The Verb
Crimean Gothic has retained the basic structure of the old Germanic verb and its distinction between
strong and weak verbs. It is in that matter more conservative than most modern Germanic tongues -
including Icelandic - as it has kept the old tense pattern and the strong verb classes more or less intact.
Persons and numbers
Crimean Gothic verbs have three distinct persons (I, thou and it/she/he) and three numbers (singular,
plural, and dual). At the contrary of what is usually found in every other Germanic tongue, dual is still in
use.
Tenses and modes
Crimean Gothic has a much simpler temporal system than English or German (not to say French or
Spanish). There is only two tenses :present and preterit and three impersonal forms : past participle,
present participle and infinitive. True irregular verbs (aside from strong verbs) are few and roughly the
same as in other Germanic languages.
Weak verbs
Weak verbs do form the bulk of Crimean Gothic verbs, and as strong verbs are mostly a no longer
productive fossil class, their part in the language increases everyday.
Present :
Class I : Frijen : to love
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
1st |
frije |
frijes |
frijem |
2nd |
frijes |
frijet |
frije� |
3rd |
frije� |
frijendsch |
frijendsch |
Class II : Haven : to have
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
1st |
have |
haves |
havem |
2nd |
haves |
havet |
have� |
3rd |
have� |
havendsch |
havendsch |
Preterit
Class I : Frijen : to love
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
1st |
frijede |
fride |
fridem |
2nd |
frijedes |
fridet |
fride� |
3rd |
frijede |
friden |
friden |
Class II : Haven : to have
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
1st |
havede |
havedede |
havedem |
2nd |
havedes |
havedet |
havede� |
3rd |
havede |
haveden |
haveden |
Literary weak preterit
An archaic weak plural preterit is found in literary writing. It is never used in colloquial speech
Class I : Frijen : to love
|
Plural |
1st |
fridedem |
2nd |
fridede� |
3rd |
frideden |
Class II : Haven : to have
|
Plural |
1st |
havededem |
2nd |
havedede� |
3rd |
havededen |
Infinitive
The infinitive is always formed by adding a -n ending to the first person of the present : frijen : to love
Present participle
The present participle is formed by adding a -endsch ending to the radical of the infinitive. It is considered
as an adjective and always follows the weak declension :
�a frijendsche musch : the loving husband
�o frijendsche schen : the loving wife
Ajsche have� enen friejendschen liever : Aisha has a loving boyfriend
F�jl have� enes friendschen drukes : F�jl has loving friends (female)
Past participle
The past participle is formed by adding a -� ending to the radical. It is considered as an adjective and
follows the same declension as regular adjectives
enes poches gemelje�es me� gutiske : books written in Gothic
�os me� gutiske gemelje�en poches : the books written in Gothic
Imperative
Imperative is formed by using the naked stem of the verb :k�p ! : buy !
There is, however numerous irregularities :
a) : verbs whose radical ends with a -j lose it : geschapjen (to create) / geschap : create
b) : verbs whose radical ends with a voiced consonant do change it into its voiceless counterpart :
liven (to live) / lif : live
c) : a number of verbs have no imperative, they use optative instead : liwen (to lend) / i liwes : lend
Optative
Optative is formed by putting the particle i before a conjugated verb. It is mostly used in indirect
clause or to express vow, order, condition or doubt.
si qi�e� i rate� ires musch in Ruslandet : she says her husband is traveling to Russia.
Ive ich wesje gevich,i ich gelieche ije : If I was rich, I would marry her
Future
Crimean Gothic forms its future by using the auxiliary verbs schulen(to have to) : ich schal k�pen leves :
I'll buy some bread
Present is however often used instead of formal future whenever the context allows it.
Ires sun spile� in eklesjere in sunentage : his son will speak at Church on sunday
Irregular weak verbs
A number of weak verbs with a nasal infix have irregular preterits on the model of
pringen :to bring
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
1st |
praz |
prarede |
praredem |
2nd |
prares |
praredet |
prarede� |
3rd |
praz |
prareden |
prareden |
�unkjan : to seem
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
1st |
�uz |
�urede |
�uredem |
2nd |
�ures |
�uret |
�urede� |
3rd |
�uz |
�ureden |
�ureden |
Strong verbs
Strong verbs are a particular class of verbs which make their preterit and their past participle through
ablaut rather than through suffixing. They are not really irregular, but rather the remnant of an old, no
longer productive, verbal system. They are conjugated the same way as weak verbs at the present or at
the future and optative.
The preterit, however is quite different
lisen : to gather
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
1st |
las |
lese |
lesem |
2nd |
last |
leset |
lese� |
3rd |
las |
lesen |
lesen |
Due to phonetic reasons, this schem is sometimes confused :
a) a verb the radical of which ends with a voiced consonant does change it into an unvoiced one : given
(to give) / ich gaf : I gave
b) a verb whose radical ends with a dental (d, t or �) does insert an euphonic e before the mark of the
second person singular :qi�an (to say) : �u qa�et
The past participle is formed by adding the -en desinence upon the radical of the third person of the
plural of the preterit :geven :given. It is considered as an adjective and follows the same declension as the
weak verbs' past participles.
