The Present Adverbal Participles
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The Form |
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The simplest way of deriving a present adverbal participle is by adding "я" to the stem, then applying the rules of combination and the basic spelling rules, for example, 
"taking, carrying" and 
"speaking". Remember that я never occurs after hushes (ш ж ч щ) and so in these instances я will be replaced by a. 'Yod' (й) merges with я just as it does with a: 
.
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The Function |
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The present adverbal participle modifies the main verb, indicating that the action of the main verb takes (took) place concurrently with that of the verb in the adverbal participle. The subject of the adverbal participle is always the same as the subject of the main verb.
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Some Examples |
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| Когда Ваня собирал картофель, он стал мечтать. |
| Собирая картофель, Ваня стал мечтать. |
| Gathering the potatoes, Vanya began to day-dream. |
| Пока Маша смотрела на цветы, она стала думать о матери. |
| Смотря на цветы, Маша стала думать о матери. |
| Looking at the flowers, Masha began to think about her mother. |
| Когда Варя шла домой, она встретилась с Ваней. |
| Идя домой, Варя встретилась с Ваней. |
| Walking home, Varya met Vanya. |
| Когда Соня несла яблоки, она споткнулась и упала. |
| Неся яблоки, Соня споткнулась и упала. |
| Carrying the apples, Sonya stumbled and fell. |
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Now Try a Few Yourself |
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Type in the correct form of the participle below, then push the button to check your answer. Click here for font information.
© 1996 Robert Beard