Adverbial Participles (Дієприслівники) in Ukrainian
Adverbial Participles / Converbs (Дієприслівники: -учи/-ючи, -ши/-вши)
Adverbial participles express secondary actions sharing the subject of the main verb: imperfective in -учи/-ючи (читаючи) and perfective in -ши/-вши (прочитавши).
The Adverbial Participle (дієприслівник) is an invariable verbal form that expresses a secondary action accompanying the main predicate verb. Crucially, the action of the adverbial participle must be performed by the same grammatical subject as the main clause.
1. *Imperfective Adverbial Participles (Недоконаний вид): - Express an action happening simultaneously with the main verb ('while doing / -ing'). - Formed from the 3rd person plural present tense stem with suffixes -учи / -ючи (1st conj.) and -ачи / -ячи (2nd conj.): читають → читаючи* (while reading) пишуть → пишучи* (while writing) говорять → говорячи* (while speaking) сидять → сидячи** (while sitting)
2. *Perfective Adverbial Participles (Доконаний вид): - Express an action completed prior to the main verb ('having done / after doing'). - Formed from the masculine past tense stem with suffix -вши (after vowels) or -ши (after consonants): прочитав → прочитавши* (having read) зробив → зробивши* (having done) приніс → принісши** (having brought)
Adverbial participle clauses (дієприслівникові звороти) are always separated by commas in punctuation.
Examples
Слухаючи приємну класичну музику, я швидко закінчив роботу.
Listening to pleasant classical music, I quickly finished the work.
Уважно перевіривши всі документи, директор підписав наказ.
Having carefully checked all documents, the director signed the order.
Повернувшись додому, ми приготували смачну вечерю для гостей.
Having returned home, we prepared a delicious dinner for the guests.
Дівчинка йшла весняним парком, весело наспівуючи пісню.
The girl was walking through the spring park, merrily humming a song.
Related terms
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