Infinitive

Infinitive (Latin infinitum, " the indeterminate ", "The Unfinished" ) is the name for a verb form, in the number, and (usually) person can not be expressed. Infinitive, there are nevertheless in different tenses ( " have seen " ) and different diathesis ( " have been seen "). Together with the participles and the Inflektiv the infinitive is one of the infinite verb forms.

In German and many other languages ​​of the infinitive is used as the citation form of a verb; However, this is not in all languages ​​that way. A number of languages ​​have indeed no infinitive, for example, other languages ​​have an infinitive, but this is not used as a citation. In Arabic, the 3rd person singular masculine is used of the perfect and the imperfect as the basic form for the derivation of the other verb forms. Example: kataba - yaktubu ( " he wrote - he writes ").

The infinitive in English

Infinitives appear in German:

• In conjunction with infinitivregierenden verbs (examples: to remain, he seems to be asleep. . )
• In nebensatzwertigen Infinitivphrasen ( to read long texts, it is difficult. )
• In hauptsatzwertigen Infinitivphrasen ( Not out on a limb! )

Molding

The infinitive can be seen in the Germans on the ending- en ( rare: - eln, - ren of verbs which originally ended in - elen or older; except ending in-n when do originally tuen and his ):

• The witness will testify ( present infinitive active).

It is the infinitive in the tense of the perfect form:

• The witness claims to have observed the act ( infinitive perfect active ).

For both tenses can also form an infinitive in the passive:

• The perpetrator would not be discovered in the act ( present infinitive passive ).
• The witness could have been compelled to testify be ( infinitive perfect passive ).

Nebensatzwertige Infinitivphrasen

Infinitives can be formed with. If other than the infinitive and heard another word for Infinitivgruppe, one speaks of the so-called extended infinitive.

• The witness wants to testify ( present active ).
• He comes to testify.
• The witness claims to have observed the fact ( perfect active ).
• The culprit is hoping not to be discovered in the act ( present passive ).
• The witness confirmed, been compelled to testify to his ( perfect passive ).

Syntactically, this two types of infinitive can arise: the coherent structure and the nebensatzwertige incoherent design.

Hauptsatzwertige Infinitivphrasen

The free infinitive is independent of another verb, especially with decals and instructions:

• Read the package leaflet

Spelling

Infinitives are - like all verbs - usually lowercased. However, they can also be used as a noun and must be capitalized. Examples: the extinction of the dinosaurs, his laugh, in my opinion, without reputation, make a lot of talking. If the nominalization is not clearly - clearly it is, for example, by a preceding article - allows the Duden both small and capital letters; However, since the 25th edition recommends case (eg: to err is human ). In infinitives with reflexive pronoun ( themselves a favor and ) there is no substantiation, so lower case is necessary; in the substantiation of such verbs, the reflexive pronoun is omitted namely ( stir → the rain).

Clear, two -piece Infinitivkomposita be written together (examples: the driving, the otherness ). By coupling, ie Separated letters with hyphens is only with complicated composites ( the puree food ) as well as in compound words with more than two ingredients required (the in- the - day - in - life ).

The infinitive in other languages

Most infinitive are impersonal. An exception is the Portuguese language that a " personal infinitive " knows ( infinitivo pessoal ).

• Latin

• Spanish: -ar ,-er, -ir

• Portuguese: -ar ,-er, -ir

• French: -er,- dre - oir, -ir, - re

• English: Infinitivmarker with 'to' ( absent in the bare infinitive )

• Italian: -are, - ere, - ire

• Japanese: always ends in-u

• Hindi: always ends on - ना / na ˑ /

• Romanian: Infinitivmarker with 'a'

• Esperanto: always ends in-i

• Russian: always ends in - ть, ти or чь

• Turkish: always ends on - mak or - mek

• Hungarian: always up -ni

• Armenian: ends on - ալ or - ել: կարդալ (read), գրել (write)

• Finnish: Each verb forms five infinitives, each of which can be used only in certain contexts and only in certain case forms or constructions (partly in conjunction with the Possessivsufixen for the identification of that person ) may occur.