§ 171. The ablaut verbs form their tense-stems by a regular change of
the radical vowel, the so-calld ablaut. The several ablaut-series and
the conditions of their appearance wil be found givn in §§ 30-35. To
each of these series belong ablaut verbs, and therefore six ablaut
classes must be distinguisht. Each ablaut verb contains four ablaut
vowels which appear in the formation of the verb in the following
manner: (1) The first vowel belongs to the present and to what is
connected with the present (prsp., inf., also medio-passiv). (2) The
second vowel is that of the sg. prt. indic. (3) The third vowel appears
in the du. and pl. prt. indic. and thruout the prt. opt. (4) The fourth
vowel belongs to the pp.
In order to determin the inflection of a strong verb, it is customary
to giv the following four forms (principal parts): (1) 1st pers. sg.
prs. indic., or the prs. inf.; (2) 1st pers. sg. prt. indic.; (3) 1st
pers. pl. prt. indic.; (4) the pp.
In the following we arrange the ablaut verbs according to their classes.
§ 172. Class I. Verbs of the first ablaut series: =ei=--=ái=--=i=
(=aí=) (cp. § 30); e. g., =greipa=, =graip=, =gripum=, =gripans=, _to
gripe, seiz_; =i= before =h= (=ƕ=) becums =aí= by breaking (§ 20):
=leiƕa=, =láiƕ=, =laíƕum=, =laíƕans=, _to lend_.
NOTE 1. Like these inflect: =deigan=, _to knead_; =steigan=, _to
mount_; =gateihan=, _to show_; =þeihan=, _to thrive_; =þreihan=,
_to throng_; =weihan=, _to fight_; --=beitan=, _to bite_;
=dis-kreitan=, _to tear to pieces_; =ga-smeitan=, _to smear_;
=-weitan= (=inweitan=, _to wurship_; =fraweitan=, _to punish_);
=beidan=, _to wait_; =leiþan=, _to go_; =sneiþan=, _to cut_;
--=weipan=, _to crown_; =dreiban=, _to drive_; =bi-leiban=, _to
remain_; =sweiban=, _to cease_; --=reisan=, _to rize_; =skeinan=,
_to shine_; =hneiwan=, _to decline, bow_; =speiwan=, _to spit_.
NOTE 2. The =n= of =keinan= (OHG. kînan), _to germinate_, occurs
only in the prs. stem (cp. § 206, b); the pp. is =kijans= (only in
=uskijanata=; Lu. VIII, 6). The prt. =*kai=, =*kijum=, has been
replaced by a weak prt. of the IV. weak conjugation (=keinôda=, §
195, n. 2). Cp. Kluge, 'Germ. Conjug.', 143.
NOTE 3. The verb =neiwan=, _to hav a quarrel against_, occurs only
in a sumwhat doutful exampl: =naiw=; Mk. VI, 19. Cp. Bernhardt,
'Vulfila', p. 282, and Zs. fdph., 7, 112. 484.
§ 173. Class II. Verbs of the second ablaut series: =iu=--=au=--=u=
(=aú=)--=u= (=aú=) (cp. § 31); e. g., =biuda=, =bauþ=, =budum=,
=budans=, _to offer_; with breaking (§ 24): =tiuha=, =táuh=, =taúhum=,
=taúhans=, _to draw, lead_.
NOTE 1. Like =tiuhan= inflect: =siukan=, _to be sick_; =biugan=,
_to bend_; =driugan=, _to perform military service_; =liugan=, _to
lie_; =þliuhan=, _to flee_; --=giutan=, _to pour_; =usþriutan=,
_to trubl, vex_; =niutan=, _to enjoy_; =liudan=, _to grow_;
--=dis-hniupan=, _to break to pieces_; =sliupan=, _to slip_;
=af-skiuban=, _to shuv away_; =hiufan=, _to weep_; =driusan=, _to
fall_; =kiusan=, _to choose_; =fra-liusan=, _to lose_; =kriustan=,
_to gnash_.
NOTE 2. The vowel of the prs. is irregular in =lûka=, =lauk=,
=lukum=, =lukans=, _to lock_.
§ 174. Class III. Verbs of the third ablaut series: =i=
(=aí=)--=a=--=u= (=aú=)--=u= (=aú=) (cp. § 32); e. g., =binda=, =band=,
=bundum=, =bundans=, _to bind_; with breaking (§§ 20. 24): =waírpa=,
=warp=, =waúrpum=, =waúrpans=, _to throw, cast_.
NOTE 1. Like these inflect: =brinnan=, _to burn_; =du-ginnan=, _to
begin_; =af-linnan=, _to depart_; =rinnan=, _to run_; =spinnan=,
_to spin_; =winnan=, _to suffer_; --=trimpan=, _to tred_;
--=fra-slindan=, _to devour_; =windan=, _to wind_; =hinþan=, _to
cach_; =finþan=, _to find_; =þinsan=, _to draw_; --=stiggan= (only
by conjecture in Mt. V, 29), _to sting_; =bliggwan=, _to beat_
(§ 68, 2); =siggwan=, _to sing_; =sigqan=, _to sink_; =stigqan=,
_to thrust_; =drigkan=, _to drink_; --=gildan=, _to be of value_;
=swiltan=, _to die_; =hilpan=, _to help_; =filhan=, _to hide_;
=wilwan=, _to rob_; --=baírgan=, _to hide, keep_; =gaírdan=,
_to gird_; =waírþan=, _to becum_; =ga-þaírsan=, _to wither_;
=swaírban=, _to wipe_; =ƕaírban=, _to walk_; --=þriskan=, _to
thresh_; =ga-wrisqan=, _to bear fruit_ (these two only in the prs.
tense, in I. Tim. V, 18. Lu. VIII, 14).
