finitywnych

Finitywnych is a linguistic term used to describe finite verb forms in languages that mark finitude through grammatical categories such as person, number, tense, and mood. The term is most commonly encountered in Polish-language discussions of verb morphology, but it is also used in cross-linguistic work as a way to distinguish verbs that participate in finite clauses from non-finite forms. Finite forms are capable of anchoring a clause to the time of speaking and of agreeing with the subject.

In morphology, finitywnych forms are conjugated and show subject agreement, often including distinctions for person and number, and they may encode tense, mood, and sometimes aspect. In syntax, these forms typically function as the main predicate of a finite clause and can interact with auxiliary elements in languages that use periphrastic tenses. The availability and distribution of finite forms vary across languages, reflecting differences in how finitude is encoded grammatically.

A key contrast is with non-finite verb forms, such as infinitives and participles, which do not carry full subject agreement and do not, on their own, anchor the event in time. Finite forms can occur in all finite clauses within a language, whereas non-finite forms often appear in non-finite subordinate clauses or in non-predicate positions.

Examples help illustrate the distinction. In Polish, the sentence Ja czytam książkę contains a finite verb form czytam that encodes person and number and places the action in the present time, while the infinitive czytać means “to read.” This distinction between finite and non-finite forms is a common point of reference in discussions of verb morphology and clause structure across languages.