Konsekutiivne

Konsekutiivne is a grammatical term used in linguistics to describe markings or strategies that express the sequence of events across clauses. The name comes from the idea of consecutive action, where the action in a subordinate clause is presented as following the action in the main clause or as occurring in a sequence of events within a narrative or reported discourse.

The function of a konsekutiivne category is to signal temporal order or logical succession between clauses. It can be realized in different ways depending on the language: through a distinct finite verb form, by combining auxiliary verbs with participles, or by using particles and intonation. In some languages, the konsekutiivne mood or aspect is used to recount past events in a chain, or to indicate that the subordinate clause describes an outcome or consequence related to the main clause.

Typologically, konsekutiivne forms are described in cross-linguistic grammars as part of the broader system of narrative tenses or consecutive tenses. Not all languages have a productive konsekutiivne form, and in many languages the same temporal or evidential relations can be expressed with alternative tense, mood, or aspect strategies. In Estonian-language linguistic literature, the term appears primarily in comparative discussions rather than as a productive feature of everyday Estonian, where sequencing is typically conveyed through standard tense and aspect. The konsektiivne concept thus serves as a tool for understanding how languages encode temporal succession in discourse across clause boundaries. See also consecutive aspect, narrative past, and reported speech.