Grammar Home
Course%20Info Lessons Texts Grammar Credit%20Exercises Links
Site%20Index

Weak Verbs and Sound Changes Relevant to Them

There are three classes of weak verbs in Old English. These verbs form their preterite and past participle by adding a dental suffix. Click for:




Class 1


Present Indicativefremmannerianhieran
(a)(a)(b)
Sg. 1fremmeneriehiere
2fremestneresthierst
3fremeþnereþhierþ
Pl.fremmaþneriaþhieraþ
Imperative
Sg.fremenerehier
Pl.fremmaþneriaþhieraþ
Present Subjunctive
Sg.fremmeneriehiere
Pl.fremmennerienhieren
Preterite Indicative
Sg. 1fremedeneredehierde
2fremedestneredesthierdest
3fremedeneredehierde
Pl.fremedonneredonhierdon
Preterite Subjunctive
Sg.fremedeneredehierde
Pl.fremedenneredenhierden
Infl. Infto fremmenneto nerienneto hierenne
Pres. Ptc.fremmendeneriendehierende
Past Ptc.(ge)fremed(ge)nered(ge)hiered


Note that fremmansometimes loses an m, nerian its i and hieran loses an e in the inflexional endings. The "losses" occur in the following places:

Return to the top of this page

Class 2

Infinitivelufian
Present IndicativePreterite Indicative
Sg. 1lufielufode
Sg. 2lufastlufodest
Sg. 3lufaþlufode
Pl.lufiaþlufodon
Present SubjunctivePreterite Subjunctive
Sg.lufielufode
Pl.lufienlufoden
Imperative
Sg.
lufa
Pl.
lufiaþ
Inflected Infinitive
to lufienne
Present ParticiplePast Participle
lufiende(ge)lufod


All Class 2 weak verbs have an infinitive ending in -ian. However, most verbs ending in -rian are Class 1 verbs, like nerian.

Return to the top of this page

Class 3

Present Indicativehabbanhycgan
Sg. 1hæbbehycge
2hæfst

hafast

hygst

hogast

3hæfþ

hafaþ

hygþ

hogaþ

Plhabbaþhycgaþ
Present Subjunctive
Sghæbbehycge
Plhæbbenhycgen
Imperative
Sg.hafahoga, hyge
Pl.habbaþhycgaþ
Preterite Indicative
Sg.hæfdehog(o)de
Pl.hæfdonhog(o)don
Preterite Subjunctive
Sg.hæfdehog(o)de
Pl.hæfdenhog(o)den


Return to the top of this page

Exceptions


Some weak verbs change their stem vowel in the preterite and past participle, as well as adding a dental suffix. A modern English example is seek, which becomes sought in the past. The following is a brief table of the most important exceptions:

InfinitivePreterite Sg.Past Participle
secan "seek"sohtesoht
sellan "give"sealdeseald
cwellan "kill"cwealdecweald
þencan "think"þohteþoht
brengan "bring"brohtebroht
þyncan "seem"þuhteþuht
bycgan "buy"bohteboht
wyrcan "work"worhteworht



Return to the top of this page

|[ HOME ]|[ Course Information ]|[ Lessons ]|[ Texts ]|[ Grammar ]|[ Credit Exercises ]|[ Links ]|[ Site Index ]|

Contact: Murray McGillivray at mmcgilli@acs.ucalgary.ca or the Listserv at mailto:eg401-m@acs.ucalgary.ca