Perífrasis verbales

Abstract

This chapter deals with verbal periphrases, i.e., auxiliary constructions consisting of a finite grammaticalized lexical verb and a main verb in the form of an infinitive, gerund or participle. The chapter provides an overview of the most important issues related to the study of this type of construction. Section 2 starts with a definition of verbal periphrases, on the basis of which two criteria are developed that distinguish periphrases from formally similar verbal constructions. Section 3 is dedicated to the most important semantic domains expressed by means of periphrastic constructions, aspect (3.1) and modality (3.2). In section 4, three topics of interest in relation to verbal periphrases are discussed. The first concerns periphrases based on verbs that have aspectual or modal meanings of their own (4.1), while the second discusses degrees of grammaticalization of periphrases that have developed out of fully lexical verbs. Section 4.3 presents a number of characteristics of Latin American Spanish usage, among these two periphrases unknown in Peninsular Spanish (vivir + gerund and dar + gerund). Section 5 presents three problems that require further research: (i) the functions of periphrastic constructions such as llegar a + infinitive and related ones, (ii) the challenging subject of the combinations of periphrases, and (iii) the use of the infinitive construction with ir a in rhetorical questions.