Verbform:
This feature takes the following values: Conv, Fin, Inf, Part, Vnoun.
Conv: Converb
Participals (see below) can be used as converbs in Middle Persian, notably the resultative participle with an anterior reading. Since the same form can also be read as a finite verb form, the analysis relies on contextual information or peculiar word ordering.
- “Plunged back into darkness, (Ahreman) miscreated many demons.”
abāz ō tom dwārist kirrēnīd was dēw \n back to darkness rushed miscreated many demon advmod(tom, abāz) case(tom, ō) advcl(kirrēnīd, dwārist) det(dēw, was) obj(kirrēnīd, dēw)
Fin: Finite
Finite verb forms are marked for person, number and mood. They head a clause or sentence.
Inf: Infinite
Infinite verb forms are not marked at all. They can be interpreted as active or passive. As a necessitative, they can head a clause or sentence, as dependent verbs they can head a subclause. They can convert to nouns.
There is a long and a short infinitive in Middle Persian. The long one continues the Old Persian infinitive in -tanai, the short one continues deverbal abstract nouns in -ti-. So far, it was not possible to identify a semantic difference. The short infinitive seems to be preferred in modal constructions.
- short infinitive: raft
- long infinitive: raftan
Part: Participle
Participial forms are marked for aspect, which we call tense for traditional reasons. They are used in analytic verb forms (e.g. the perfect). On their own, they can head a converbial clause. They can convert to adjectives and nouns.
- so-called present participle: rawān
- so-called past participle: raft
Vnoun: Verbal noun
The verbal noun in -išn can be used as a necessitative. It can be interpreted as active or passive. As a necessitative, they can head a clause or sentence. It can convert to a noun (nomen actionis).
- rawišn