What are Participles?
Participles are words derived from verbs that function like adjectives or adverbs. Lithuanian has a very rich and powerful participle system, allowing for the creation of concise and elegant sentences. Adjectival participles decline to agree with nouns, while adverbial participles are indeclinable.
How to Form Participles
Participles are built from a verb's three main stems. Let's use **dirbti** (to work) as an example.
Infinitive Stem
dirb-ti → dirb-
Present 3rd Person Stem
jis/ji dirb-a → dirba-
Past 3rd Person Stem
jis/ji dirb-o → dirbo-
| Participle Type | Based on Stem | Suffix Added | Example Formation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Active | Present 3rd Person | -ntis (m) / -nti (f) | dirba- + -ntis → dirbantis |
| Past Active | Past 3rd Person | -ęs (m) / -usi (f) | dirbo- + -ęs → dirbęs |
| Present Passive | Present 3rd Person | -mas (m) / -ma (f) | dirba- + -mas → dirbamas |
| Past Passive | Infinitive | -tas (m) / -ta (f) | dirb- + -tas → dirbtas |
| Half-Participle | Infinitive | -damas (m) / -dama (f) | dirb- + -damas → dirbdamas |
| Gerund | Present 3rd Person | -ant | dirba- + -ant → dirbant |
Active Adjectival Participles
These describe a noun that is **performing** an action. They decline like adjectives.
Present Active: einantis (going/walking)
| Masculine: einantis | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Singular | Plural |
| Nom. | einantis / einąs | einantys |
| Gen. | einančio | einančių |
| Dat. | einančiam | einantiems |
| Acc. | einantį | einančius |
| Inst. | einančiu | einančiais |
| Loc. | einančiame | einančiuose |
| Feminine: einanti | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Singular | Plural |
| Nom. | einanti | einančios |
| Gen. | einančios | einančių |
| Dat. | einančiai | einančioms |
| Acc. | einančią | einančias |
| Inst. | einančia | einančiomis |
| Loc. | einančioje | einančiose |
Past Active: ėjęs (having gone/walked)
| Masculine: ėjęs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Singular | Plural |
| Nom. | ėjęs | ėję |
| Gen. | ėjusio | ėjusių |
| Dat. | ėjusiam | ėjusiems |
| Acc. | ėjusį | ėjusius |
| Inst. | ėjusiu | ėjusiais |
| Loc. | ėjusiame | ėjusiuose |
| Feminine: ėjusi | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Singular | Plural |
| Nom. | ėjusi | ėjusios |
| Gen. | ėjusios | ėjusių |
| Dat. | ėjusiai | ėjusioms |
| Acc. | ėjusią | ėjusias |
| Inst. | ėjusia | ėjusiomis |
| Loc. | ėjusioje | ėjusiose |
Passive Adjectival Participles
These describe a noun that is **receiving** or **undergoing** an action. They are used to form the passive voice.
Past Passive: skaitytas (having been read)
This is the most common passive participle. Present passive (`-amas`/`-ama`) and necessity (`-tinas`/`-tina`) participles decline identically to regular adjectives like `geras`/`gera`.
| Masculine: skaitytas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Singular | Plural |
| Nom. | skaitytas | skaityti |
| Gen. | skaityto | skaitytų |
| Dat. | skaitytam | skaitytiems |
| Acc. | skaitytą | skaitytus |
| Inst. | skaitytu | skaitytais |
| Loc. | skaitytame | skaitytuose |
| Feminine: skaityta | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Singular | Plural |
| Nom. | skaityta | skaitytos |
| Gen. | skaitytos | skaitytų |
| Dat. | skaitytai | skaitytoms |
| Acc. | skaitytą | skaitytas |
| Inst. | skaityta | skaitytomis |
| Loc. | skaitytoje | skaitytose |
Adverbial Participles
These function as adverbs and are indeclinable (they do not change for case). They are used to describe a secondary action related to the main verb.
Half-Participle (Pusdalyvis)
Formed with `-damas` (m. sg.), `-dama` (f. sg.), `-dami` (m. pl.), `-damos` (f. pl.). Describes a simultaneous action done by the **same subject** as the main verb. It agrees in gender and number with the subject.
- Vyras skaito knygą sėdėdamas. (The man reads a book while sitting.)
- Moteris eina namo dainuodama. (The woman goes home while singing.)
Gerund (Padalyvis)
Formed with `-ant` (present), `-us` (past active), or `-us` (perfective past). Describes an action where the subject is **different** from the main clause's subject, or when the action is impersonal. It is completely indeclinable.
- Jai bemiegant, nuskambėjo žadintuvas. (While she was sleeping, the alarm clock rang.)
- Saulei nusileidus, atvėso oras. (After the sun set, the air grew cold.)