Chapter XXI: Weak Verbs (§ 18)

122. The verbs belonging to the Weak Conjugation are generally of more recent origin than the strong verbs, being frequently formed from the roots of strong verbs. The Weak Conjugation was the growing conjugation in O.E. as it is in Mn.E. We instinctively put our newly coined or borrowed words into this conjugation (_telegraphed_, _boycotted_); and children, by the analogy of weak verbs, say _runned_ for _ran_, _seed_ for _saw_, _teared_ for _tore_, _drawed_ for _drew_, and _growed_ for _grew_. So, for example, when Latin _dictâre_ and _breviâre_ came into O.E., they came as weak verbs, #dihtian# and #brêfian#.

#The Three Classes of Weak Verbs.#

123. There is no difficulty in telling, from the infinitive alone, to which of the three classes a weak verb belongs. Class III has been so invaded by Class II that but three important verbs remain to it: #habban#, _to have_; #libban#, _to live_; and #secgan#, _to say_. Distinction is to be made, therefore, only between Classes II and I. Class II contains the verbs with infinitive in -ian not preceded by r. Class I contains the remaining weak verbs; that is, those with infinitive in #-r-ian# and those with infinitive in -an (not -ian).

#Class I.#

124. The preterit singular and past participle of Class I end in -ede and -ed, or -de and -ed respectively.

NOTE.--The infinitives of this class ended originally in -jan (=
-ian). This accounts for the prevalence of i-umlaut in these
verbs, and also for the large number of short-voweled stems ending
in a double consonant (§ 115, Note 2). The weak verb is frequently
the causative of the corresponding strong verb. In such cases, the
root of the weak verb corresponds in form to the preterit singular
of the strong verb: Mn.E. _drench_ (= _to make drink_), _lay_ (=
_to make lie_), _rear_ (= _to make rise_), and _set_ (= _to make
sit_), are the umlauted forms of #dronc# (preterit singular of
#drincan#), #læg# (preterit singular of #licgan#), #râs# (preterit
singular of #rîsan#), and #sæt# (preterit singular of #sittan#).

#Preterit and Past Participle in _-ede_ and _-ed_.#

125. Verbs with infinitive in -an preceded by ri- or the double consonants mm, nn, ss, bb, cg (= gg), add -ede for the preterit, and -ed for the past participle, the double consonant being always made single:

ri: neri-an, ner-ede, gener-ed, _to save_.
mm: fremm-an, frem-ede, gefrem-ed, _to perform_ [frame].
nn: ðenn-an, ðen-ede, geðen-ed, _to extend_.
ss: cnyss-an, cnys-ede, gecnys-ed, _to beat_.
bb: swebb-an, swef-ede, geswef-ed, _to put to sleep_.
cg: wecg-an, weg-ede, geweg-ed, _to agitate_.

NOTE.--#Lecgan#, _to lay_, is the only one of these verbs that
syncopates the e: #lecgan#, #legde# (#lêde#), #gelegd# (#gelêd#),
instead of #legede#, #geleged#.

#Preterit and Past Participle in _-de_ and _-ed_.#

126. All the other verbs belonging to Class I. add -de for the preterit and -ed for the past participle. This division includes, therefore, all stems long by nature (§ 10, (3), (_a_)):

dæ:l-an, dæ:l-de, gedæ:l-ed, _to deal out, divide_ [dæ:l].
dêm-an, dêm-de, gedêm-ed, _to judge_ [dôm].
grêt-an, grêt-te, gegrêt-ed, _to greet_.
hîer-an, hîer-de, gehîer-ed, _to hear_.
læ:d-an, læ:d-de, gelæ:d-ed, _to lead_.

NOTE 1.--A preceding voiceless consonant (§ 9, Note) changes -de
into -te: #*grêt-de# > #grêt-te#; #*mêt-de# > #mêt-te#; #*îec-de#
> #îec-te#. Syncope and contraction are also frequent in the
participles: #gegrêt-ed# > #*gegrêt-d# > #gegrêt(t)#; #gelæ:d-ed# >
#gelæ:d(d)#.

NOTE 2.--#Bûan#, _to dwell, cultivate_, has an admixture of
strong forms in the past participle: #bûan#, #bûde#, #gebûd#
(#by:n#, #gebûn#). The present participle survives in Mn.E.
_husband_ = _house-dweller_.

