4.5. Preterite-present verbs
Preterite-present verbs are a small group of verbs in which the present tense is formed like the preterite of strong verbs, while their preterite coincides with the paradigm of weak verbs, building verb forms by means of dental suffix.
See the complete paradigm of the conjugation of preterite-present verbs]
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-.
According to the stem vowel gradation patterns in the present tense, the preterite-present verbs are subdivided into classes I, II, III, IV and VI (preterite-present verbs corresponding to the class V strong verbs are not attested in the surviving Gothic sources) in accordance with the classes of ablaut of strong verbs:
I class (i / a + i)
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.
II class (i / a + u)
pres sing daug (is useful / suitable; fits); only this form is attested.
III class (i / a + sonant + any consonant)
(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.
IV class (i / a + any sonant)
(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.
(c) impersonal v (gi)nah (to be enough; to suffice); (bi)nah (to be lawful / permitted; to be suitable); p.p. (bi)nauht.
V class (i / a + any consonant except sonants)
Preterite-present verbs of this type are not attested in Gothic.
VI class (ă / ō quantitative ablaut [< Indo-Europ ŏ – ō – ō – ŏ])
(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).
Atypical preterite-present verbs
Two Goth pret-pres verbs: mag (I can) and áih (I have; I possess) do not follow the vowel gradation patterns which are seen in the six clsses of strong verbs:
(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).
Main forms of preterite-present verbs
| III class preterite-present verbs |
infinitive | present singular | present plural | preterite singular | preterite plural | past participle |
| to know | kunnan | kann | kunnun | kunþa | kunþedun | kunþs |
See full paradigm of the conjugation of preterite-present verbs
| atypical preterite-present verbs |
infinitive | present singular | present plural | preterite singular | preterite plural | past participle |
| to have, possess | aigan | áih | áigun | áihta | áihtedun | áihts |
See full paradigm of the conjugation of preterite-present verbs
4.5.1. Conjugation of preterite-present verbs
Present tense
Active voice
| kunnan (to know) (III class preterite-present verb) |
| indicative mood | optative mood | |||
| singular number | ||||
| 1st person | kann | kunnjau | ||
| 2nd person | kannt | kunneis | ||
| 3rd person | kann | kunni | ||
| plural number | ||||
| 1st person | kunnum | kunneima | ||
| 2nd person | kunnuþ | kunneiþ | ||
| 3rd person | kunnun | kunneina | ||
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.
| present participle | ||||
| kunnands | ||||
See paradigm of the declension of the present participle
Preterite, past tense
| indicative mood | optative mood | |||
| singular number | ||||
| 1st person | kunþa | kunþēdjau | ||
| 2nd person | kunþēs | kunþēdeis | ||
| 3rd person | kunþa | kunþēdi | ||
| plural number | ||||
| 1st person | kunþēdum | kunþēdeima | ||
| 2nd person | kunþēduþ | kunþēdeiþ | ||
| 3rd person | kunþēdun | kunþēdeina | ||
| past participle | ||||
| kunþs | ||||
Is inflected like adjectives are
