Adverbial Participial Phrase

Level 4Sounds Like díêprislívnikovij zvorot

The дієприслівниковий зворот (adverbial participial phrase) adds context to a main verb by describing a simultaneous or prior action. It usually refers back to the same subject as the main verb and is typically set off by commas.

How It Works

The adverbial participial phrase functions as an adverbial modifier (обставина) in a sentence. It provides information about when, why, or how the main action occurs. These phrases are highly flexible and can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence depending on the focus.

1. The Same-Subject Rule & Exceptions: Generally, the action in the phrase MUST be performed by the same grammatical subject as the main verb. However, an exception exists for impersonal sentences where the predicate is an infinitive (e.g., 'Треба працювати не покладаючи рук' — One must work without idling). Crucially, this exception only applies if there is no logical subject in the dative case. If a dative experiencer is present, using an adverbial participial phrase is considered non-normative. Additionally, these phrases cannot be used in passive constructions because the grammatical subject is the receiver of the action, not the doer.

2. Morphology:

  • Simultaneous Action: Use the imperfective form (-учи, -ючи, -ачи, -ячи).
  • Prior Action: Use the perfective form (-вши, -ши).
  • The 'и' Rule: Adverbial participles always end in the letter -и. This distinguishes them from active participles (adjectives), which end in -і.

3. Punctuation: Adverbial participial phrases are usually isolated by commas. However, there are exceptions:

  • Single Participles: A single participle is not separated by commas if it acts as an adverb of manner immediately following the verb (e.g., 'Він ішов співаючи' — He walked singing). However, if it describes a secondary action rather than just manner, it takes a comma (e.g., 'Співаючи, він ішов додому').
  • Phraseological Units: If the phrase is an idiom (like 'не покладаючи рук'), no comma is used when it follows the verb. However, if the idiom precedes the verb, a comma is required (e.g., 'Склавши руки, сидіти не можна').
  • Intensifying Particles: If the phrase is preceded by the intensifying particle і/й (meaning 'even' or 'also'), the comma is omitted (e.g., 'Можна творити мистецтво й не вдаючись до плагіату').
  • Relative Clauses: If the phrase is part of a relative clause containing the word який, it is not separated from 'який' by a comma (e.g., 'Це був ліс, гуляючи в якому можна було забути про все').
  • Homogeneous Phrases: When two phrases are connected by a single coordinating conjunction like 'і', 'та', or 'або', no comma is placed between them (e.g., 'Він ішов, усміхаючись друзям і махаючи рукою').
  • The Conjunction 'і' Trap: When a phrase comes right after a coordinating 'і' connecting two main verbs, the comma goes after the 'і', not before it (e.g., 'Він зупинився і, побачивши мене, усміхнувся').

4. Spelling with 'не': The particle 'не' is written separately from the participle (e.g., не знаючи), unless the verb itself requires 'не' to exist or has the prefix 'недо-'.

Examples (5)

  1. Дівчата йшли співаючи.

    The girls walked singing.

    Word by Word: Girls walked singing.

    This is a single adverbial participle acting as an adverb of manner. Because it follows the verb and describes how the action was performed, it is not separated by a comma.

  2. Побачивши друзів, Марко усміхнувся.

    Having seen his friends, Marko smiled.

    Word by Word: Having-seen friends, Marko smiled.

    The perfective verbal adverb 'побачивши' indicates that the seeing happened just before the smiling.

  3. Слухаючи музику, вона готувала вечерю.

    While listening to music, she was cooking dinner.

    Word by Word: Listening music, she was-cooking dinner.

    The imperfective verbal adverb 'слухаючи' shows that both actions happened at the same time.

  4. Можна вийти, не питаючи дозволу?

    Is it possible to leave without asking permission?

    Word by Word: Possible to-exit, not asking permission?

    This is an exception to the same-subject rule: in impersonal sentences with an infinitive, the phrase can be used even without a nominative subject.

  5. Не знаючи відповіді, учень мовчав.

    Not knowing the answer, the student remained silent.

    Word by Word: Not knowing answer, student was-silent.

    This shows a не знаючи providing the cause for the main action. Note that 'не' is written separately.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the phrase when the subject of the main verb is different (Dangling Participle).

    Підходячи до школи, у мене випав зошит.
    Коли я підходив до школи, у мене випав зошит.

    In the incorrect version, the subject is 'зошит' (notebook), implying the notebook was walking to school. Since 'I' (me) is in the dative case, it isn't the grammatical subject. The subject of the main verb and the participle must be the same.

  • Forgetting commas around the phrase in standard positions.

    Він ішов не озираючись назад.
    Він ішов, не озираючись назад.

    In most cases, adverbial participial phrases must be separated by commas. However, be aware of specific exceptions like idiomatic expressions immediately following the verb.

  • Writing 'не' together with the adverbial participle.

    Він пішов несказавши ні слова.
    Він пішов, не сказавши ні слова.

    The negative particle 'не' is written separately from adverbial participles, unless the word cannot exist without 'не' (e.g., ненавидячи). Note that the phrase must also be separated by a comma.

How It Connects

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Adverbial Participial PhraseLevel 4

Learn This First

To learn the adverbial participial phrase (дієприслівниковий зворот), a learner must first know how to form both imperfective and perfective adverbial participles. Additionally, because this phrase must always refer to the action of the main subject, a solid grasp of basic Ukrainian sentence structure is required to avoid common grammatical errors.

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