Verbāls sastata izteicējs latviešu valodā
Verbal compound predicate in Latvian

Summary/Abstract: Verbal compound predicate in Latvian consists of the copular verb and the infinitive. In the position of the subject there can either be another infinitive or the dative form of a noun. The first type of sentences is comparatively rare due to its specific semantics, namely, these sentences are mostly proverbs. The most striking peculiarity of the second type of infinitive sentences is that the copular verb may only be used in the past and the future, while the present indefinite form of copula būt ‘to be’ is not possible. This has raised the question whether infinitive sentences with and without copula belong to the same syntactic model or there exist (at least) two separate syntactic patterns.The analysis of semantics, paradigmatic relations and stylistic properties of given sentences suggests that at least two different types of infinitive sentences with dative subject should be postulated.

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