Wir Ain Leed

Verbs

Verbs indicate an action, occurrence or state. Events can be placed:

  • in present time i.e. the present tense e.g. is (is).

  • in past time i.e. the past tense e.g. wis or hae / hiv (was or have).

  • as having taken place in the past but are relevant to the present time, the perfect. e.g. haes (has).

  1. The prefix be can be used before verbs to strengthen them and to make nouns into verbs.

    A begrudge no gaun tae see ma grannie.
    I regret not going to visit my grandmother.
    The Pape's gaun tae besaunt thon mairtyr.
    The Pope is going to canonise that martyr.
    She beteacht aw her siller til the man frae the insurance.
    She entrusted all her money to the insurance agent.
    Ye'll hae tae besmairten yersel afore ye gae oot.
    You'll have to tidy yourself up before you go out.
    The reivers bewaves thair veectims.
    The robbers lay in wait for their victims.
    Daena ettle tae begowk me.
    Don't attempt to fool me.

  2. The infinitive marker, for tae (used with verbs) means 'in order to'.

    He cam for tae eat his denner.
    He came to eat his dinner.
    A gaed for tae get it.
    I went to get it.
    The war room for tae get yer haund in.
    There was space to get your hand in.
    Ye'll come for tae mak up a gemme.
    You'll come to make up a game.
    He ettelt for tae gang.
    He meant to go.
    Thay aw gaed for tae see't.
    They all went to see it.

  3. The present indicative (the mood of the present tense expressing fact).

    The present indicative is usually formed by adding s to the infinitive.

    Infinitive Present indicative
    eat eat eats eats
    gie give gies gives
    greet cry greets crys
    hae have haes has
    juidge judge juidges judges
    lowp leap lowps leaps
    pech pant pechs pants
    skail spill skails spills
    skelloch scream skellochs screams
    shak shake shaks shakes
    smue smile smues smiles
    smuirich kiss smuirichs kisses
    wirk work wirks works
    wiss wish wisses wishes

    She daes that aw the time.
    She does that all the time.
    He kens whaur tae gang.
    He knows where to go.
    She washes the fluir ilka Monanday.
    She washes the floor every Monday.
    It peys tae tak tent o yer caur.
    It pays to look after your car.

  4. The verb inflexion s. (Northern Subject Rule)

    When a verb immediately follows a personal pronoun in the present tense, the verb remains the same.

    A come first.
    I come first.
    We gang thare.
    We go there.
    A ken that fine.
    I know that well.
    We ken that fine.
    We know that well.
    Thay come for tae dae't.
    They come to do it.
    Thay say he's ower auld.
    They say he is too old.
    Thay are comin an aw.
    They are coming too.
    The laddies? Thay'v went.
    The boys? They have gone.

    The verb ending s, occurs:

    In all persons of the plural except immediately following a personal pronoun (see above).

    Thaim that says he's ower auld.
    Those who say he is too old.
    It's us that gangs til the schuil.
    It's us who go to school.
    It's us that says sae.
    It's us who say so.
    You anes says that ilka day.
    You ones say that every day.
    Us auld fowk kens that fine.
    We old people know that well.
    Thaim that daes thair hamewark gets sweeties efter.
    Those who do their homework receive sweets afterwards.
    It's thaim an us that haes aw the graith.
    It's us and them who have all the equipment

    Where the subject of the verb includes two pronouns.

    Me an you kens that fine.
    You and I know that well.
    Thaim an us gangs thegither.
    Us and them go together.
    Him an her gies nae grief.
    Him and her don't cause trouble.
    Me an her daes bonnie pentins.
    Her and I do nice paintings.
    Thaim an him haes braw motors.
    He and they have nice cars.

    Where the subject is a plural noun.

    Weemen kens that fine.
    Women know that well.
    Ma brakes haes went.
    My brakes have gone.
    Fowk that comes unbidden, sits unserred.
    People who come uninvited, sit unserved.
    Auld men dees an bairns suin forgets.
    Old men die and children soon forget.
    Whan the kye comes hame.
    When the cows come home.
    As the days lenthens the cauld strenthens.
    As the days get longer the cold gets stronger.
    Fowk that haes sair feet canna daunder.
    People who have sore feet can't go for walks.
    Bairns that daes guid gangs tae heiven.
    Children who do good go to heaven.

    Where the plural pronoun is separated from the verb by some other word or words.

