A dynamic or fientive verb is a

verb A verb () is a word ( part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descr ...

that shows continued or progressive

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

on the part of the subject. This is the opposite of a stative verb.

Overview

Actions denoted by dynamic verbs have duration. They occur over a span of time. This time span may or may not have a defined

endpoint An endpoint, end-point or end point may refer to: * Endpoint (band), a hardcore punk band from Louisville, Kentucky * Endpoint (chemistry), the conclusion of a chemical reaction, particularly for titration * Outcome measure, a measure used as an e ...

, and may or may not yet have occurred. These distinctions lead to various forms related to tense and

aspect Aspect or Aspects may refer to: Entertainment * ''Aspect magazine'', a biannual DVD magazine showcasing new media art * Aspect Co., a Japanese video game company * Aspects (band), a hip hop group from Bristol, England * ''Aspects'' (Benny Carter ...

. For example, a dynamic verb may be said to have a durative

if there is not a defined endpoint or a punctual aspect if there is a defined endpoint. Examples of dynamic verbs in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

are 'to run', 'to hit', 'to intervene', 'to savour' and 'to go'. A striking feature of modern English is its limited use of the

simple present The simple present, present simple or present indefinite is one of the verb forms associated with the present tense in modern English. It is commonly referred to as a tense, although it also encodes certain information about aspect in addition ...

tense of dynamic verbs. Generally, the tense is required to express an action taking place in the present (I am going). The simple present usually refers to a habitual action (I go every day), a general rule (water runs downhill), a future action in some subordinate clauses (if I go) or the

historical present In linguistics and rhetoric, the historical present or historic present, also called dramatic present or narrative present, is the employment of the present tense when narrating past events. It is widely used in writing about history in Latin (w ...

(President signs bill). In other Germanic languages a progressive aspect of a dynamic verb is often not marked; for example, English 'I am going home' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

is simply ''Ich gehe nach Hause'', using the present

indicative A realis mood ( abbreviated ) is a grammatical mood which is used principally to indicate that something is a statement of fact; in other words, to express what the speaker considers to be a known state of affairs, as in declarative sentences. Mos ...

. A dynamic verb expresses a wide range of actions that may be physical (to run), mental (to ponder), or perceptual (to see), as opposed to a stative verb, which purely expresses a state in which there is no obvious action (to stand, believe, suppose etc.).

Examples

Mayrinax Atayal

Dynamic verbs of the Austronesian language Mayrinax Atayal, spoken in Taiwan, are marked morphologically by specific affixes. Stative verbs in Mayrinax Atayal are marked by the prefixes /ma-/ and /∅-/, whereas the dynamic verbs are marked by the affixes /m-/ and /-um-/, as well as /ma-/ and /∅-/.Huang, L. F. (2000). Verb Classification in Mayrinax Atayal. ''Oceanic Linguistics'', Vol. 39 (No. 2), pp. 364-390

Dynamic verbs

:/m-astatail/ (jump) :/l-um-aŋuy/ (swim) :/ma-βahuq/ (wash) :/∅-palatuʔ/ (swing)

Passive verbs

:/m-atɣaɣaaɣ/ (lie) :/k-um-antatali/ (kneel) :/ma-ʔoway/ (be tired) :/∅-maskaiyuŋ/ (be hungry)

References

Verb types Syntax–semantics interface {{Syntax-stub