-им

Bulgarian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Suffix

-им • (-im)

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

   видя (vidja, “to look at”) → видим (vidim, “visible, apparent”)

   движа (dviža, “to move”) → движим (dvižim, “movable”)

   реша (reša, “to solve, to decide”) → решим (rešim, “solvable, decisive”)

   преодоля (preodolja, “to overcome”) → преодолим (preodolim, “overcomable”)

   поправя (popravja, “to repair”) → поправим (popravim, “repairable”)

   заредя (zaredja, “to charge”) → заредим (zaredim, “chargeable”)

2. (obsolete) Deverbal from transitive verbs in i-conjugation, forms adjectives expressing contemporary result, attribute or effect.

   побратя (pobratja, “to form brotherly relations”) → побратим (pobratim, “sworn brother”)

   дължа (dǎlža, “to owе”) → дължим (dǎlžim, “due, owned”)

Usage notes

Adjectives formed with -им (-im) are semi-interchangeable with parallel adjectives in -яем (-jaem) (< -ѣѥмъ) (e.g. овладим (ovladim, “conquerable”) vs овладяем (ovladjaem, “possible to be mastered”). The former usually imply punctual capacity (something that is possible or liable to happen once), while the later - a continuous capacity.

Derived terms

• -имя (-imja)
• -имост (-imost)

Related terms

• -ом (-om)
• -аем (-aem)
• -ваем (-vaem), -уем (-uem)
• -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