NOTE 2. According to its prs. tense, also =briggan= would belong
here; s. § 208.
§ 175. Class IV. Verbs of the fourth ablaut series: =i=
(=aí=)--=a=--=ê=--=u= (=aú=) (cp. § 33); e. g., =nima=, =nam=, =nêmum,
umans=, _to take_; with breaking (§§ 20. 24): =baíra=, =bar=, =bêrum=,
=baúrans=, _to bear_.
NOTE 1. Like these inflect: =qiman=, _to cum_; =ga-timan=, _to
suit_; =stilan=, _to steal_; =ga-taíran=, _to tear_; --=brikan=,
_to break_ (§ 33, n. 1).
NOTE 2. Here belongs also =trudan=, [=traþ=], [=trêdum=],
=trudans=, _to tred_ (ON. troða, trað, traðum, troðinn; in OHG.
according to V.: trëtan, trat, trátum, trëtan). According to
=trudan=, we should also write =wulan=, _to boil_ (only prsp.
=wulandans= occurs; Rom. XII, 11).
§ 176. Class V. Verbs of the fifth ablaut series: =i=
(=aí=)--=a=--=ê=--=i= (=aí=) (cp. § 34); e. g., =mita=, =mat=, =mêtum=,
=mitans=, _to mezure_; =giba=, =gaf=, =gêbum=, =gibans=, _to giv_.
NOTE 1. Here belong also =wrikan=, _to persecute_; =rikan= (found
in the prs. only), _to accumulate_; =ligan=, _to lie_; =ga-wigan=,
_to move_; =saíƕan=, _to see_ (cp. § 34, n. 1); --=hlifan=, _to
steal_; --=bigitan=, _to get, obtain_; =sitan=, _to sit_; =fitan=,
_to bear_ (_children_)?; =widan=, _to bind_; =qiþan=, _to say_;
=niþan=, _to help_ (?); --=lisan=, _to gather_; =ga-nisan=, _to
recuver_; =wisan=, _to remain_.
NOTE 2. =sniwan=, _to hasten_, has =sniwa=, =snau= (§ 42),
=snêwum=, =sniwans=. Onse occurs the prt. =snauh= (with additional
=h=; cp. § 62, n. 4), onse =sniwun= for =snêwun= (§ 7, n. 3).--Like
=sniwan= inflects probably =diwan=, _to die_, of which only the pp.
(=þata=) =diwanô= occurs.
NOTE 3. The prt. sg. of =itan= is, irregularly, =êt=, not =at=;
only the cpd. =frêt= (< =fra-itan=, _to eat up_; § 4, n. 1; § 7, b)
is extant. Hense =itan=, =êt=, =êtum=, =itans=. Cp. the OHG. prts.
âz frâz (ahd. gr., § 343, n. 5), ON. át. Möller, 'Engl. Studien',
3, 154.
NOTE 4. The =n= of =fraíhnan=, _to ask_, occurs only in the prs.
stem: =fraíhna=, =frah=, =frêhum=, =fraíhans= (cp. § 206, b).
NOTE 5. The =j= in =bidjan= occurs in the prs. stem only: =bidja=,
=baþ=, =bêdum=, =bidans= (cp. § 206, n.). Onse the prs. is found
without =j=: =usbida=; Rom. IX, 3.
§ 177. Class VI. Verbs of the sixth ablaut series: =a--ô--ô--a= (cp. §
35); e. g., =slaha=, =slôh=, =slôhum=, =slahans=, _to strike_.
NOTE 1. Like =slahan= go: =sakan=, _to quarrel_; =wakan=, _to
wake_; =dragan=, _to carry, load_; =þwahan=, _to wash_; =hlaþan=,
_to load_; =ga-daban=, _to becum, fit_; =ga-draban=, _to hew_;
=graban=, _to dig_; =skaban=, _to shave_; =alan=, _to grow_;
=malan=, _to grind_; =swaran=, _to swear_; =faran=, _to fare, go_;
=us-anan=, _to expire_. Sum of these verbs occur only in the prs.:
=wakan=, =dragan=, =alan=, =malan=, =faran=.
NOTE 2. Sum verbs of this class hav =j= in the present stem,
which is wanting in the prt. and pp.; e. g., =hafjan=, _to heav_,
forms: =hafja=, =hôf=, =hôfum=, =hafans=. So do: =fraþjan=, _to
understand_; =hlahjan=, _to laf_; =skapjan=, _to shape, make_;
=skaþjan=, _to do scath, to injure_; =wahsjan=, _to wax, grow_.
Doutful is the prs. form =*garaþjan= which is uzually inferd from
the pp. =garaþana= (Mt. X, 30), _to count_.--Cp. § 206, n.
NOTE 3. The =n= of =standan= occurs only in the present stem (cp.
§ 206, b): =standa=, =stôþ=, =stôþum=. The pp. =*staþans= (ON.
staðinn) is wanting; cp. Anz. fda., 14, 286.