The Six Participles
Six endings: three for the one who acts, three for the one acted on.
How It Works
| in progress | finished | about to happen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| the doer | leganta (reading) | leginta (having read) | legonta (about to read) |
| the receiver | legata (being read) | legita (read) | legota (to be read) |
The stage is measured from the verb of the sentence, not from today. In Mi vidis la dormantan katon, the cat was sleeping when I saw it.
A participle takes -a and works like any adjective, so it agrees in -j and -n. Passive participles come only from verbs that can have an object. A verb that cannot have an object, such as okazi (happen) or komenciĝi (begin), has only the active ones: okazinta, komenciĝinta.
Examples (5)
- La leganta knabo estas la frato de Ana.
The boy who is reading is Ana's brother.
Leganta describes the boy who reads.
- La legata libro estas tre malnova.
The book that is being read is very old.
Legata describes the book that gets read.
- La veninta gasto sidas apud la fenestro.
The guest who has arrived is sitting by the window.
Veninta looks back at the arrival.
- Kenji ŝatas la skribitan leteron de sia amiko.
Kenji likes the letter his friend wrote.
Skribitan agrees with leteron and shows the finished writing.
- La venonta jaro estos bona por la klubo.
The coming year will be good for the club.
Venonta looks ahead to a year that has not started.
Common Mistakes
Using a passive participle for a verb without an object.
La komenciĝita kunveno estas longa.La komenciĝinta kunveno estas longa.Komenciĝi never has an object, so it has no passive participle. The meeting that has begun is komenciĝinta.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The six participles are adjectives built from verb roots, with three tenses.
- -aAdjectives End in -a
Know the adjective ending -a, because a participle ends in -a like an adjective: dormanta kato.
Level 1 - -isThe Past Tense
Know the past ending -is, because -int- and -it- are the past participles.
Level 2 - -osThe Future Tense
Know the future ending -os, since -ont- and -ot- are the future participles.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- -anta-anta: Doing Now
The active participle for an action in progress.
Level 4 - -ata-ata: Being Done Now
The passive participle for an action in progress.
Level 4 - -inta-inta: Having Done
The active participle for a finished action.
Level 4 - -ita-ita: Done to
The passive participle for a finished action.
Level 4 - -onta-onta: About to Do
The active participle for an action not yet begun.
Level 4
Practice The Six Participles in Bubblegum
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