Introduction
Converbs are non-finite verb forms that are mainly used in adverbial subordination. In addition to the converb, Iridian also distinguishes between three other non-finite verb forms: the gerund, the supine, and generic nominal formed by the suffix -ou. Typically, the converb modifies another verb, called the main verb, together forming a complex predicate describing a single action or event. The converb always precedes the main verb.
There are two converb forms in Iridian, with the distinction being based on aspect: the imperfective -ěc and the perfective -u. Both converb forms, however, are not marked for voice/focus, as they are non-finite, and therefore the suffix will directly attach to the verb root.
Specific converbial constructions
Temporal constructions
A converbial construction is often used in temporal clauses, with the imperfective converbial form used when the action is unfinished or continuing and the perfective otherwise. When used in a temporal clause, the converb may sometimes be separated from the main clause by the particle si.
Otvěc
be:young-cv.ipf
si
when
na
loc
Varšave
Warsaw-acc
možlašaní.
live-av-ret
‘When I was young, we used to live in Warsaw.’
Causal clauses
Clauses expressing reason are usually expressed by a converbial construction. The antecedent and the main clause may be connected with am, ‘because,’ although this is often dropped in casual speech.
Negative converbial forms
Negating the impefective converbial form has a privative meaning, and can be normally translated as a negative adverbial clause (‘without verb-ing’). Similarly, the negative form of the perfective converb indicates that the action described by the main verb is occuring before the action described by the converb is done or has happened or while it is not done or has not happened.
Gnaža
school-acc
zázdalěc
neg-go-cv.ipf
stožek,
go-av-pf
‘He went to school without eating breakfast.’
Similarity with the Czech and Slovak transgressive
Converbs in Iridian have parallel usage as the transgressive conjugations in Czech and Slovak. It is the consensus among scholars of the languages, though, that the converbial forms in Iridian and the transgressive forms in Czech and Slovak, developed independently of each other; although to what extent one influenced the other is still the subject of debate. The converbial forms in Iridian have more varied uses than the transgressives in Czech (Slovak having kept only the present transgressive form), and whereas the latter forms have largely fallen in disuse (relegated to the literary register) in both Czech and Slovak, converbial forms are still widely used in Iridian.
Although Czech grammarians use the terms ‘past’ and ‘present’ to distinguish between the two forms used in the language, the distinction is actually one of aspect, as in Iridian. In general, the past transgressive form corresponds with the perfect converbial form, and may be used to indicate a foregoing action; the present transgressive, on the other hand, corresponds to the imperfect converb and is used to indicate a coincident/contemporaneous action.
This correspondence is not complete, however. For example, consider this sentence in Czech: Děti, vidouce babičku, vyběhly ven, ‘The children, seeing their grandmother, ran outside.’ The verb in the transgressive clause is in the present tense in this case, while in Iridian, the same sentence will be translated with the perfective as follows:
Šášlika
grandmother-dim-pat
vedu
see-cv.pf
byl
child
naladěc
run-cv.ipf
mnilžek..
go:out-av-pf
‘The children, having seen their grandmother, ran outside.’
The Czech sentence above can alternatively be translated using the imperfective converbial form, but this would put a stronger emphasis on the two actions happening at the same time and so the original construction can be considered as the more idiomatic one.