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Participles & converbs

Participles & Converbs

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: May 26, 2026

This section is part of our living public grammar of Avar and is regularly updated to reflect the latest linguistic research, database enhancements, and morphological analyses.

Non-finite verb forms in Avar—participles, converbs (adverbial participles), masdars (verbal nouns), and infinitives—play a central role in syntax. Since Avar possesses very few true conjunctions, complex sentences and subordinate clauses are almost entirely constructed using these non-finite verbal forms.

1. Participles (Причастия)

Participles in Avar combine the properties of verbs (tense, transitivity, polarity) with the properties of adjectives. When modifying a noun, they answer the adjectival question кинаб? (what kind?) and remain case-invariant, agreeing only in noun class and number.

1.1 Formation Rules

Participles are formed by modifying the stem of the corresponding finite tense and attaching a grammatical class marker (-в, -й, -б, -л).

Past Participle
  • Positive: Past simple stem + -ра- + class marker.
    • батана (found) → батара-б (found [III])
    • бухӀана (burned) → бухӀара-б (burned [III])
  • Negative: Past negative stem (-чӀо) + vowel alternation (о → е) + class marker.
    • гьабичӀо (didn't do) → гьабичӀе-в (not done / who didn't do [I])
    • цӀаличӀо (didn't read) → цӀаличӀе-б (unread [III])
Present / General Participle
  • Positive: Constative (General Present) stem + vowel alternation (а → е) + class marker.
    • бихьула (sees) → бихьуле-б (seeing / visible [III])
    • ккола (holds) → кколе-в (holding [I])
  • Negative: Negative Constative (-ро) + vowel alternation (о → е) + class marker.
    • букӀунаро (isn't) → букӀунаре-б (non-existent [III])
Future Participle
  • Positive: Future stem + vowel alternation (а → е) + class marker.
    • гьабила (will do) → гьабиле-б (that will be done [III])
  • Negative: Negative Future (-ларо / -инаро) + vowel alternation (о → е) + class marker.
    • босиларо (won't take) → босиларе-б (that won't be taken [III])
Negative Participle Formation (Detailed)

Negative participles consistently follow the pattern of modifying the negative verb stem with a vowel alternation (о → е) before attaching the class marker.

1. Past Negative: [Stem]-чӀо → [Stem]-чӀе-[class marker]

  • гьабичӀо (didn't do) → гьабичӀе-в (I), гьабичӀе-й (II), гьабичӀе-б (III), гьабичӀе-л (Pl).
  • вачӀинчӀо (didn't come) → вачӀинчӀе-в (I), вачӀинчӀе-й (II), вачӀинчӀе-б (III), вачӀинчӀе-л (Pl).

2. Present / General Negative: [Stem]-ларо/-унаро → [Stem]-ларе-/-унаре- + [class marker]

  • букӀунаро (non-existent) → букӀунаре-в (I), букӀунаре-й (II), букӀунаре-б (III), букӀунаре-л (Pl).
  • цӀалуларо (not reading) → цӀалуларе-в (I), цӀалуларе-й (II), цӀалуларе-б (III), цӀалуларе-л (Pl).

3. Future Negative: [Stem]-иларо/-инаро → [Stem]-иларе-/-инаре- + [class marker]

  • босиларо (won't take) → босиларе-в (I), босиларе-й (II), босиларе-б (III), босиларе-л (Pl).

[!NOTE] Present/General and Future participles often coincide in form. Meaning is determined purely by temporal context (Дос метер хъвалеб "He will write tomorrow" vs. Дос кидаго хъвалеб "He always writes").

1.2 The 16-Cell Recursive Agreement Matrix

Avar participles exhibit two completely distinct agreement systems based on the verb's transitivity:

Synchronized Agreement (Intransitive Verbs)

For intransitive verbs, the participle simply agrees with the head noun (the subject) using its suffix.

  • вачӀарав вас (the boy [I] who came)
  • ячӀарай яс (the girl [II] who came)
Recursive Double Agreement (Transitive Verbs)

For class-mutating transitive verbs, the participle carries two independent class markers:

  1. Prefix (Internal Agreement): Agrees with the syntactic Object (Absolutive argument).
  2. Suffix (External Agreement): Agrees with the Head Noun being modified.

This dual-axis system creates a highly specific 16-form agreement matrix for a single participle form:

Object (Internal) \ Head (External) Class I Head (-в) Class II Head (-й) Class III Head (-б) Plural Head (-л)
Class I Object (в-) вокьулев вокьулей вокьулеб вокьулел
Class II Object (й-) йокьулев йокьулей йокьулеб йокьулел
Class III Object (б-) бокьулев бокьулей бокьулеб бокьулел
Plural Object (р-) рокьулев рокьулей рокьулеб рокьулел

Example: Дуе рокьулев вас — "The boy [Class I Head, suffix -в] who loves them [Plural Object, prefix -р]."

1.3 Substantivization and Declension

When a participle functions independently without a head noun (substantivization), it assumes the full syntactic role of a noun and undergoes complete morphological declension across all grammatical and spatial cases.

