====== Infinitive ======
**//Infinitive//** is the //nonfinite// form of [[grammar_verb|verb]], which means that it doesn't require subject or object (but may have). 

For many years in various [[black_speech_dialects|Neo Black Speech dialects]] suffix //-at// was used for infinitives, taken from literal translation of [[ring-verse|Ring Inscription]]. But on year 2007 in the issue 17 of journal "Parma Eldalamberon" it's  analysis by J.R.R. Tolkien himself was published. And there was stated that //-at// was suffix of some sort of participle, but with another translation into gerund. So it resembles Latin's [[grammar_gerundive|Gerundive]].

In [[Nûrlâm]] there is only one form of infinitive, which is formed by adding suffix //-ut// to the verb's stem. Some [[modal verbs]], such as "maug" (must) or "gâkh" (may), do not have infinitive form. Additional forms of English Infinitive (passive, perfect, progressive) are technically a clauses with auxiliary verbs and infinitives, and being translated as such. Moreover such complex forms of infinitive usually express some irrealis (not indicative) [[grammar_mood|modalities]] or used together with [[syntax_impersonal|impersonal]] [[syntax_parenthesis|parenthesis]] which may be transformed into more simple form with relative clauses. However suffixes of aspect may be added in Nûrlâm (for example //-ûk//, thus resembling active perfect infinitive), and simple passive infinitive may be expressed with gerundive. Examples:
  * "He seems to have done his job" = "It seems, he have done his job" => "Bozdâ takrampuz bul takob" (infinitive is not used at all in Nûrlâm)  
  * "He appears to have reported already" = "It turned out that he have reported already" => "Thakuzâtûk zamash tagauthuz dok" (again, no infinitive);
  * "Orc was glad to have killed elves before" => "Ash uruk kuz glaz dog__ut__ûk golug dok"; but for better clarity it's better render the phrase as "Orc was glad that he killed elves before" => "Ash uruk kuz glaz zamash tadoguz golug dok";
  * "I expect this job to be done tomorrow" => "Dadarb za bul kulâ krampat ârshab" (Nûrlâm uses gerundive instead of infinitive to show passive meaning)

The role of infinitives in the sentence are restricted to:
  * Part of complex [[syntax_predicate|predicate]] (predicative): "I __like to kill__ elves" = "Da__brogb dogut__ golughai";
  * [[syntax_subject|Subject]] (counted as 3rd person singular): "__To live__ is to die" = "__Kîbut__ kulâ matut", "__To spare__ an enemy is not proper orcish behavior" = "__Kaskut__ ash goth kulâ narthan okturm urukhaib";
  * [[syntax_object|Object]]: "To live is __to die__" = "Kîbut kulâ __matut__";

Infinitive is rarely used in Nûrlâm as modifier, adverbial and after verb "to be", as the [[grammar_gerundive|Gerundive]] should be used instead (as in [[ring-verse|Ring Inscription]]). Infinitive in Nûrlâm may replace English gerund (despite the term "gerundive" seeming similar). Infinitive can take other words to form a non-finite clause. Pronominal objective suffixes can be attached to infinitives, the same way as to gerundives in Ring Inscription (e.g. //krimputul// = to bind them). When used as object, infinitive may be joined by the postposition; in that case, it is written separately after the infinitive.

---------------------------
===== Dictionary form =====
Unlike many languages, the infinitive is not a dictionary form of verbs in Nûrlâm, with //[[mood_imperative|Imperative/Jussive]]// being such form. However jussive form (without suffix //-ut//) is sometimes called "bare infinitive". But this term should not be confused with English bare infinitive. Modal verbs in Nûrlâm always require full infinitive (with suffix //-ut//) as their predicative, while bare infinitive of Nûrlâm is restricted to few [[grammar_mood|modalities]].

-------------------------------------------
===== Infinitive in Colloquial Speech =====
Nûrlâm's author suggests the reason of adopting gerundive suffix //-at// for infinitive in late [[black_speech_dialects|orcish dialects]] (as Svartiska or Shadowlandian). Because of similarity gerundives and infinitives were often interchangeable in colloquial speech. As gerundives were used more frequently, in Modern Nûrlâm infinitives took gerundive's ending //-at// and its functions, but combined grammatical form is called infinitive.

--------------------------------------------------
===== Infinitive vs. Gerundive summary table =====
Here is comparison chart summarizing distinctions between Infinitive and Gerundive:

{{page>include:Infinitive_vs_Gerundive}}

------------------
==== See also ====

  - Black Speech at [[https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noir_parler|French Wikipedia]]