-ваем

Bulgarian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *-vajemъ, present passive participle ending of va-conjugation verbs. In Modern Bulgarian, the derivatives constructed with this suffix are interpreted as normal adjectives.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [-vɐɛm]

• Audio:

  (file)

Suffix

-ваем • (-vaem)

1. (productive) Deverbal from transitive verbs in va-conjugation, forms adjectives expressing capacity, susceptibility, eventuality, or condition: -able

   надувам (naduvam, “to blow up, inflate”) → надуваем (naduvaem, “inflatable”)

   откривам (otkrivam, “to find”) → откриваем (otkrivaem, “detectable”)

   узнавам (uznavam, “to learn, to figure out”) → узнаваем (uznavaem, “recognizable”)

   продавам (prodavam, “to sell”) → продаваем (prodavaem, “saleable”)

2. (obsolete) Deverbal from transitive verbs in ova-conjugation, forms adjectives expressing capacity, susceptibility, eventuality, or condition: -able

   прониквам (pronikvam, “to penetrate”) → проникваем (pronikvaem, “penetrable, permeable”)

   сгъ(б)вам (sg(b)vam, “to fold”) → сгъваем (sgǎvaem, “foldable”)

   покупвам (pokupvam, “to purchase”) → покупваем (pokupvaem, “purchasable”)

   очаквам (očakvam, “to expect”) → очакваем (očakvaem, “expectable”)

Usage notes

Historically, the expected present passive participle of verbs in Bulgarian -вам (-vam) (from Common Slavic *ova-conjugation) is -уем (-uem). The alternative -ваем (-vaem) is generalized by the historical va-conjugation.

Alternative forms

• -уем (-uem)

Derived terms

• -ваемост (-vaemost)

Related terms

• -ом (-om)
• -аем (-aem)
• -им (-im)
• -яем (-jaem)

References

• St. Stoyanov (1983) “Прилагателни имена от причастия”, in Граматика на съвременния български книжовен език, volume 2, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 150