Minevikupartikkel

Minevikupartikkel is a linguistic term used to refer to the past participle, a non-finite verb form that marks completed action in relation to a reference time and can function in several syntactic roles. As with other participles, the minevikupartikkel often serves to form compound tenses, passive constructions, or to act as an adjective modifying a noun. Its exact form and agreement patterns vary across languages, but its core function in signaling completed aspect remains common.

In many languages the minevikupartikkel combines with auxiliary verbs to create perfect tenses, for example in English with has/have/had plus a past participle (has eaten, had written). It can also appear in passive voice when combined with an auxiliary verb (e.g., "The book was written"). Beyond tense construction, past participles frequently function as adjectives, as in "a broken vase" or "the written word," and may show agreement in gender or number in some languages.

Formation and variation are language-specific. In German, past participles often feature the ge- prefix and end in -t or -en (e.g., gegessen, geschrieben). In Romance languages, past participles typically agree in gender and number with the noun (e.g., hablado, escrita). English has many irregular past participles (been, gone) and a productive set of -ed forms for regular verbs. Some languages distinguish multiple participle types, including ordinary past participles used adjectivally vs. specialized forms used only with certain auxiliaries.

See also: participle, past tense, perfect aspect, passive voice.