Imperfective Passive Participles

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Обичан (loved), четен (read) and търсен (in demand) come from imperfective verbs and describe treatment that goes on or keeps happening: Той е много търсен специалист. (He is a much sought-after specialist.)

How It Works

1. Formation. These participles are built like any past passive participle. Verbs in -ам/-ям usually take -ан/-ян, and е- and и-verbs usually take -ен:

  • обичам → обичан; харесвам → харесван; използвам → използван; гледам → гледан
  • чета → четен; търся → търсен
  • irregular: пиша → писан

They agree like adjectives (обичан, обичана, обичано, обичани) and take the article: най-четеният вестник.

2. Imperfective versus perfective.

  • прочетена книга — a book that has been read through (one finished act)
  • често четена книга — a book that people often read
  • Къщата е продадена. (The house has been sold.) — a result
  • Тези стоки са продавани и в чужбина. (These goods have been sold abroad too.) — a repeated action

3. Adjective-like meanings. Many of these participles work as everyday adjectives: търсен (in demand), уважаван (respected), обичан (beloved), желан (welcome, desired). They combine with много, често and най-: най-гледаното предаване (the most-watched programme).

4. In the passive. With съм, they describe ongoing or general states: Тя е обичана от всички. (She is loved by everyone.) See the passive with съм and the doer in passive sentences. For an action happening right now, Bulgarian usually prefers the passive with се: Къщата се продава. (The house is for sale.)

5. Regular agreeing passive participles. These normally come from verbs that take a direct object: чета книга → четена книга. Intransitives such as спя and вървя do not normally supply a full agreeing adjectival passive paradigm. A restricted impersonal neuter construction does exist, however: В това легло е спано; see impersonal passive.

Examples (6)

  1. Това е най-четеният вестник в страната.

    This is the most-read newspaper in the country.

  2. Той е много търсен специалист.

    He is a much sought-after specialist.

  3. Тя беше обичана от всички в селото.

    She was loved by everyone in the village.

  4. Това са най-често използваните думи в езика.

    These are the most frequently used words in the language.

  5. Дядо ми беше уважаван лекар.

    My grandfather was a respected doctor.

  6. Филмът е гледан от милиони зрители.

    The film has been watched by millions of viewers.

    The imperfective participle presents the watching as something many people did over time.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a perfective participle for a lasting quality.

    Той е много потърсен специалист.
    Той е много търсен специалист.

    Потърсен comes from perfective потърся and means that someone looked for him on one occasion. For "in demand", use imperfective търсен.

  • Using -ен instead of -ан with an -ам verb.

    Тя е обичена от всички.
    Тя е обичана от всички.

    Verbs in -ам form their passive participle in -ан: обичам → обичан.

How It Connects

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Imperfective Passive ParticiplesLevel 6

Learn This First

Imperfective passive participles need both.