Defective Verbs in Scots Gaelic

Scots Gaelic has — like many other languages — verbs that are not conjugated in all forms. These verbs are called defective.

For instance, the following Scots Gaelic verbs are defective:

Derivation of Finnish Verbs

Last time I dropped a few lines about inseparable and separable prefixes in German as a mean of deriving words with a new meaning.

In Finnnish, verbs with a new meaning a derived from the base verb by adding affixes (suffixes) to the base word

E.g. maalata (to paint), maalauttaa (to have something painted). Here maalata is the base verb, and maalauttaa is derived from it by adding -uttaa to the verb stem.

Starting from December 2019, Verbix shows derived verbs in the conjugation tables.

Continue reading Derivation of Finnish Verbs

Separable and Inseparable Verbs in German

Separable verbs and inseparable verbs in German are verbs whose meaning is altered by the addition of a prefix. So in its infinitive the prefix is added before the root verb. Inseparable verbs keep the prefix before the root verb in all tenses, thus being inseparable. Separable verbs have the prefix separated from the root verb in most tenses.

  • Inseparable verb: bekommen (to receive), ich bekomme (I receive)
  • Separable verb: ankommen (to arrive), ich komme an (I arrive)

Both verbs have the same root verb kommen (to come).

So the prefixes are used to change the meaning but the verb conjugation follows the pattern of the root verb.

Starting from December 16th, Verbix online conjugator shows in German verb conjugation tables the prefixes (inseparable/separable) and other verbs with the same prefix. In addition the root verb is shown along with different prefixes.

Continue reading Separable and Inseparable Verbs in German

Adopt a Word, Adopt a Verb

There was an article about word that will “disappear” from the Swedish language. (The article in Swedish can be found here). In practice disappearing means that the word has fallen in disuse; either the word is old-fashioned and not used anymore, or there is a synonym that has replaced the old word.

Moreover disappearing means in the article that words won’t be incorporated in the next edition of the SAOL (Svenska Akademiens ordlista, Word List of the Swedish Academy).

In order to keep the old words in speech, Språktidningen proposes that we should “adopt the words” by keep using them.

In this context Verbix should adopt these verbs:
abradera,
absolvera,
accedera,
aducera,
afficiera,
affinera,
afrikanisera,
agglomerera,
aggravera,
allegorisera,
amalgamera,
appa,
atrofiera,
bemänga,
beriktiga,
bettla,
bissera,
bloppa,
bornera,
bräma,
cedera,
chargera,
deducera,
demissionera,
denotera,
denudera,
dirra,
disambiguera,
eklärera,
elektrolysera,
elidera,
emendera,
etymologisera,
evalvera,
excerpera,
expatriera,
explicera,
furnera,
fyka,
förfäas,
förpakta,
gendriva,
glindra,
glisa,
hasardera,
hundsfottera,
hypostasera,
hypotisera,
illudera,
inmänga,
judaisera,
klimatneutralisera,
kollationera,
kondemnera,
kongruera,
konterfeja,
krepera,
kujonera,
kvintilera,
lustvandra,
marodera,
merkantilisera,
missfirma,
misskänna,
munläsa,
niellera,
nitälska,
nobilisera,
oskära,
panikera,
parcellera,
probera,
prokotta,
prononcera,
proskribera,
protegera,
prusta,
påyrka,
redubbla,
reifiera,
rektifiera,
remisera,
remplacera,
resolvera,
rilla,
rubatera,
rulta,
sagla,
sakföra,
sauvera,
skalkas,
skillra,
skranka,
skula,
smygkontorisera,
strangulera,
subsumera,
supponera,
sämska,
tordera,
urgera,
vadeinlaga,
vindicera,
åtra,
åvägabringa,
ärna,
överidealisera

Got vs. Gotten

For some verbs Verbix displays “(U)” in the conjugation table of an English verb. This means that the verb form is used in the United States in particular.

On of these verbs is ‘to get‘ (see the conjugation).

While the British would say ‘I have got’, the North-American would say ‘I have gotten’. But the form ‘gotten’ is not used when it means ‘to have’. So ‘I’ve gotten the answer’ is always wrong in the U.S., too.

So when the British would say: ‘I’ve got a new boat’, ‘I’ve got interested’, ‘I’ve got off the chair’, the U.S. person would say:

  • I’ve gotten a new boat. (= obtain)
  • I’ve gotten interested. (= become)
  • I’ve gotten off the chair. (= moved)

 

To Translate a Verb You Need to Know the Infinitive

KielitietoinenA book teaching Finnish for school children tells on page 11: “It is important to know the infinitive, if you need to look up the word in a dictionary. You can get help in this at verbix.com that recognizes the conjugated verb form and returns the infinitive”.

ImportantToKnowInfinitive

The feature of finding the infinitive is available for many languages. More than this, you don’t even need to know the language of the entered verb form but Verbix will find it out.

Links:

German ß and ss in Verbs

There was a spelling reform in the German language in 1996.

Among other changes, the ortography underwent a change, where ‘ß’ sometimes started to be written as ‘ss’.

As a rule of thumb:

  • ‘ß’ continues to be written in the same way when it’s preceded by a long vowel or diptongue;
  • and elsewhere it’s substituted by ‘ss’.

A good sample verb is essen ‘to eat’. In present the preceding vowel is short and therefore written ‘ss’. In past the vowel is long and therefore written ‘ß’.

Verbix supports both ways of writing German, check the link below to see more.

Links:

Only 23 Irregular Verbs

Today I read about Hungarian language and its verbs. Just like Finnish, a very remote “sister” language, the Hungarian has only a few irregular verbs.

In fact the number of irregular languages is 23. The 23 irregular verbs are now listed on Verbix website’s Hungarian verb conjugator page.

Links:

New Words in Swedish in 2015

Happy new year 2016! And time to see the verbs that got official in the Swedish language year 2015. Click any of the new verbs to conjugate them in Swedish. As you will see, all new verbs are totally regular.

  • Avinvestera To disinvest, normally by selling shares in companies involved in industries viewed as unsustainable or unethical .
  • Dumpstra To dumpster dive, or retrieve useable food and other objects from what others throw away.
  • Haffa Rough, to hit someone.
  • Klittra Mastrurbate (like a woman).
  • Rattsurfa From ‘ratt’ steering wheel and ‘surfa’ to surf. Means to use cell phone or similar when driving, decreasing the concentration on driving the car.
  • Svajpa From English ‘Swype’, to steer a computer or phone by sliding a finger or stylus on the screen.
  • Svischa To transfer money to a friend or shop using the Swedish phone payment system Swish.
  • Vejpa To ‘vape’ or smoke an e-cig.