Re: Infinitives

On Mon, 27 Mar 2000 18:32:29 +0200, Mangiat <mangiat@...> wrote:

>Hello everyone!
>I'd like to eliminate the infinitive in my Vaiysi, but I don't know how
>precisely. I've heard that modern Greek has this feature (is it true?),
Yes.

> but
>I don't know how to realise it and how does it work
>With modal verbs? I want to go > I want me to go?
>
>Luca Mangiat
Roughly, 'I want that I (should) go'.

If you don't mind an example from Bulgarian (which I remember a bit
better than Modern Greek),

Iskam da otida 'I want to go (away)'

Isk=a=m       da               ot=id=a
want-pres-1sg that+(...should) off-go-pres+1sg

(The conjunction _da_ switches moods: _otida_ itself means 'I go (away)',
but _da otida_ means 'in order that I go', 'that I should go',
'me to go'.)

Iskam da otide 'I want him/her to go (away)'

_Otide_ is 3sg of the same verb, 's/he goes (away)'.

Iskam da vulka otide 'I want the wolf to go (away)'

_Vulk=a_ 'the wolf'.

Iskam da *az* otida 'It's *me* that I want to go away'

_Az_ 'I', not used unless an emphasis is put on it; just to show
that _da otida_ is in fact a regular relative clause, the omission
of subject pronoun being normal in Bulgarian.

I recall that the Neo-Greek construction is very much alike.


Basilius