem

Deverbal adverb

 

читђть

читђют

ЧИТ-АЙ + А

читђя

(while) reading

краснљть

краснљют

КРАСН-ЕЙ + А

краснљя

blushing

рисовђть

рисџют

РИС-УЙ + А

рисџя

(while) painting

плђкать

плђгут

ПЛАК-А + А

плђча

crying

вертљть

вљртят

ВЕРТ-Е + А

вертї

twisting

нестќ

несџт

НЕС + А

несї

(while) carrying

кричђть

кричђт

КРИЧ-А + А

кричђ

yelling

жќть

живџт

ЖИВ + А

живї

living

Deverbal adverbs of the да-вай-, -ста-вай-, -зна-вай verbs keep the -ва- part that is dropped in the non-past forms:

давђть

даєт

ДА-ВАЙ + А

давђя

(while) giving

вставђть

встаєт

В-СТА-ВАЙ + А

вставђя

(while) getting up

признавђться

признаєтся

ПРИ-ЗНА-ВАЙ + А

признавђясь

admitting

Some groups of stems do not have deverbal adverbs from Imperfective verbs. These groups are:

ждђть

ждџт

ЖД-А

——

 

брђть

берџт

БР-А

берї

(while) taking

звђть

зовџт

ЗВ-А

зовї

(while) calling

The position of stress in the deverbal adverb in -А depends on the stress pattern of the verb in the non-past. If the verb has constant stem stress (S stress), then it will be stressed on the stem in the deverbal adverb also; otherwise (E or M stress), the adverb will be stressed on its suffix -А:

читђть

читђю

читђют

(S stress)

читђя

(while) reading

кричђть

кричџ

кричќшь

(E stress)

кричђ

(while) shouting

любќть

люблє

лєбишь

(M stress)

любї

(while) loving

Deverbal adverbs from Perfective verbs.

Most deverbal adverbs from Perfective verbs are adverbs in В(ШИ) (past adverbs). For the vast majority of verbs the rule for forming this adverb is very simple: take the infinitive and replace -ть with -в:

Infinitive

Deverbal adverb

подписђть

подписђв

after signing, having signed

прочитђть

прочитђв

after reading, having read

простќть

простќв

after forgiving, having forgiven

If the verb is a -ся verb, then -вши-, rather than just -в, is required:

подписђться

подписђвшись

after signing, having signed

простќться

простќвшись

after saying good-bye

Problems arise with those stems that do not end in л in the masculine singular past: obstruent stems in Б, З, С, Г, К, stems in Р, and stems in (НУ). These stems used to form deverbal adverbs in -ши:

Infinitive

 Masculine Sg. Past     

 

 

залљзть

залљз

залљз-ши

after climbing 

спастќ

спђс

спђс-ши

after saving 

спастќть

спђсся

спђс-шись

after being saved

помћчь

помћг

помћг-ши

after helping

обжљчь

обжёг

обжёг-ши

after burning

обжљчься

обжёгся

обжёг-шись

after getting burned 

испљчь

испёк

испёк-ши

after baking 

втерљть

втёр

втёр-ши

after rubbing in 

пронќкнуть

пронќк

пронќк-ши

after penetrating

These forms, common in 19th century literature, are now obsolete, except for the adverbs from -ся verbs, which are still common. For verbs without -ся the picture is fluid and complicated. Verbs in (НУ) and verbs in Р increasingly form their past adverbs according to the general rule:

вІтереть

вІтерев

after wiping, having wiped

пронќкнуть

пронќкнув

after penetrating, having penetrated

Stems in Г, К practically do not have adverbs formed from Perfective verbs.

Some Perfective verbs in Б, З, С form them in the same way adverbs from Imperfective verbs are formed:

привезтќ

привез-џт

привезї

(after) bringing, having brought (by vehicle)

принестќ

принес-џт

принесї

(after) bringing, having brought (on foot,carrying)

Some Perfective verbs in Д, Т, especially verbs of motion, also form adverbs in -А; some of them have parallel forms:

привестќ

привед-џт

приведї

(after) bringing, having brought (on foot, leading

заплестќ

заплет-џт

заплетї

after braiding, having braided

укрђсть

украд-џт

украдї

(after) stealing, having stolen

   

or  укрђв

 

In other groups also there are isolated Perfective verbs having parallel forms of the adverb: in -А and in -В(ШИ):

забрђть, -берџт

забрђв

or

заберї

having taken

увќдеть

увќдев

or

увќдя

having seen

простќть

простќв

or

простї

having forgiven

простќться

простќвшись

or

простїсь

having said farewell

женќться

женќвшись

or

женїсь

having married

The position of stress in the В(ШИ) deverbal adverb is almost always the same as in masculine singular past tense form (see section on stress). The only exceptions are those non-suffixed verbs with prefixes in which the stress shifts to the prefix in the past tense: the В(ШИ) adverb of such verbs is stressed on the root:

 

прочитђть

прочитђл

прочитђв

BUT:

начђть

нђчал

начђв

 

принїть

прќнял

принїв