en_uag/content/verb.rst

:github_url: https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_uag/src/branch/master/content/verb.rst
.. _verb:
Verb
====
Summary
-------
A verb is the grammatical entity that describes the subject of a
sentence. A verb can describe either an action that the subject performs
or the state (or condition) of the subject.

Article
-------
A verb is a word in a sentence that describes either an action by the
subject of a sentence, or the subject itself. Therefore, the verb is
often the most important word in understanding a sentence or a clause.

Form
----
In Biblical Aramaic, the root of a verb consists of three consonants,
sometimes called the tri-literal (meaning "three letters") root. In
"strong" verbs, the three root consonants always stay the same and are
easy to recognize, but "weak" verbs have one or more consonants that
disappear in certain forms.

Verbs in Biblical Aramaic change form according to both conjugation
(:ref:`Perfect<verb_perfect>`,
:ref:`Imperfect<verb_imperfect>`,
:ref:`Infinitive Absolute<infinitive_absolute>`,
etc.) and stem formation
(:ref:`Pe'al<stem_peal>`,
:ref:`Haphel<stem_haphel>`,
etc.). Generally speaking, changes in verb forms happen by adding
prefixes/suffixes, by changing the vowels, or both. These changes in
form show the
:ref:`stem formation<stem>`
of a verb with its conjugation, which includes the person
(:ref:`first<person_first>`, :ref:`second<person_second>`,
or
:ref:`third<person_third>`),
the gender
(:ref:`masculine<gender_masculine>`
or
:ref:`feminine<gender_feminine>`),
the number
(:ref:`singular<number_singular>`
or
:ref:`plural<number_plural>`),
and sometimes the state
(:ref:`absolute<state_absolute>`
or
:ref:`construct<state_construct>`).
The person, gender, and number of a verb always agree with the subject.

Unlike English (but similar to other languages like Spanish), verbs in
Biblical Aramaic do not require a separate :ref:`personal pronoun<pronoun_personal>`
if the subject is not identified; this is because the form of the verb
itself includes the subject. A :ref:`pronominal suffix<suffix_pronominal>`
attached to a verb can function as its object.

.. _verb-finite:
Finite verbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finite verbs are verbs that have a subject and do not require any verbal
complement to form a complete sentence. Their form shows tense as well as person and number. 
Biblical Aramaic has 3 primary finite verb forms: :ref:`Perfect<verb_perfect>`, :ref:`Imperfect<verb_imperfect>`, and 
:ref:`Imperative<verb_imperative>`.

.. _verb-non-finite:
Non-finite verbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Properly speaking, non-finite verbs are verbal complements that require
a finite verb to form a complete sentence. The non-finite verb forms in Biblical Aramaic include
the :ref:`infinitive` and the participles (both
:ref:`active <participle_active>` and :ref:`passive <participle_passive>`).
Non-finite verbs can sometimes describe an action or an event in such a
way that the word functions like a :ref:`noun <noun>`.

.. note:: In Biblical Aramaic, the non-finite verb forms are sometimes used
          as finite verbs, and the imperfect form is sometimes used as a non-finite verb.

Types
-----
Grammarians often distinguish between different types of verbs. When
considering the best way to translate a sentence, it is helpful to
understand what kind of verb is being used in any given instance.

.. _verb-dynamic:
Dynamic (or action) verbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dynamic verbs describe a subject performing an action. The subject is
*doing* something.



.. _verb-stative:
Stative (or non-action) verbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rather than describing a specific action, stative verbs describe the
subject's state of being (the way the subject is). The subject is *not*
doing anything.



.. _verb-transitive:
Transitive verbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A transitive verb is a dynamic verb that requires an object that
receives the verbal action. A sentence with a transitive verb is not
complete without the object. Stative verbs are never transitive.

The phrase "And they lifted up" is unclear without an object.
They lifted up...\ *what?*, for example:



The phrase "[you must] keep" is unclear without an object.
You must keep...\ *what?*, for example:



.. _verb-intransitive:
Intransitive verbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An intransitive verb is a verb that does NOT require an object to
receive the verbal action. A sentence with an intransitive verb is
complete without an object. Dynamic verbs can be either transitive or
intransitive, but stative verbs are always intransitive.

.. _verb-linking-verbs:
Linking verbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Linking verbs are verbs that link two
:ref:`noun<noun>`,
or a noun and an
:ref:`adjective<adjective>`.
Aramaic has very few linking verbs, so often a linking verb has to be
supplied in English.



.. _verb-helping-verb:
Helping verbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helping verbs are extra verbs that "help" express the meaning of the main verb.  Biblical Aramaic does not use helping verbs,
but English does. Often, it is necessary to supply a helping verb in English to express the meaning of a Aramaic verb.

helping verbs in questions and negations
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The following example in English adds the helping verb "have"
(not present in the Aramaic text):



The following example in English adds the helping verb "did"
(not present in the Aramaic text):



helping verbs to express possibility or desirability
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
English uses helping verbs to express varying degrees of possiblity or
desirability of verbs. This includes a vast range from strong
possibility (*He **can** do this* or *He **would** do this*) to weak
possibility (*He **might** do this* or *He **could** do this*) or from
strong desirability (*He **should** do this* or ***Let** him do this*)
to weak desirability (***May** he do this* or *He **wants** to do
this*). In Biblical Aramaic, this sense of possibility or desirability is
implied by the context and already present in the form of the verb
itself.

The following examples in English add the helping verb "may"
(not present in the Aramaic text):