Verbs / Werkwoorde
Spend time here to understand the big picture.
Concept 1: Active and Passive Voice
• Understand that all sentences are either active or passive. (Research this concept on the Web).
• Assume all verbs in the ACTIVE VOICE, except when you get to B2 & B3 where you will learn the PASSIVE VOICE.
Concept 2: Main and Helping Verbs
The main verb expresses the action. The helping verb explains the tense and/or mood.
Concept 3. Main Verbs are simplex or compound
Compound means the verb has two parts of meaning - descriptor and active verb (e.g. over and estimate = overestimate)
Simplex means a root verb, like 'throw' and then you get a root with a prefix added like 'prevent' or the two special verbs (to have and to be) and their inflected forms in the past and future.
Inseparable | Separable |
TO BE / TO HAVE | |
REGULAR | |
REGULAR PREFIXED | |
COMPOUNDS |
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HELPING VERBS |
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Verb Types: | |
These three types could be regular, prefixed, or compound verbs. Transitive - action goes from subject to object. Intransitve - action stays with the subject. Reflexive - action stays with the subject and it is indicated with a pronoun. | |
Gerunds: | |
Gerunds are verbs, now acting as adjectives. Present Tense: Past Tense: |
Your objective:
(i) to understand what is happening
(ii) prove that you understand it by doing
(iii) practice till it is automatic
Able to explain and do:
1 - Explain (with examples in any tense) what a conjugated verb is.
2 - Explain (with examples in any tense) what a regular verb is.
3 - Explain (with examples) the difference between a regular verb and a prefixed verb?
4 - Explain (with examples in any tense) what an inseparable compound verb is. Which other verb is just like it?
In the intermediate section, you will learn more about separable compound verbs, reflexive verbs, and gerunds.