The Infinitive as an attribute

In this function the Infinitive is used after class and abstract nouns 

(desire, beauty, time, assistance, etc.), expressions of quantity (plenty, 

much, little, etc.), indefinite pronouns (somebody, something, no one, 

nothing, etc.), ordinal numerals and the adjective 

last

.

NOTE: 

both active and passive forms of the Infinitive 

are possible but Active Infinitive is more usual.

There is plenty

 

– 

There’s a difference in meaning between the following set 

phrases: 

Something / anything / nothing       something / anything / nothing

t

o do 

There’s nothing to do.  

           There’s nothing to be done.

Нечем заняться.    

            Ничего не поделаешь.

– The Infinitive is mostly translated by an attributive clause which 

This question will be discussed at the conference shortly 

in Moscow. 

 вскоре 

 (вскоре откроется) в Москве.

– The Perfect Infinitive Passive in the function of an attribute points 

to the action which was to take place but it wasn’t performed. The 

Infinitive in this function often expresses modality.

Examinations were 

 at the beginning of June.

Экзамены должны были быть сданы в начале июня (но не 

были сданы).

– After the words 

the last 

and

 the Infinitive in this 

function is translated by the finite verb in the required form. 

He was 

 his hand to me. 

Он был 

первым, кто (который) протянул

 мне руку.

– The Passive Infinitive in the attributive function preserves the 

preposition of the verb and it’s mostly translated by an indefinite 

personal sentence. 

There was nothing 

.

Удивляться было нечему.

an adjective, participle or noun with a preposition.

The shape of things 

to come

 is shown by the data obtained by the 

experts.

О характере 

 событий можно судить по дан-

ным, полученным специалистами (экспертами).

– Depending on the context the Infinitive used attributively may be 

rendered as a simple sentence; modality is expressed lexically.

He had no objections 

.

У него не было возражений.