    Us twa whiles gangs thare.
    Us two sometimes go there.
    Us three whiles haes pizza.
    Us three sometimes have pizza.
    You anes says whit you means.
    You ones say what you mean.
    You anes aye daes that on a Seturday.
    You ones always do that on a Saturday.
    Some fowk frae Jeddart thinks he's richt, but ithers frae here mainteens the contrair.
    Some people from Jedburgh thinks he's right, but others from here maintain the opposite.

    Where the infinitive is used for a narrative past the verb sometimes takes the ending s even in the first person singular and after a single personal pronoun.

    A niver sees him nou.
    I never see him now.
    An in we comes.
    And in we came.
    Cut that oot the nou A says.
    Stop that now I said.
    A says no tae come the morn.
    I said not to come tomorrow.

  5. Drookit DugThe past tense and the past participle of verbs.

    Some verbs may have both weak and strong forms (see below).

    Weak verbs that end with b, d, g, k, p and t usually form the past tense and the past participle by adding it including verbs with a final silent e, which is dropped.

    Infinitive Simple past Past participle
           
    big build biggit, bug biggit, buggen
    drap dropped drappit drappit
    flit move home flittit flittit
    hurt hurt hurtit hurtit
    keek peep keekit keekit
    keep keep keepit keepit
    like like likit likit
    mend mend, repair mendit, ment mendit, ment
    mynd mind, remember myndit, mynt myndit, mynt
    need need needit* needit*
    sab sob sabbit sabbit
    want want wantit wantit

    * In Mid Northern Scots note is used for the past tense and note(n) for the past participle of need.

    Note that want and need are regularly followed by a past participle (referring to an action that is past).

    The bairn wants taen hame at fower oors.
    The child would like to be be taken home at four o' clock.
    Ma caur needs washt.
    My car needs to be washed.

    In Scots want also has the meaning 'to be lacking'.

    A didna want the will but A wantit the means.
    I didn't lack the will but I lacked the means.
    Sae lang's fowk's born barefit the souter winna want a job.
    As long as people are born barefoot the cobbler won't lack a job.
    The young bride daesna want tae dae wantin the new shuin an muntin.
    The young bride doesn't want to do without the new shoes and trousseau.

    Weak verbs that end with ch (, x/), f, s (/s/), sh (/ʃ/), (t)ch (/ʧ/) and th (/θ/) usually form the past tense and the past participle by adding t. If a final silent e follows the above sounds 't may be added.

    claich besmear claicht claicht
    fash trouble, bother fasht fasht
    loss lose lost lost
    miss miss misst misst
    race race race't race't
    wiss wish wisst wisst

    Weak verbs that end with l, m, n, ng or r usually form past tense and the past participle by adding t or (e)d, the latter especially in the south. If a final silent e follows the above sounds 't may be added.

    In some weak verbs a double l is rendered single and final le after a consonant is changed to elt to form the past tense and past participle.

    airm arm airmt, airmed airmt, airmed
    birsle broil birselt, birsled birselt, birsled
    byle boil bylt, byled bylt, byled
    daur* dare daured, durst daured, durst
    dirl vibrate dirlt, dirled dirlt, dirled
    droun droun drount drount, droundit
    ettle endeavour ettelt, ettled ettelt, ettled
    fear fear/scare feart, feared feart, feared
    fill fill fillt,filled filt, filled
    gaither gather gaithert, gathered gaithert, gathered
    gar compel gart, garred gart, garred
    hear hear haurd,
    heard [hi:rd]
    haurd, heard
    ken know kent, kenned kent, kenned
    lear learn, instruct leart, leared leart, leared
    meant mean meant [mint],
    meaned [mind]
    meant, meaned
    sell sell selt, sauld selt, sauld
    ser serve sert, serred sert, serred
    skail spill skailt, skailed skailt, skailed
    soum swim soumt, soumed soumt, soumed
    speir inquire, ask speirt, speired speirt, speired
    stang sting stangt, stangit stangt, stangit
    teem empty teemt, teemed teemt, teemed
    tell tell telt, tauld telt, tauld
    taigle hinder taigelt, taigled taigelt, taigled
    tyne losed tint, tyned tint, tyned
    traivel travel, walk traivelt traivelt
    turn turn turnt, turned turnt, turned
    wale choose wale't, waled wale't, waled
    warstle wrestle warstelt, warstled warstelt, warstled
    wile beguile wile't, wiled wile't, wiled

    * The past perfect of daur when followed by a noun or complex verb phrase is daurd. Durst is only used in the sense of ventured.

