The purpose of the article is to clarify the real status of verb in the deictic system of the language. On the material of languages ​​of different types, phenomena are considered, one way or another connected with a verb (predicate) by relations of substitution and indication: wide-meaning verbs, their combinations with some demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite pronouns, substitute constructions that replace in speech an escaped memory or ellipsed verb, etc. According to the author, these linguistic elements are not verbs, ie. pronouns proper, the formation of which is directly related to the use of deictic particles. Places should be considered verbs that also have primary deictic roots, such as the Evenk ē- “* whatit”, eri-ң-te- “* to do it”, tar-ң-ta “* to make up” or the North Russian togovotat. The author believes that verbosity is directly related to the referential function of language. They are potential rather than consistently verbalized categories. Forming in discourse, verbosity remains a fact of speech, only sometimes rising to the level of the language system.