Verbs: Present Tense


In Premodern English verbs fall into the same main groups that English-speakers become familiar with at childhood: we learn some verbs that add d to show past tense and some verbs that change their vowel to do so. The first group is called "Weak Verbs" and the second "Strong Verbs". In some weak verbs, the d in the past tense shows up as t instead, as in the word kept. In others, there are also other changes in the word, as in told and thought. But whatever changes accompany the word, if d or t is added in the past tense, you know it is a weak verb. If it doesn't show up, but a vowel changes to show past tense instead, then you know it is a strong verb.

Both weak and strong verbs have the same general endings for the present tense. They may differ slightly from those listed below, but they correspond to the same pattern. As long as you know these endings, you know how the present tense works.


Present Tense:




First Person:       e
Second Person:       est
Third Person:      eð
Plural:       að
Participle:      ende



             ic ride "I ride"
            þu ridest "thou ridest"
            he/heo/hit rideð "he/she/it rides"
            we/ge/hie ridað "we/ye/they ride"
             ridende "riding"





When a verb ends in o or a the vowel of the verb ending is absorbed into the vowel of the verb itself.

ic do (instead of doe) "I do"
ic fleo (instead of fleoe) "I flee"
ic ga (not gae) "I go"
ic þwea (not fleoe) "I wash"







Est and Eð

Most minor differences one may find are in the forms with est and eð. Sometimes the verb itself is shortened, sometimes the ending is shortened, sometimes the ending has a different vowel, sometimes it omits a vowel, etc. Although none of these differences is of much importance, it is helpful to have some awareness of them.



Group 1: Shorter Verbs, Unshorter Endings


Most forms in this group have a shorter form of the verb itself (e.g fremm- is frem- in fremest and fremeð, neri- is ner- in nerest and nereð, etc.) and some are accompanied by other sound-changes (e.g swebb- is swef- in swefest and swefeð), but the verb-endings est and eð are usually kept in tact. Since -cg is a special spelling for gg, indicating the soft pronunciation "-dge", verbs with this sound are also listed under "Verbs with twin consonants".



Verbs with twin consonants
fremm- "perform"fremest            fremeð
trymm- "strengthen"trymest              trymeð
tell- "tell"telest            teleð
strecc- "stretch"strecest            streceð
swebb- "put to sleep"swefest            swefeð
hebb- "lift"hefest            hefeð
lecg- "lay"legest            legeð
bycge- "buy"bygest            bygeð
licg- "lie down"ligest            ligeð
þicg- "receive"þigest            þigeð
These few have forms with the vowel a:
libb- "live"liofast            liofað
hæbb- "have"hafast or hæfst            hafað or hæfð
secg- "say"sagast or sægst            sægð
hycg- "think"hogast or hygst            hogað or hycð

Verbs with rw
gierw- "prepare"gierest            giereð
sierw- "contrive"sierest            siereð

Verbs with ri or rig
neri- or nerig- "save"nerest            nereð
snyri- or snyrig- "hasten"snyrest            snyreð

Verbs with i- or -ig
These always have an a in the endings
lufi or lufig- "dwell"lufast            lufað
eardi- or eardig- "dwell"eardast            eardað

Most verbs with consonant-groups ending in m, n, l or r
hyngr- "hunger"hungrest            hungreð
diegl-- "conceal"dieglest            diegleð




Group 2: Shorter Endings, Unshorter Verbs


Forms in this group often (but not always) shorten the endings est and eð to st and ð, but don't shorten the verb itself. Notice some vowels (eo, a, o, u) are altered into others (ei, æ, e, y).


Verbs with long vowels
dem- "deem"demst            demð
læf- "leave"læfst              læfð
dryg- "dry"drygst            drygð
hier- "hear"hierst              hierð
Verbs ending in o or a
do- "do"dest            deð
ga- "go"gæst            gæð
All others have an h:
fo- "seize"fehst              fehð
ho- "hang"hehst            hehð
seo- "see"siehst              siehð
fleo- "see"fliehst              fliehð
slea- "slay"sliehst              sliehð
þwea- "wash"þwiehst              þwiehð
Most verbs ending in two different consonants
seng- "singe"sengst              sengð


Verbs ending in d turn their d to t and turn the ending -ð to t as well. Words ending in s also turn the ending -ð to t.

rid- "ride" ritst (for ridest) ritt or rit (for rideð)
stand- "stand"stentst (for standest)stent (for standeð)
ceos- "choose"ciest (for ceosest)ciest (for ceoseð)
ris- "rise"rist (for risest)rist (for riseð)



Although second person ciest and rist are spelt the same as third person ciest and rist, they are easy to distinguish when another word is present:

þu ciest "thou choosest"
he ciest "he chooses"

þu rist "thou risest"
he rist "he rises"







Weak Verbs: Past Tense


The past tense-endings for weak verbs are:

Past Tense:




First Person:       ede
Second Person:       edest
Third Person:      ede
Plural:       edon
Participle:      ed



            ic hyngrede "I hungered"
            þu hyngredest "thou hungeredest"
            he/heo/hit hyngrede "he/she/it hungered"
            we/ge/hie hyngredon "we/ye/they hungered"
             hyngred "hungered"



Group 1 Weak Verbs

Group 1 weak verbs show most of the same peculiarities with the ending -ed- of the past tense as they do with the endings -est and -eð of the present tense (e.g. fremm- is frem- in fremed-, neri- is ner- in nered). A few verbs (those with -cg and the common verb hæbb- "have") however usually shorten the past-tense ending to d. Also, notice that verbs like lufi- "love" have od instead of ed.


fremm- "perform"              fremed- "performed"
lecg- "lay"              legd- "laid"
hæbb- "have"              hæfd- "had"
gierw- "prepare"              giered- "prepared"
neri- "save"              nered-- "saved"
lufi- "love"              lufod- "loved"
hyngr- "hunger"              hyngred- "hungered"



Group 2 Weak Verbs

As you saw earlier, verbs in Group 2 are the ones that often (but not always) shorten the endings est and eð to st and ð. Group 2 weak verbs predictably shorten ed to d as well:


dem- "deem"              demd- "deemed"
seng- "singe"              sengd- "singed"




Weak Verbs ending in d.

Weak verbs ending in d shorten ed to d. In words ending in nd, only -nd is used in the past tense as well. In Middle English, this -nd is turned to -nt, that we still use today in such words.

læd- "lead"              lædd- "led"
hredd- "save"              hred-d- "saved"
send- "send"              send (later sent) - "sent"




Voiceless Consonants

Weak verbs ending in voiceless consonants (c, p, s, t) shorten ed and turn it to t. In words ending in -st only -st shows up.

drenc- "drench"              drenct- "drenched"
cep "keep"              cept- "kept"
cyss- "kiss"              cyst- "kissed
met- "meet"              met-t- "met"
sett- "set"              set-t- "set"
fæst- "fasten"              fæst- "fastened"