participi

Participi is the plural form of participio in Italian grammar, and more broadly refers to participles in several languages. Participi are non-finite verb forms that can function as adjectives or contribute to the formation of compound tenses, voices, and clauses. The term is used chiefly in Romance-language grammars to group together the different participial forms, typically including present and past participles, and sometimes future participles or verbal adjectives.

Types commonly distinguished are the present participle (participio presente) and the past participle (participio passato). The present participle denotes ongoing aspect and can act as an adjective, as in a running joke. The past participle marks completed action and participates in perfect tenses and passive voice, as in the book was written. Some languages have additional forms such as future or verbal participles; English, for example, uses a binary distinction between the present participle (-ing) and the past participle (-ed or irregular forms).

Functions of participi include modifying nouns (a running horse) and forming periphrastic constructions with auxiliary verbs to express tense or voice (has eaten). They can also introduce participial phrases that provide contextual information about time, cause, or condition related to the main clause (Walking down the street, she waved).

Morphology and cross-linguistic variation: The inflection and agreement of participles vary by language. In English, participles do not show gender or number agreement, while in many Romance languages they can inflect for gender and number or agree with the noun they modify, and with auxiliary verbs to mark tense.

See also: participle, gerund, participial phrase.