Verb paradigms

In the combination sonant + occlusive, r, l, m, n were initially syllable-forming sounds, but already in the Common Germanic period, before r, l, m, n there began to appear the so-called epenthetic (inserted) vowel, which in Gothic always produced [-u-]

The third (preterite plural) form of this (IV) class of Gothic (and other Germanic languages) features vowel [-ē-] instead of the epenthetic vowel in above classes. The origin of this vowel is the subject of multiple hypotheses. The same lengthened vowel [-ē-] also appears in the third form of the V class strong verbs.

Some verbs of this class displayed certain anomalies in forming past tense forms. Namely, the verb bidjan (to pray; to beg, request) lost in the preterite its vowel -j- (e.g. ik bidja (I pray), but bedun (they prayed/asked)), while the verb fraíhnan (to inquire) lost in the preterite its consonant -n-.

Some verbs of this class displayed certain anomalies in forming past tense forms. Namely, the verb andhafjan (to answer) lost in the preterite its vowel -j-, while standan (to stand) – lost its consonant n.

The repetition mainly involves the first consonant, followed by aí [-ɛ-], which may or may not be accompanied by ablaut: e.g. maitan - maímait, letan - laílot.

When a verb begins with a cluster of two consonants, repeated is only one of them: e.g. fraisan - faífrais. The combinations sk, st are the exception from this rule: e.g. skaidan - skaískaiþ, (ga)staldan - (ga)staístald. In case of verbs with the initial vowel, the verb root is preceded by aí- : e.g. aukan - aíauk.

Redublicating verbs without ablaut, or non-gradationa reduplicating verbs are subdivided into several classes according to the vocalization of the present tense stem (classes: ai [ai], au [au], a, ē, ō).

This group includes only those verbs, which have present tense stem vowel ē and preterite tense vowel ō. Accordingly, in this group we have the ablaut of ē → ō type (along with reduplication).

Basing on the data from the Icelandic, it is believed that the Gothic verb bnauan (to rub) belonged to the class of irregular reduplicating verbs. Surviving Gothic sources contain one form of this verb: present participle bnauands (in masc pl, Nom - bnauandans (those rubbing) Luk. VI, 1).

Some degree of atypicality is also displayed by the verbal root hahan (to hang), which is a reduplicating verb in its transitive sense (ushaihah sik (hanged himself)), while in its intransitive sense, builds its preterite forms like class 3 weak verbs do (hahaida - (hung, was suspended)).

It is also, believed, that some of the Gothic weak, suppletive and/or irregular verbs (bauan, trauan, gaggan, and oth) initially belonged to the class of reduplicating strong verbs.

Some weak verbs of this class (e.g. brukjan (to use, employ), bugjan (to buy), þagkjan (to think), þugkjan (to think, consider; to seem); waúrkjan (to make, do; to work) and oth), whose stems ended in velar consonants k, ŋ, g, formed their past tense by means of the suffix -ta (while the verbal stem lost the marker of this class -j-); the combination of this velar consonat and the consonant -t of the suffix resulted in -ht-: bugjan → bauhta, brūkjan → brūhta, waúrkjan → waúrhta. In addition, in verbs þagkjan, þugkjan [-ŋkjan], the nasal consonant -ŋ- was dropped and the stem vowel became lengthened, which resulted in the following past tense forms of these two verbs: þāhta and þūhta. The past tense of the verb borrowed from Greek kaupatjan (to buffet, slap) is kaupasta [<*kaupat + -ta].

Past tense/preterite forms of the preterite-present verbs have the same structure.

Weak verbs of this class had form-building suffix -ai-. In its full form the said suffix appeared only in the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th versions of its stem, while in the verbal forms built based on present-tense stem, it was replaced by plain -a-.

Weak verbs of this class were characterized by the presence of the form-building suffix -n-/-nō-. They had no past participle and their conjugation paradigm lacked mediopassive voice. All verbs of this class are derived from verbs or adjectives. Semantically, all these verbs are intransitive and have the sense (to come to be something) or (to come to be in some state).

In case, for instance, of the verb witan (to know), the stem of the sing, indicat forms is wait (I know; he, she, it knows); the stem of the pl, indicat personal forms being wit-; cf witum (we know); witun (they know).

Besides the vocalization of the present tense stem, preterite-present verbs share with strong verbs also the system of personal endings (cf e.g. 2 pers, sing þu kannt (you know) and þu namt (you took)).

