Weak VerbsThe group of weak verbs was more numerous than that of strong verbs. Their number was constantly growing since all new verbs derived from other stems were conjugated weak. Among weak verbs there were many derivatives of OE nouns and adjective stems [Rastorgueva, 2001].
OE talu n
| tellan v
| (NE tale, tell)
| OE full adj.
| fyllan v
| (NE full, fill)
| Weak verbs form their preterite tense and the past participle by means of a suffix containing d or t. These are the verbs with no stem-vowel changes in any tense. They are grouped into three classes:
1.To Class II belong verbs whose principal parts end in – ian, –ode, –od:
Infinitive
| Preterite
| Past Participle
| lufian (love)
| lufode
| lufod
| rīcsian (rule)
| rīcsode
| rīcsod
| 2.To Class III belong only four verbs:
secgan (say)
| sægde
| sægd
| habban (have)
| hæfde
| hæfd
| libban (live)
| lifde
| lifd
| hycgan (think)
| hogde
| (hogod)
| 3.All other weak verbs belong to Class I, with several subdivisions, e.g.
nerian (save)
| nerede
| nered
| timbran (build)
| timbrede
| timbred
| dēman (judge)
| dēmde
| dēmed
| sellan (give)
| sealde
| seald
| sēcan (seek)
| sōhte
| sōht
| wyrcan (work)
| worhte
| worht
|
The personal endings of the Present Indicative are as follows [dēman (to judge); timbran (to build); lufian (to love); erian (plough), sēcan (seek)].
| 1st
| 2nd
|
|
|
|
| 1.
| –e
| –ie
| dēme
| timbre
| lufie
| erie
| 2.
| –(e)st
| –ast
| dēmst
| timbrest
| lufast
| erest
| 3.
| –(e)þ
| –aþ
| dēmþ
| timbreþ
| lufaþ
| ereþ
| 1 – 3.
| –aþ
| –iaþ
| dēmaþ
| timbraþ
| lufiaþ
| eriaþ
|
|
|
| most of the weak verbs of Class I with a long root -syllable
| some weak verbs of Class I (hyngran; seglan; frefran)
| all weak verbs of Class II
| all weak verbs of Class I ending
in – ian
| The personal endings of the Preterite Indicative of weak verbs are identical for the three classes:
1.
| - e
| lufode
| dēmde
| timbrede
| erede
| sōhte
| 2.
| - est
| lufodest
| dēmdest
| timbredest
| erede
| sōhtest
| 3.
| - e
| lufode
| dēmde
| timbrede
| erede
| sōhte
| 1 – 3.
| -on
| lufodon
| dēmdon
| timbredon
| eredon
| sōhton
|
Date: 2014-12-22; view: 1519
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