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WORD GRAMMAR
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Verb
- Conjugation in indicative
- Person and number
- Tenses
- Voice
- Mood
- Verb categories
- Valency
- Semantic categories of verbs
- Finite / non-finite verb forms
- Noun
- Adjective
- Adverb
- Article
- Pronoun
- Preposition
- Conjunction
- Particle
- Interjection
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Verb
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SENTENCE GRAMMAR
- Clause types
- Complex clauses
- Constituents of a sentence
- Sentence structure
- Word order in a sentence
- Negation
Semantic categories and verbal aspects
CA122
Verbs can be classified into various semantic categories according to the meaning they express, i.e. a action, a state or a process undergone by the subject.
1. Verbs that express action/activity
Verbs of this category express an action performed by the subject.
| Examples |
| singen, arbeiten, schlagen, essen, anrufen, spielen, erschießen, zerstören, bauen, helfen, lesen, gehen, schreiben, lachen etc. |
2. Verbs that express an action performed by the subject
Verbs of this category express a change in the subject; they also express a process that the subject undergoes.
| Examples |
| einschlafen, verhungern, sterben, erfrieren, wachsen, fallen, erfrieren, aufwachen etc. |
3. Verbs that express state
Verbs of this category express a state. The subject undergoes no change.
| Examples |
| leben, sein, wohnen, liegen, sich befinden, schlafen etc. |
CA122A
Aspects of verbs
Verbal aspects differentiate the meaning of the action, process or state described by the verb according to its temporal and semantic progress.
They fall into the following categories:
1. Imperfective (Durativ) verbs denote an event that is not limited in time.
| Examples |
| arbeiten, schlafen, sehen, laufen, essen, wandern etc. |
Imperfective (Durativ) verbs also include
| Examples | |
| verbs that express repetition of an action/event (frequentativ) | streicheln, plätschern, flattern etc. |
| verbs that increase the intensity of an action/event (intensiv) | brüllen, saufen etc. |
| verbs that decrease the intensity of an action/event (diminutiv) | lächeln, hüsteln etc. |
2. Perfective (Perfektiv) verbs denote an event that is limited in time.
| Examples |
| einschlafen, beginnen, aufhören, weggehen, abfliegen etc. |
Perfective verbs also include
| Examples | |
| verbs that express the beginning of an event/action (ingressiv) | losfahren, einschlafen, weggehen etc. |
| verbs that express the end of an event/action (egressiv) | finden, verblühen, platzen etc. |
| verbs that express a gradual transition from one state to another (mutativ) | reifen, altern, rosten etc. |
| verbs that express transition to a new state (kausativ) | sprengen, öffnen, beugen etc. |