predicatieve

Predicatieve (English: predicative) is a grammatical function referring to a predicative complement that completes the meaning of a copular verb and ascribes a property or role to the subject of a sentence. In Dutch grammar, predicatieve elements are those that follow linking verbs such as zijn, worden, blijken, and blijven, and that describe or classify the subject rather than modifying a noun within a noun phrase. The predicative can take the form of an adjective, a noun phrase, or other predicative constructions.

Examples in Dutch show the predicative use clearly: "De man is oud" (predicative adjective 'oud' after the copular verb). "Zij werd arts" (predicative noun phrase). By contrast, attributive adjectives occur within noun phrases before the noun: "een oude man" (an old man). In English, predicative complements function similarly after linking verbs: "The sky looks blue" (predicative adjective), "He became a teacher" (predicative noun phrase). Predicatives may express a property, a classification, or a change of state.

In linguistic analysis, predicatives are distinguished from arguments that are required by the verb or from other modifiers within a noun phrase. Some languages permit agreement or inflection in predicative position, while others keep the predicative form invariant. The study of predicatives intersects with broader topics such as copular constructions, subject complements, and the syntax–semantics interface.