Eesti tegusõna tüpoloogiat
Typology of the Estonian Verb

Summary/Abstract: In six verb paradigms containing an auxiliary verb form and a main verb form that is either a past participle in -nud or a past participle in -tud, the so-called personal and impersonal auxiliary verb forms are redefined as definite personal, and indefinite personal or omnipersonal. Auxiliary verb forms, formally identical with the 3rd person singular forms, which are never accompanied by a subject in the nominative case, are redefined as impersonal forms. The two participles are identified as the agent and the patient past participles. Definite and indefinite auxiliary verb forms make up active voice forms with participles in -nud (ta on petnud ‘(s)he has deceived’ (paradigm 1), ollakse petnud ‘someone has deceived’ (paradigm 3)) and passive voice forms with participles in -tud (ta on petetud ‘(s)he is deceived’ (paradigm 2), ollakse petetud ‘someone is deceived; someone is being deceived’ (paradigm 4)). The nominative complements of passive forms are identified with the grammatical subjects if they stand for the logical object. Impersonal auxiliary verb forms make up actional voice forms with participles in -nud (on löönud võlku ‘lightning has flashed’ (lit. ‘[it] has struck lightning (object)’ paradigm 6) and patiental voice forms with participles in -tud ([teda] on petetud ‘[(s)he (object)] has been deceived’ (paradigm 5)).

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