Adverbial Participle Clauses
Вървейки по улицата, срещнах приятел. (Walking along the street, I met a friend.) The -йки phrase and the main verb must have the same subject.
How It Works
1. The shape. The participle keeps the complements of its verb: вървейки по улицата, слушайки музика, знаейки колко е зает. The phrase can come before, after or inside the main clause.
- Вървейки по улицата, срещнах стар приятел. (Walking along the street, I met an old friend.)
- Той четеше, слушайки музика. (He was reading while listening to music.)
2. Same subject. The participle has no subject of its own; it borrows the subject of the main clause. Иван срещна Петър, отивайки на училище means that Ivan, not Petar, was going to school. So the main clause must have a subject who does both actions. Вървейки по улицата, започна да вали is wrong: the rain was not walking.
3. Time, manner or reason. Besides simultaneous action, the phrase can give the reason: Знаейки колко е зает, не му се обадих. (Knowing how busy he is, I didn't call him.) Имайки предвид времето, отложихме екскурзията. (Given the weather, we postponed the trip.)
4. Only imperfective verbs. Bulgarian forms these participles only from imperfective verbs. There is четейки but no прочетейки. For an action completed before the main one, use a clause: След като прочете писмото, ...
5. Negation and commas. Не is written separately: не знаейки (not knowing). The phrase is always set off by commas, even when it is a single word: Мария, пеейки, готвеше вечеря. Compare commas around detached phrases.
Examples (6)
- Вървейки по улицата, срещнах стар приятел.
Walking along the street, I met an old friend.
I both walked and met the friend.
- Той четеше, слушайки музика.
He was reading while listening to music.
- Знаейки колко е зает, не му се обадих.
Knowing how busy he is, I didn't call him.
The phrase gives the reason.
- Имайки предвид времето, отложихме екскурзията.
Given the weather, we postponed the trip.
- Не знаейки пътя, ние се изгубихме.
Not knowing the way, we got lost.
Не is written separately from the participle.
- Децата тичаха към морето, смеейки се.
The children ran toward the sea, laughing.
Common Mistakes
Attaching the phrase to a main clause with a different subject.
Вървейки по улицата, започна да вали.Докато вървях по улицата, започна да вали.The participle takes the subject of the main clause, but it was not the rain that was walking. When the subjects differ, use a clause with докато or като.
Forming the participle from a perfective verb.
Прочетейки писмото, тя се разплака.След като прочете писмото, тя се разплака.Adverbial participles come only from imperfective verbs, so прочетейки does not exist. For a completed earlier action, use след като.
Leaving out the comma.
Вървейки по улицата срещнах приятел.Вървейки по улицата, срещнах приятел.An adverbial participle phrase is always separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Adverbial participle clauses need the participle and commas.
Related Patterns
- Participles Formed Only From Imperfectives
Explains why only imperfective verbs give -йки forms.
Level 6 - Commas Around Detached Phrases
The comma rule for detached phrases like these.
Level 6 - Participial Phrases
Participle phrases that describe a noun instead of an action.
Level 5 - докатоWhile and Until with Докато
The everyday clause that replaces a -йки phrase in speech.
Level 3 - Fixed Participle Expressions
Fixed participle phrases such as съдейки по.
Level 5
Practice Adverbial Participle Clauses in Bubblegum
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