Deverbalní

Deverbalní is a term used in linguistics to describe words that originate from a verb. In Czech grammar, it serves as an umbrella for deverbal nouns, deverbal adjectives (including participles), and, less commonly, deverbal adverbs. The distinction is made to separate words formed from verbs from those formed from other parts of speech, such as denominal words from nouns or deadjectival forms from adjectives.

Deverbal nouns (nominalizations) are created by derivation that converts a verb into a noun. Common Czech examples include psaní (the act of writing) from psát, and čtení (the act of reading) from číst. These nominals typically inflect for case and number and may function as subjects or objects within a sentence.

Deverbal adjectives and participles are formed when a verb yields an adjectival form. The result often behaves as an ordinary adjective or as a participle, agreeing with the noun they modify. Examples include psaný dopis (a letter that is written) and běžící program (a program that is running). These forms can encode aspectual or temporal information carried over from the verb.

In linguistic analysis, deverbal words are studied for their morphology, syntax, and semantics, revealing how verb meaning is extended to other grammatical categories. The productivity of deverbal derivation varies across languages and historical periods, but the category is a common feature of many Indo-European languages.