Chapter 7 Anomalous Verbs

 7.1. Several common OE verbs sre so irregular ("anomalous") that they stand apart. These verbs are: 1. bēon (wesan), to be ; 2. willan, to will, to wish; 3. dōn, to do, to cause; 4. gān, to go.

7.2. The verb to be is a composite of parts supplied from three seperate stems: bēon, is, and wesan.

_____Present _______________ Preterit (Past)
INDICATIVE
Sing.1iceombēowæs
2þūeartbistwǣre
3hē
hit
hēo		}isbiðwæs
Plur.1
2
3		wē
gē
hīe		}sind, sint, sindonbēoðwǣron
SUBJUNCTIVE
Sing.1 - 3__sīe, sī, sēobēowǣre
Plur.1 - 3__sīen, sīnbēonwǣren
IMPERATIVE
Sing.2__bēo,wes
Plur.2__bēoð,wesað
INFINITIVEINFLECTED INFINITIVE1
___bēon,wesantō bēonne
PARTICIPLE
___bēonde,wesende

7.3. OE verbs lack an inflected Future tense; they use the Present tense forms to express future time as well as present. (This is still true of the MnE present tense.) The verb to be is unique in OE in having alternate forms, bēon and wesan. Forms of bēon are generally limited to the future, those of wesan to the present. (See for example the sentence in Selection 9, the Blickling Homily, p. 201, 11. 98-99.)

Negative Forms

7.4. Negative forms are produced by contraction when the negative particle ne, prefixed to the form, becomes combined with it. The n- becomes the initial cononant of the contracted form (displacing initial w if there is one) and the stressed vowel is preserved. Thus ne + eom ˃ neom; ne + wæs ˃ næs. Similarly formed are nis, nǣre, nǣron.

Exercise 1. Read the following sentences aloud. Translate them. Identify the person, number, tense, and mood of the finite forms; identify also the infinitive and participle forms.

  1. Bēoð gē stille.
  2. Hīe ne sindon englas.
  3. Wes ðū beald!
  4. Wē nǣron on Engla londe.
  5. Sōna biþ hēo mid ēow.
  6. Hwǣr wǣre ðū?
  7. Þæt wæs mīn wīf.
  8. Wīs is hālig tō bēonne.
  9. Neom ic ðīn brōðor?
  10. Ic wille þæt gē sīen hēr.

7.5. Willan

_____Present _______________ Preterit
INDICATIVE
Sing.1_wille,wilewolde
_2wilt_woldest
_3wille,wilewolde
Plur.1 - 3_willað_woldon
SUBJUNCTIVE
Sing.1 - 3_wille,wilewolde
Plur.1 - 3_willen_wolden
IMPERATIVE
Plur.2_nyllað,nellað(only in the negative)
INFINITIVE
___willan
PARTICIPLE
___willende

7.6. dōn

_____Present _______________ Preterit
INDICATIVE
Sing.1_dō_dyde
2_dēst_dydest
3_dēð_dyde
Plur.1 - 3_dōð_dydon
SUBJUNCTIVE
Sing.1-3_dō_dyde
Plur.1-3_dōn_dyden
IMPERATIVE
Sing.2_dō
Plur.2_dōð
INFINITIVE
___dōn(Inflected)tō dōnne
PARTICIPLE
___dōnde_dōn

7.7. gān

_____Present _______________ Preterit
INDICATIVE
Sing.1_gā,_ēode
2_gǣst_ēodest
3_gǣð_ēode
Plur.1 - 3_gǣð_ēodon
SUBJUNCTIVE
Sing.1-3_gā_ēode
Plur.1-3_gān_ēoden
IMPERATIVE
Sing.2_gā
Plur.2_gāð
INFINITIVE
___gān(Inflected)tō gānne
PARTICIPLE
___gānde_gān
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Exercise 2. Read the following sentences aloud. Translate them. Identify the person, number, tense, and mood of the finite forms. Identify also the infinitive and participle forms.

  1. Dōð þæt weorc.
  2. Wilt ðū mē helpan?
  3. Hē gæð hwǣrswā [wherever] hēo bēo.
  4. Hīe woldon hēr cuman.
  5. Ic dyde þæt hīe eoden.
FOOTNOTE

1The "inflected Infinitive" is, specifically, its Dative case. (Some grammars call this the "OE Gerund" though the term does not properly apply.) It is regularly preceded by the preposition tō, forming with it a phrase often best translated into MnE by the Infinitive. It is frequently used to express purpose.

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