Strong: Form their preterites and past participles using vowel gradation:
singan > sang > sungon > sungen
Weak: form their preterites and past participles by adding a dental suffix d/t:
lǣran > lǣrde > lǣrdon > lǣred
Anomalous: do not answer to these categories, or combine them.
All verb classes commonly prefix the past ptc. with ge-:
gesungen, gelǣred
ic fremme | wē fremmað |
þū fremest | gē fremmað |
hē fremeð | hīe fremmað |
Cf. early Modern English ‘I do, thou dost, he doth’.
ic fremme | wē fremmað |
þū fremest | gē fremmað |
hē fremeð | hīe fremmað |
ic fremme
ic fremede
ic hæbbe gefremed
ic hæfde gefremed
þæt wæs gefremed
hē sceal fremman
is fela tō fremmenne
ic fremme | wē fremmað |
þū fremest | gē fremmað |
hē fremeð | hīe fremmað |
ic fremede | wē fremedon |
þū fremedest | gē fremedon |
hē fremede | hīe fremedon |
ic scīne | wē scīnað |
þū scīnest | gē scīnað |
hē scīneð | hīe scīnað |
ic scān | wē scinon |
þū scine | gē scinon |
hē scān | hīe scinon |
class | first | fronted | second | third | fourth | cf. |
1 | scīnan | scān | scinon | scinen | scheinen | |
2 | crēopan | crīepþ | crēap | crupon | cropen | frieren |
3 | bregdan | britt | brægd | brugdon | brogden | bergen |
4 | beran | birþ | bær | bǣron | boren | gebären |
5 | tredan | tritt | træd | trǣdon | treden | treten |
6 | faran | færst | fōr | fōron | faren | fahren |
7 | healdan | healdeþ | hēold | hēoldon | healden | halten |
7 | hātan | hǣt | hēt | hēton | hāten | heißen |
class | first | fronted | second | third | fourth |
1 | ī | ā | i | i | |
2 | ēo | īe | ēa | u | o |
3 | eCC | iCC | æCC | uCC | oCC |
4 | e | i | æ | ǣ | o |
5 | e | i | æ | ǣ | e |
6 | a | æ | ō | ō | a |
7 | X | X-fronted | Y | Y | X |
Hēo fremeþ þæt
Ic wille, þæt hēo fremme þæt (cf. ‘that she do that’)
Ic wille, þæt wē fremmen þæt
Ic wolde, þæt hēo fremede þæt
Ic wolde, þæt wē fremeden þæt
Freme þæt!
Fremmaþ þæt!
Only the verb hātan can be used as a true passive verb:
Saga hwæt ic hātte
(Cf. Sum consul Boetius wæs hāten, formed with bēon.)
bēon, wesan “to be” | |||||||
present indicative | present subjunctive | ||||||
1sg | ic eom/bēo | 1pl | wē sindon/bēoþ | 1sg | ic sīe/bēo | 1pl | wē sīen/bēon |
2sg | þū eart/bist | 2pl | gē sindon/bēoþ | 2sg | þū sīe/bēo | 2pl | gē sīen/bēon |
3sg | hē is/biþ | 3pl | hīe sindon/bēoþ | 3sg | hē sīe/bēo | 3pl | hīe sīen/bēon |
preterite indicative | preterite subjunctive | ||||||
1sg | ic wæs | 1pl | wē wǣron | 1sg | ic wǣre | 1pl | wē wǣren |
2sg | þū wǣre | 2pl | gē wǣron | 2sg | þū wǣre | 2pl | gē wǣren |
3sg | hē wæs | 3pl | hīe wǣron | 3sg | hē wǣre | 3pl | hīe wǣren |
past participle | (gebēon) | imperative sg | wes/bēo | pl | wesaþ/bēoþ |