-лий
Past Active Participle in -лий
The Past Active Participle in -лий describes a state that a subject has entered after completing an action. It is used with intransitive verbs (verbs without a direct object) and functions like an adjective.
How It Works
This participle is a standard way to express a resultative state. It is highly productive for verbs denoting a change of state (weathering, aging, temperature changes).
1. Formation:
Take the infinitive stem of a perfective intransitive verb and add -л- + gender/number endings.
- посивіти (to go gray) → посивілий (gray-haired)
- дозріти (to ripen) → дозрілий (ripe)
2. The -ну- Drop:
If the verb stem ends in the suffix -ну-, this suffix is almost always dropped before adding the participle suffix.
- змерзнути (to freeze) → змерзлий (frozen)
- висохнути (to dry up) → висохлий (dried)
- зів'янути (to wither) → зів'ялий (withered)
3. The Reflexive Restriction:
A critical rule in Ukrainian is that active participles in -лий cannot be formed from reflexive verbs (those ending in -ся). For example, зупинитися (to stop) cannot become зупинилий. In such cases, use a relative clause: поїзд, що зупинився.
4. Usage and Agreement:
Because it functions as an adjective, it must agree with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case, following standard participle agreement rules.
5. Register:
While common in literature, many of these forms have become standard adjectives in everyday speech (e.g., минулий - 'past', дорослий - 'adult').
Examples (4)
- Пожовкле листя тихо падало на землю.
Yellowed leaves fell quietly onto the ground.
Word by Word: Yellowed leaves quietly fell onto ground.
The participle 'пожовкле' comes from 'пожовкнути' (to turn yellow). Note the -ну- suffix is dropped.
- Зголоднілий мандрівник шукав нічліг.
The famished traveler was looking for a place to stay.
Word by Word: Famished traveler searched-for lodging.
'Зголоднілий' describes the state of the traveler resulting from the action 'зголодніти' (to become hungry).
- Ми купили дозрілий кавун.
We bought a ripe watermelon.
Word by Word: We bought ripened watermelon.
'Дозрілий' comes from 'дозріти' (to ripen) and describes the current state of the fruit.
- Змерзлий собака тремтів біля дверей.
The frozen dog was shivering by the door.
Word by Word: Frozen dog shivered near door.
'Змерзлий' is the result of 'змерзнути' (to get cold/freeze).
Common Mistakes
Using the Russian-style -вший ending.
почорнівший будинокпочорнілий будинокUkrainian does not use the -вший suffix for active participles. Always use -лий for these resultative states.
Forming -лий participles from reflexive verbs ending in -ся.
зупинилий поїздпоїзд, що зупинивсяActive participles in -лий cannot be formed from reflexive verbs. If the verb ends in -ся, you must use a relative clause with який or що.
Using -лий with transitive verbs.
прочиталий студентстудент, який прочитавThe -лий participle is formed only from intransitive verbs, which take no direct object (for example почорніти, постаріти). For a transitive verb like 'read', use a relative clause with який.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the past active participle in -лий, a learner must first be comfortable with how adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number. Additionally, since these participles are derived from verbs and describe a completed state, knowledge of the past tense formation and the perfective aspect is essential to grasp their meaning and morphology.
- Adjective Gender Agreement
Past active participles in -лий function like adjectives and require knowledge of gender agreement with the nouns they modify.
Level 2 - Masculine Past Tense
The -л- suffix in these participles is historically and morphologically related to the past tense suffix, making the past tense a necessary foundation.
Level 2 - Perfective Aspect
These participles typically denote a state resulting from a completed action, requiring an understanding of the perfective aspect.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- Resultative Participial State
This pattern is a specific type of resultative state focusing on the subject's own change.
Level 4 - Participle Agreement
The -лий participle follows the same agreement rules as all other participles and adjectives.
Level 4 - Adjectivized Participle
Many -лий participles (like 'минулий' or 'дорослий') have fully transitioned into regular adjectives.
Level 4 - -нийPassive Participle in -ний
While -лий is for intransitive verbs, -ний is the equivalent resultative form for transitive verbs.
Level 4 - який (відносний)Relative Clauses with Який
Relative clauses with 'який' are often used as an alternative to participles, especially in spoken Ukrainian.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice -лий in Bubblegum
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