As mentioned above, the forms of preterite and past participle of this class of verbs are formed following the pattern of weak verbs, by means of dental suffix, which usu takes the form -þa-, -ta-.

As mentioned above, the forms of preterite and past participle of this class of verbs are formed following the pattern of weak verbs, by means of dental suffix, which usu takes the form -þa-, -ta-.

pres sing wait (I know; he knows); pres, pl witun (they know); p, sing wissa (I knew; he knew) (-ssa < *-t + *-ta); p, pl wissedun (they knew); p.p. of this verb is not attested.

(b) lais (I know); only this form is attested.

pres sing daug (is useful / suitable; fits); only this form is attested.

(a) pres sing kann (I know; he knows); pres pl kunnun (they know); p sing kunþa (I knew; he knew); p pl kunþedun (they knew); p.p. kunþs.

(b) 1 pers, pres sing þarf (I need) (unattested in the sense of 3 pers sing (he needs)); 3 pers, pres pl þaurbun (they need); p sing þaurfta (he needed); p pl form is not attested; p.p. þaurfts.

(c) pres sing (ga)dars (I dare; he dares(; 1 pers, pres pl (ga)daursum (we dare) (3 pers, pl form is not attested); 3 pers p sing (ga)daursta (he dared); p pl (ga)daurstedun (they dared); p.p. is not attested.

(a) 1 pers pres sing man (I think; I consider, reckon); 2 pers pres pl (ga)munuþ (you remember); 1 pers pres sing munda (I thought; I considered, reckoned); 3 pers sing (ga)munda (he remembered, recalled); 3 pers p pl mundedun (they thought, considered); p.p. munds.

(b) pres sing skal (I am obliged, I must; he is obliged, he must); pres pl skulun (they are obliged, they must); 3 pers p sing skulda (he was obliged, he should, he had to); p.p. skulds.

(a) 1 pers pres sing og (I fear) (unattested in the sense of 3 pers sing (he fears)); 2 pers pres pl ogeiþ (you are afraid); p sing ohta (I feared; he feared); p pl ohtedun (they feared).

(b) pres sing (ga)mot (has space or room); pl is attested only in the form of 1 pers optat: (ga)moteima (may we find space/room); in p tense there is only attested the form of 3 p pl (ga)mostedun (found/could find space or room).

(a) The forms of the verb mag have no stem vowel gradation and -a- can be seen in all versions of the stem of the verb in question: pres sing mag (I can; he can); pres pl magun (they can); p sing mahta (he could) (this form is unattested in the sense of 1 pers sing (I could)); p pl mahtedun (they could); p.p. mahts.

(b) The forms of the verb áih do not have stem vowel gradation either: pres sing áih (I have); aigum also áihum (we have); the optat stem is represented by the form aigi (may have); p sing áihta (he had); pl áihtedun (they had); 2 pers sing, p tense, optat appears in the form áihtedeis (you would have).

remark: the reconstructed forms of dual number, as well as the forms of imper mood and mediopass voice, which are unattested for Goth pret-pres verbs, are not shown here.

Is inflected like adjectives are

According to the structure of the stem of its pres tense, this v belongs to the str verbs of class III. Its p tense is formed by means of stem vowel gradation and the addition of the dental suffix, represented by its variant form -ta: brāhta (< *braŋxta) (he brought), brāhtedun (they brought).

According to the structure of the stem of its pres tense and the form of its p.p. (gaggans), gaggan belongs to the class of reduplicating verbs (the 3rd class weak verbs bauan, trauan are also believed to have previously been reduplicating ones [vid also 4.1.3 (c)]); in preterite, the weak form gaggida (he went) is once attested (Luk. 19:12), while usu an unrelated verbal stem: iddja (he went), iddjedun (they went) is applied. Therefore, by the type of the building of its tense forms, gaggan is a suppletive verb.

is a suppletive verb. The stem *es- produces only the personal forms of pres tns, while or other forms are produced based on the verbal stem *wes-, Goth wis-, in the manner similar to that of class V strong verbs: inf wisan, p sing was, p tense pl wesum.

In the pres tns, the verbal stem *es- is represented by the ful and zero grades of ablaut. The type of conjugation is athematic.

For this verb, the forms of optative are used instead of imperative mood.

pres tense forms are built like those of optat of p tense.

p tense forms are built like those of weak verbs:

There are also attested the forms of 3 pers sing, optat wildēdi (would like/want (to)) and 2 pers pl wildēdeiþ ((if) you are willing).