127. It includes, also, all stems long by position (§ 10, (3), (_b_)) except those in mm, nn, ss, bb, and cg (§ 125):

send-an, send-e, gesend-ed, _to send_.
sett-an, set-te, geset-ed, _to set_ [sittan].
sigl-an, sigl-de, gesigl-ed, _to sail_.
spend-an, spend-e, gespend-ed, _to spend_.
tredd-an, tred-de, getred-ed, _to tread_.

NOTE.--The participles frequently undergo syncope and contraction:
#gesended# > #gesend#; #geseted# > #geset(t)#; #gespended# >
#gespend#; #getreded# > #getred(d)#.

#Irregular Verbs of Class I.#

128. There are about twenty verbs belonging to Class I that are irregular in having no umlaut in the preterit and past participle. The preterit ends in -de, the past participle in -d; but, through the influence of a preceding voiceless consonant (§ 9, Note), -ed is generally unvoiced to -te, and -d to -t. The most important of these verbs are as follows:

bring-an, brôh-te, gebrôh-t, _to bring_.
byc-gan, boh-te, geboh-t, _to buy_.
sêc-an, sôh-te, gesôh-t, _to seek_.
sell-an, seal-de, geseal-d, _to give, sell_ [hand-sel].
tæ:c-an, tæ:h-te, getæ:h-t, _to teach_.
tell-an, teal-de, geteal-d, _to count_ [tell].
ðenc-an, ðôh-te, geðôh-t, _to think_.
ðync-an, ðûh-te, geðûh-t, _to seem_ [methinks].
wyrc-an, worh-te, geworh-t, _to work_.

NOTE.--Such of these verbs as have stems in c or g are frequently
written with an inserted e: #bycgean#, #sêcean#, #tæ:cean#, etc.
This e indicates that c and g have palatal value; that is, are to
be followed with a vanishing y-sound. In such cases, O.E. c
usually passes into Mn.E. _ch_: #tæ:c(e)an# > _to teach_;
#ræ:c(e)an# > _to reach_; #strecc(e)an# > _to stretch_. #Sêc(e)an#
gives _beseech_ as well as _seek_. See § 8.

#Conjugation of Class I.#

129. Paradigms of #nerian#, _to save_; #fremman#, _to perform_; #dæ:lan#, _to divide_:

#Indicative.#

PRESENT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic nerie fremme dæ:le
2. ðû nerest fremest dæ:lst
3. hê nereð fremeð dæ:lð

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } neriað fremmað dæ:lað
3. hîe }

PRETERIT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic nerede fremede dæ:lde
2. ðû neredest fremedest dæ:ldest
3. hê nerede fremede dæ:lde

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } neredon fremedon dæ:ldon
3. hîe }

#Subjunctive.#

PRESENT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic }
2. ðû } nerie fremme dæ:le
3. hê }

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } nerien fremmen dæ:len
3. hîe }

PRETERIT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic }
2. ðû } nerede fremede dæ:lde
3. hê }

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } nereden fremeden dæ:lden
3. hîe }

#Imperative.#

_Sing._ 2. nere freme dæ:l

_Plur._ 1. nerian fremman dæ:lan
2. neriað fremmað dæ:lað

#Infinitive.#

nerian fremman dæ:lan

#Gerund.#

tô nerianne (-enne) tô fremmanne (-enne) tô dæ:lanne (-enne)

#Present Participle.#

neriende fremmende dæ:lende

#Past Participle.#

genered gefremed gedæ:led

NOTE.--The endings of the preterit present no difficulties; in the
2d and 3d singular present, however, the student will observe
(_a_) that double consonants in the stem are made single:
#fremest#, #fremeð# (not #*freemmest#, #*freemmeð#); #ðenest#,
#ðeneð#; #setest# (#setst#), #seeteð# (#sett#); #fylst#, #fylð#,
from #fyllan#, _to fill_; (_b_) that syncope is the rule in stems
long by nature: #dæ:lst# (< #dæ:lest#), #dæ:lð# (< #dæ:leð#); #dêmst#
(< #dêmest#), #dêmð# (< #dêmeð#); #hîerst# (< #hîerest#), #hîerð#
(< #hîereð#). Double consonants are also made single in the
imperative 2d singular and in the past participle. Stems long by
nature take no final -e in the imperative: #dæ:l#, #hîer#, #dêm#.

