-в

Perfective Gerunds in -в

Level 4Sounds Like deepričastie soveršennogo vida na -v

The perfective gerund in -в (деепричастие) acts like an adverb, meaning "having done something." It is used in formal or literary Russian to link two actions performed by the same person, where one finishes before the next starts.

How It Works

The perfective gerund is a hallmark of written Russian, including literature and journalism. It allows for concise sentence structures by replacing subordinate clauses.

1. Formation:

  • Standard Vowel Stems: Take the past tense masculine form, drop -л, and add -в.
    Example: прочитать → прочитал → прочитав (having read).
  • Reflexive Verbs: Use -вшись after vowels and -шись after consonants.
    Examples: вернуться → вернувшись; запереться → запершись.
  • Consonant Stems: If the masculine past tense has no -л, add -ши to the stem.
    Example: умереть → умер → умерши. However, for many common consonant-stem verbs, modern Russian prefers the suffix -я.
    Example: принести → принеся (instead of принесши).

2. Usage Rules:

  • Sequence: The action in the gerund must be completed before the main verb's action begins.
  • Same Subject: You cannot use a gerund if the person doing the first action is different from the person doing the second action.
  • Register: In casual speech, Russians prefer using когда (when) or после того как (after).

3. Special Cases:
Some perfective verbs, particularly verbs of motion with prefixes like прийти, form their gerund with -я (придя) instead of -в. Note the spelling: there is no 'й' in придя.

Examples (4)

  1. Закончив работу, мы пошли домой.

    Having finished the work, we went home.

    Word by Word: Having-finished work, we went home.

    The gerund 'закончив' shows that the work was completed before the movement started.

  2. Прочитав письмо, она не смогла сдержать слёз.

    Having read the letter, she could not hold back her tears.

    Word by Word: Having-read letter, she not could to-hold-back tears.

    This demonstrates a causal relationship: she cried because she finished reading the letter.

  3. Вернувшись из отпуска, он сразу приступил к делам.

    Having returned from vacation, he immediately got to work.

    Word by Word: Having-returned from vacation, he immediately started to affairs.

    Note the use of -вшись for the reflexive verb 'вернуться'.

  4. Сделав домашнее задание, студент пошёл гулять.

    Having done the homework, the student went for a walk.

    Word by Word: Having-done home task, student went to-walk.

    A classic example of a completed action (homework) preceding a new action (walking).

Common Mistakes

  • Subject Mismatch (Dangling Participle)

    Подъехав к станции, у меня слетела шляпа.
    Когда я подъезжал к станции, у меня слетела шляпа.

    In the incorrect version, the grammar implies the 'hat' (the subject of the main clause) was the one 'approaching the station.' Since the person and the hat are different, a gerund cannot be used. This is a classic error in Russian syntax.

  • Incorrect spelling of 'придя'

    Прийдя домой, он лёг спать.
    Придя домой, он лёг спать.

    Learners often mistakenly keep the 'й' from the infinitive 'прийти'. However, the correct perfective gerund form is 'придя', without the 'й'.

  • Using -в for reflexive verbs

    Улыбнув, он ушёл.
    Улыбнувшись, он ушёл.

    Reflexive verbs must use the -вшись (for vowel stems) or -шись (for consonant stems) suffix. The form 'улыбнув' is grammatically impossible.

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-вLevel 4Perfective Gerunds in -в

Learn This First

To form and use perfective gerunds in -в, you need to know how to identify the past tense stem of perfective verbs, as the suffix -в replaces the past tense suffix -л. Additionally, you must understand the perfective aspect's meaning of completion and the general role of gerunds in describing secondary actions performed by the same subject.

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