Auxiliary verb
verb not bearing a meaning but instead serving a grammatical purpose
In English, an Auxiliary verb is a verb that changes or helps another verb. Auxiliary means "extra" or "different". Auxiliary verbs like do can be used to make a question. These verbs are usually used with other verbs.
Basic examples change
Below are some sentences that use auxiliary verbs from English, Spanish, German, and French, with the auxiliary verb in bold:
- a. Do you want tea? – do is an auxiliary verb that changes the main verb want to make a question – see do-support.
- b. He has given his all. – has is an auxiliary used to say the perfect form of give.
- c. He cogido tu lápiz. – he is an auxiliary accompanying the main verb coger, used here to make a compound verb, the perfect present of the verb coger.[1]
- (I) have grabbed your pencil = 'I have taken your pencil.'
- c. He cogido tu lápiz. – he is an auxiliary accompanying the main verb coger, used here to make a compound verb, the perfect present of the verb coger.[1]
- d. Das wurde mehrmals gesagt. – wurde 'became' is an auxiliary used to make the passive voice in German.[2]
- That became many times said = 'That was said many times.'
- d. Das wurde mehrmals gesagt. – wurde 'became' is an auxiliary used to make the passive voice in German.[2]
- e. Sie ist nach Hause gegangen. – ist 'is' is an auxiliary used with movement verbs to make the perfect tense in German.[3]
- She is to home gone = 'She went home/She has gone home.'
- e. Sie ist nach Hause gegangen. – ist 'is' is an auxiliary used with movement verbs to make the perfect tense in German.[3]
- f. Nous sommes hébergés par un ami. – sommes 'are' is an auxiliary verb used to make the passive voice in French.[5]
- We are hosted by a friend.
- f. Nous sommes hébergés par un ami. – sommes 'are' is an auxiliary verb used to make the passive voice in French.[5]
These auxiliaries help make a question, show tense, or make passive voice. Auxiliaries like these usually appear with a normal verb that carries the main meaning of that part of the sentence.
References change
- ↑ To learn about the Spanish auxiliary verb coger, see https://chimichurris1ba.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/manual-sintaxis-1c2ba-bachillerato.pdf.
- ↑ To learn about the German auxiliary verb werden, see Engel (1994:114).
- ↑ To learn about the German auxiliary verb sein, used to form perfect tense, see Eroms (2000:138f.)
- ↑ To pick between the French auxiliary verbs avoir and être, which are used to make the perfect tense/aspect, see Rowlett (2007:40f.).
- ↑ To learn about the French auxiliary verb être, which is used to make the passive voice in French, see Rowlett (2007:44f.).