#Class II.#

130. The infinitive of verbs belonging to this class ends in -ian (not #-r-ian#), the preterit singular in -ode, the past participle in -od. The preterit plural usually has #-edon#, however, instead of #-odon#:

eard-ian, eard-ode, geeard-od, _to dwell_ [eorðe].
luf-ian, luf-ode, geluf-od, _to love_ [lufu].
rîcs-ian, rîcs-ode, gerîcs-od, _to rule_ [rîce].
sealf-ian, sealf-ode, gesealf-od, _to anoint_ [salve].
segl-ian, segl-ode, gesegl-od, _to sail_ [segel].

NOTE.--These verbs have no trace of original umlaut, since their
-ian was once #-ôjan#. Hence, the vowel of the stem was shielded
from the influence of the j (= i) by the interposition of ô.

#Conjugation of Class II.#

131. Paradigm of #lufian#, _to love_:

#Indicative.# #Subjunctive.#

PRESENT. PRESENT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic lufie _Sing._ 1. Ic }
2. ðu lufast 2. ðû } lufie
3. hê lufað 3. hê }

_Plur._ 1. wê } _Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } lufiað 2. gê } lufien
3. hîe } 3. hîe }

PRETERIT. PRETERIT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic lufode _Sing._ 1. Ic }
2. ðû lufodest 2. ðû } lufode
3. hê lufode 3. hê }

_Plur._ 1. wê } _Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } lufedon (-odon) 2. gê } lufeden (-oden)
3. hîe } 3. hîe }

#Imperative.# #Infinitive.# #Present Participle.#

_Sing._ 2. lufa lufian lufiende
_Plur._ 1. lufian
2. lufiað

#Gerund.# #Past Participle.#

tô lufianne (-enne) gelufod

NOTE 1.--The -ie (-ien) occurring in the present must be
pronounced as a dissyllable. The y-sound thus interposed between
the i and e is frequently indicated by the letter g: #lufie#, or
#lufige#; #lufien#, or #lufigen#. So also for ia: #lufiað#, or
#lufigað#; #lufian#, or #lufig(e)an#.

NOTE 2.--In the preterit singular, -ade, -ude, and -ede are not
infrequent for -ode.

#Class III.#

132. The few verbs belonging here show a blending of Classes I and II. Like certain verbs of Class I (§ 128), the preterit and past participle are formed by adding -de and -d; like Class II, the 2d and 3d present indicative singular end in -ast and -að, the imperative 2d singular in -a:

habb-an, hæf-de, gehæf-d, _to have_.
libb-an, lif-de, gelif-d, _to live_.
secg-an, sæ:d-e (sæg-de), gesæ:d (gesæg-d), _to say_.

#Conjugation of Class III.#

133. Paradigms of #habban#, _to have_; #libban#, _to live_; #secgan#, _to say_.

#Indicative.#

PRESENT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic hæbbe libbe secge
2. ðû hæfst (hafast) lifast sægst (sagast)
3. hê hæfð (hafað) lifað sægð (sagað)

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } habbað libbað secgað
3. hîe }

PRETERIT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic hæfde lifde sæ:de
2. ðû hæfdest lifdest sæ:dest
3. hê hæfde lifde sæ:de

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } hæfdon lifdon sæ:don
3. hîe }

#Subjunctive.#

PRESENT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic }
2. ðû } hæbbe libbe secge
3. hê }

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } hæbben libben secgen
3. hîe }

PRETERIT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic }
2. ðû } hæfde lifde sæ:de
3. hê }

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } hæfden lifden sæ:den
3. hîe }

#Imperative.#

_Sing._ 2. hafa lifa saga
_Plur._ 1. habban libban secgan
2. habbað libbað secgað

#Infinitive.#

habban libban secgan

#Gerund.#

tô habbanne (-enne) tô libbanne (-enne) tô secganne (-enne)

#Present Participle.#

hæbbende libbende secgende

#Past Participle.#

gehæfd gelifd gesæ:d