Converbs

Converbs are a grammatical category of non-finite verb forms used to express adverbial subordination. They function like adverbial clauses and attach to a main verb to indicate relations such as time, cause, condition, purpose, or manner, without requiring an explicit subject change. In languages that employ converbs, the converb typically shares the subject with the main verb and lacks tense or finite mood.

Converbs are often formed by affixing to the verb or using a separate particle, and they can appear as suffixes, prefixes, or separate words, depending on the language. They are distinct from participles and gerunds, though they may resemble them in form; the term converb is used mainly in typological linguistics to describe this broad functional category across languages.

The distribution of converbs is cross-linguistic rather than universal. They are particularly noted in some Turkic and Uralic languages, among others, where multiple converbal forms encode sequential actions (and/or cause, condition, or manner). In some languages, what English expresses with a subordinate clause can be done with a single converb form, producing more compact syntax.

In linguistic description, converbs are treated as a type of non-finite verb form that provides adverbial information without requiring a new finite clause. They are related to, but distinct from, adverbial participles and verbal adverbs in languages that make finer grammatical distinctions.

Examples can include sentences like "She left, singing," to illustrate an accompanying action expressed by a non-finite verb form.