Verbivormidest

Verbivormidest refers to the set of verbal forms that a language uses to encode grammatical information in verbs. In Estonian, verbivormid are a central part of the grammar, and they express information such as person (first, second, third), number (singular or plural), mood (indicative, conditional, imperative), tense, aspect, and voice. The system includes finite forms, which show agreement with a subject, and non-finite forms, which do not.

Finite forms are used in main clauses to indicate time and modality. They change according to person and number and can mark present or past time, as well as more complex time relations when combined with auxiliary verbs (for instance, perfect or pluperfect constructions).

Non-finite forms include infinitives and participles. The infinitive serves as the dictionary form of the verb and as a non-finite verb used in combination with other verbs. Participles function as adjectives or as parts of complex verb phrases, such as those forming compound tenses or passive voice constructions.

Formation is typically suffixal: a verb stem receives one or more suffixes to produce the desired form. Because of the rich suffixal system, a single verb lemma can yield many verb forms.

Use of verbivormidest allows the language to express a wide range of temporal, modal, and referential nuances, and it provides the basis for constructing subordinate clauses, relative clauses, and complex predicate structures. Comparative study of verbivormidest across languages helps linguists understand typology and historical change.