-л Participles as Adjectives

Л-Participles Used as Adjectives

Level 5Sounds Like minalo pričastie kato prilagatelno

The л-participle of a verb of change can describe a noun: паднали листа (fallen leaves), изгоряла гора (a burnt forest).

How It Works

1. What it is. The л-participle is best known from past tenses such as той е паднал. Some of these participles also work as ordinary adjectives in front of a noun:

  • паднали листа (fallen leaves)
  • узрели ягоди (ripe strawberries)
  • избягал затворник (an escaped prisoner)
  • замръзнало езеро (a frozen lake)

2. Which verbs. Mostly intransitive perfective verbs of change: падна, изгоря, остарея, узрея, замръзна, избягам. The noun is the one that changed: the leaves fell, the lake froze.

3. Contrast with the passive participle. When someone did something to the noun, use the past passive participle instead. Изгоряла къща is a house that burned down. Изгорена къща is a house that someone burned. A book that has been read is a прочетена книга, not a прочела книга.

4. Agreement and the article. The participle agrees like any adjective: изгорял храст, изгоряла гора, изгоряло дърво, изгорели дървета. It also takes the article, following the rules for adjectives: падналите листа, изгорялата гора.

5. Watch the я/е change. Participles with я in the stem follow the я-е alternation: остарял, остаряла, but остарели and остарелият. The same goes for узрял – узрели and изгорял – изгорели.

6. As nouns. A few are also used as nouns (see adjectives used as nouns): починалият (the deceased).

Examples (6)

  1. По алеята имаше много паднали листа.

    There were many fallen leaves along the path.

  2. Изгорялата гора ще се възстанови след години.

    It will take years for the burnt forest to recover.

  3. Остарелият учител още помнеше имената ни.

    The aged teacher still remembered our names.

    Остарял becomes остарелият with the article, following the я-е alternation.

  4. Полицията търси избягалия затворник.

    The police are looking for the escaped prisoner.

  5. Узрелите ягоди са най-сладки.

    Ripe strawberries are the sweetest.

  6. Децата се пързаляха по замръзналото езеро.

    The children were sliding on the frozen lake.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the л-participle when the noun had something done to it.

    На масата има една прочела книга.
    На масата има една прочетена книга.

    A book does not read; someone reads it. For that meaning use the passive participle прочетена. The л-participle only works when the noun itself changed.

  • Keeping я in the plural.

    В парка седяха двама остаряли мъже.
    В парка седяха двама остарели мъже.

    Before the soft ending -ли, я changes to е: остарял but остарели.

How It Connects

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-л Participles as AdjectivesLevel 5Л-Participles Used as Adjectives

Learn This First

Л-participles as adjectives need the participle forms.