Full Declension Paradigm: цӀаларав (the one who read)

Case Class I (Male) Class II (Female) Class III (Neut) Plural
Absolutive цӀаларав цӀаларай цӀалараб цӀаларал
Ergative цӀаларас цӀаларалъ цӀалараз** цӀалараз
Genitive цӀаларасул цӀаларалъул цӀаларазул** цӀаларазул
Dative цӀаларасе цӀаларалъе цӀаларазе** цӀаларазе
Locative I цӀаларасда цӀаларалда цӀаларазда** цӀаларазда
Locative II цӀаларасухъ цӀаларалъухъ цӀаларазухъ** цӀаларазухъ
Locative III цӀаларасулъ цӀаларалъулъ цӀаларазулъ** цӀаларазулъ
Locative IV цӀаларасукь цӀаларалъукь цӀаларазукь** цӀаларазукь

Note: Class III often follows the Plural pattern (with -з-) in oblique cases for substantivized adjectives and participles, differentiating it from standard noun declension patterns.

1.4 Syntactic Functions & Adjectivization

Participles operate in specific syntactic roles:

1. Attributive Function: Participles precede the noun they modify.

  • ЦӀаличӀеб тӀехь столалда лъикӀав буго. ("The unread book is good on the table.")

2. Predicative Function: When an interrogative pronoun (e.g., щиб "what") acts as the subject/object, or when focusing the verb with the particle -ищ, the predicate often uses a participle instead of a finite verb.

  • Чан тӀехь мунца цӀаличӀеб? ("How many books [are there that] you haven't read?")
  • ГӀазу балебищ бугеб? ("Is it snowing?" — Focus on the continuous participle балеб).

3. Adjectivization (Адъективация): When a participle completely loses its verbal properties (such as tense or transitivity) and its dependent words, it transitions into a true adjective, denoting a permanent property.

  • Инсуца ясалъе букъарулеб машина босана. ("Father bought a sewing [lit. sewing-process] machine for his daughter.") — Adjectivized.
  • Дир машина лъикӀ букъарулеб. ("My machine sews well.") — Verbal / Participle function.
2. Converbs / Adverbial Participles (Деепричастия)

Converbs (adverbial participles) are non-finite verbs that function as secondary predicates or adverbial modifiers. In Avar, they are the primary mechanism for clause linkage and subordination, acting where English would use conjunctions like "when", "while", "after", or "because".

[!IMPORTANT] Unlike true adverbs, Avar converbs retain strict verbal valency. A transitive converb will still demand an Ergative subject and an Absolutive object, maintaining its own internal argument structure while subordinating to the main clause.

2.1 Converbal Forms
  1. Past Converb (-ун / -ан): Indicates an action completed before the main verb's action (Sequential).
    • Рекъаралъуб гьоцӀоги цӀун, гьеб бакӀалде тӀинкӀана нах.
    • "Having gathered (цӀун) honey in the field, she dripped oil onto that place."
  2. Present Converb (-аго / -ухъе): Indicates an action occurring simultaneously with the main verb's action.
    • Рокъове вачӀунаго, гьесие нухда гьудул гьатӀана.
    • "While walking (вачӀунаго) home, he met a friend on the road."
  3. Negative Converbs (-чӀого / -арого): Indicates an action not occurring.
    • МахӀач, кӀалъачӀого, гьим-гьимун вукӀана.
    • "Makhach, without speaking (кӀалъачӀого), was smiling."
2.2 Syntactic Functions of Converbs

Converbs primarily fulfill two syntactic roles:

1. Subordinate Clause Predicate (Clause Linkage): Avar strictly prefers "chaining" clauses using converbs rather than coordinating them with "and". The converb acts as the predicate of the subordinate clause.

  • English: "He got up, washed his face, and ate breakfast."
  • Avar Structure: "[He having got up], [face having washed], he ate breakfast."
  • Avar: Гьав вахъун, гьумерги чурун, гьес маргьал куна.

2. Manner of Action (Образ Действия): They can modify the main verb, describing how an action is performed, positioned directly before the main verb.

  • Юсуп гьимулаго нижеда аскӀове вачӀана. ("Yusuf came up to us smiling.")

3. Distinction from Adverbs: While functioning similarly to adverbs, converbs are strictly distinguished by their retention of verbal categories (Tense and Polarity).

  • Converb: ЦӀаличӀого (кин?) жо лъалищха? ("Not having read [Past Negative], will you know anything?") — Can be conjugated for tense/polarity.
  • Adverb: Пашманго (кин?) вачӀана дов рокъове. ("He came home sadly.") — Invariable; cannot be negated or inflected for tense.
3. Masdars and Infinitives
3.1 Masdars (Verbal Nouns)

The Masdar is the true verbal noun. It is formed by replacing the infinitive endings (-ине, -изе, -езе, -азе) with nominalizing suffixes (-ин, -и, -ей, -ай).

  • цӀализе (to read) → цӀали (the process of reading)
  • боржине (to fly) → боржин (the flight)

Unlike participles, Masdars denote the abstract action itself. They decline fully as nouns and can govern arguments, forming complex nominalized clauses (e.g., "The flying of the bird").

3.2 Infinitives

The Infinitive is the dictionary citation form (цӀализе "to read"). Syntactically, it is used to express intent, purpose, or obligation, often functioning as the complement to modal verbs (бокьизе "to want", ккезе "to have to").

  • Дие цӀализе бокьун буго. — "I want to read." (Lit: To me, to-read wanting is).
  • Мун гьанив вукӀине ккола. — "You must be here."