Strong verb classes
There is no less than six classes of strong verbs, each one characterized by a different pattern of ablaut
Class I : infinitive in i, singular preterit in e, plural preterit and participle in -i
stichen (to go up) / Ich stech / is stichen / stichen
liwen (to lend) / ich lew / is liwen /liwen
Class II : infinitive in ie / singular preterit in � / plural preterit and participle in u
anpieden (to order) / ich anp�t / is anpuden / anpuden
tien (to lead) / ich t� / is tuen/ tuen
Class III : infinitive in i or e , singular preterit in a , plural preterit and participle in u
pinden (to bind), / ich pand/ is punden / punden
werpen (to launch) / ich warp / is wurpen/ wurpen
Class IV : infinitive in i or e, singular preterit in a, plural preterit in e, participle in u
nimen (to take) / ich nam /is nemen / numen
Peren (to bear) / ich par / is peren /puren
Class V : infinitive in i or e , singular preterit in a ,plural preterit in e, participle in i
given (to give) / ich gaf /is geven / given
sewen (to see) / ich saw / is sewen /sewen
Class VI : infintive in a , singular preterit in o , plural preterit in o , participle in a
faren (to go) / ich for / is foren / faren
Irregular verbs
Aside from strong verbs, there are in Crimean Gothic a number of irregular verbs. They are mostly old
Indo-European perfects which acquired a present meaning. These verbs are called modal verbs. There
are also a few verbs which are utterly irregular due to historical or phonetic reasons.
Modal verbs
As old perfects, they follow the conjugation of the preterit. Their number is however quite restricted.
witen (to know) : ich wet (I know), �u wetet (you know), wis witem (we know), ich wise (I knew), �u wist (you
knew), wis wisedem (we knew).
Tiechen (to be useful) : ich t�ch (I am useful), �u t�cht (you are useful), wis tuchen (we are useful), ich
tuchede (I was useful), �u tuchedes (you were useful), wis tuchedem (we were useful)
Kunen (to know) : ich kan (I know),�u kant (you know), wis kunen (we know), ich kun�e (I knew), �u
kun�es (you knew), wis kun�edem (we knew), participle kun�
��rben (to need) : ich �arf (I need), �u �arft (you need), wis ��rbem (we know), ich ��rfte (I needed), �u
��rftes (you needed), ��rben (needed)
Ged�rsen (to dare) : ich gedars (I dare), �u gedarst (you dare), wis ged�rsem (we dare),ich ged�rste (I
dared), �u ged�rstes (you dared), wis ged�rstedem (we dared), ged�rse� (dared)
Munen (to think, to believe) : ich man (I think), �u mant (you think), wis munen (we think), ich munde (I
thought), �u mundes (you thought), wis mundem (we thought),mundsch (thought)
Schulen (to have to), ich schal (Ishall), �u schalt (you shall), wis schulem (we shall), ich schulde (I had
to), �u schuldes (you had to), wis schuldem (we had to), past participle schult
Ochen (I am afraid), ich och (I am afraid of), �u ocht (you are afraid of), wis ochem (we are afraid of),ich
ochte (I was afraid of), wis ochtedem ( we were afraid of), ocht (past participle)
Machen (To be able), ich mach (I can),�u macht (you can), wis machen (we can), ich maze (I was
ableto), �u mazes (you were able), we mazedem (we were able to),past participle : maz
True irregular verbs.
We find there a number of verbs which do not fall into other categories.
Wisan : to be
As in most Indo-european tongues, the verb to be is highly irregular. It has retained a special conjugation
at the optative and use a different stem for the present and the past
Present
|
Indicative |
optative |
first singular |
im |
i sie |
second singular |
is |
i sies |
third singular |
ist |
i sie |
first dual |
sie |
i siewe |
second dual |
siet |
i siet |
first plural |
siem |
i sieme |
second plural |
sie� |
i sie� |
third plural |
sindsch |
i siene |
Past
|
Indicative |
optative |
first singular |
was |
i wesje |
second singular |
wast |
i wesjes |
third singular |
was |
i wese |
first dual |
wese |
i wesewe |
second dual |
weset |
i weset |
first plural |
wesem |
i weseme |
second plural |
wese� |
i wese� |
third plural |
wesen |
i wesene |
Wiljen : to want
This verb has retained an optative ending, with an indicative value. Its preterit is regular wiljede
|
Indicative |
first singular |
wilje |
second singular |
wiljes |
third singular |
wilje |
first dual |
wiljewe |
second dual |
wiljet |
first plural |
wiljeme |
second plural |
wilje� |
third plural |
wiljene |
Qimen : to come
this verb forms its present on the root kom : is kome� : he comes. Other tenses and forms are regular
Haven : to have
this verb has a special third person form haf which is used only in the idiom is haf tu +infinitive (he is to)
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