    Weak verbs that end with (d)ge (/ʤ/), th(e) (/ð/), v(e) (/v/) and se or z(e) (/z/) usually form the past tense and the past participle by adding (e)d.

    bairge barge bairged bairged
    cairve carve cairved cairved
    deave deafen deaved deaved
    jaloused suspect jaloused jaloused
    lowse loosen lowsed lowsed
    ludge lodge ludged ludged
    pruive prove pruived pruived, pruiven
    raise raise raised raised
    skaithe harm skaithed skaithed
    uise* use uised uised
    wadge wedge wadged wadged
    weeze ooze weezed weezed

    * Note the difference between the verb uise (use) and the noun uiss (use).
    Uised wi means 'used to' in the sense of being in the habit of or familiar with. Uised tae (Central ['jɪste:], Northern ['isti:]) means 'used to' in the sense of something fulfilling a function or something that occurred in the past.

    Some weak verbs have assimilated the t or d past tense and the past participle and/or changed the vowel or undergone metathesis.

    bend bend bent, bendit bent, bendit
    bluid bleed bled bled
    burn burn brunt brunt
    cleid clothe cled, cleidit cled, cleidit
    leave leave left left
    mak make made, makkit made
    redd arrange redd redd
    send send sent sent
    set set set, sot setten, sotten
    shae shoe shod shoddit
    shape shape shape, shapit shapit, shapen
    wirth to befall wort word

    Some weak verbs distinguish the vowel in the past tenses and have final cht (/xt/).

    awe owe aucht aucht
    buy buy bocht bocht
    bring bring brocht, brang brocht(en), brung
    catch catch caucht, catcht, cotch caucht, catcht, cocht(en)
    cleek hook, link claucht, cleekit claucht, cleekit
    dow to be able to docht docht
    seek seek socht socht(en)
    streek stretch straucht, streekit straucht, streekit
    teach taech taucht, teacht taucht, teacht
    think think thocht thocht
    wirk* work wrocht wrocht

    * Note the difference between the verb wirk (work) and the noun wark (work), but wirker (worker).

    Weak verbs that end with a vowel usually form the past tense and the past participle by adding (e)d, except after final <ee> which add 'd.

    bou bow, bend boud boud
    caw call cawed cawed
    dee die dee'd dee'd
    gae* go gaed gane, went
    hae have haed haed, haen
    lee lie (fib) lee'd lee'd
    lue love lued lued
    pey pay peyed peyed
    pou pull poud poud
    rowe roll rowed rowed
    saw saw (wood) sawed sawn
    say say said said, sain

    * The alternative gang [gaŋ], [gjaŋ] or [gɪŋ] in Mid Northern Scots or gan [gan, gɑn] in Central and Southern Scots may be used in place of gae.

    Some dialects with an unstressed pronunciation of the final ae, ie or y of weak verbs also form the past tense and the past participle by adding it.

    buiry burry buirit, buirried buirit, buirried
    cairy carry cairit, cairied cairit, cairied
    cuilyie wheedle cuilyit, cuilyied cuilyit, cuilyied
    follae follow follit, follaed follit, follaed
    hurry hurry hurrit, hurried hurrit, hurried
    jundie jostle jundit, jundied jundit, jundied
    mairy marry mairit, mairied mairit, mairied
    marrae match marrit, marraed marrit, marraed
    tarrae delay tarrit, tarraed tarrit, tarraed
    wirry worry wirrit, wirried wirrit, wirried

    Some Verbs of Latin origin traditionally have no inflection in the past participle.

    acquent acquaint acquentit acquent
    calculate calculate calculatit calculate
    execute execute executit execute
    impignorate pawn impignoratit impignorate
    insert insert insertit insert
    seetuate seetuate seetuatit seetuate

    Strong verbs usually form their past tenses by a change of vowel and in past participle usually add (e)n.

    bide stay, endure bade, bid bid(den), bade
    bite bite bate bitten
    flyte scold flyte, flytit flitten, flytit
    hide hide hade, hod hidden, hodden
    ride ride rade rid(den)
    rise rise rase, ris ris(en)
    slide slide slade slidden
    slite slit slate slitten
    stride stride strade stridden
    write write wrat(e) written
    writhe writhe wrathe writhen

    beat beat bate beaten
    eat eat ate, eat(it) eaten
    read read rade readen

    drive drive druive, driv druiven, driv
    rive tear ruive, rived riven, ri'en, rived
    strive strive struive striven
    thrive thrive thruive thriven, thri'en
    weave weave wuive, weaved wuiven, weaved

    chuise* choose chose, chuise chosen, chuisen
    fecht fight focht, feucht, fechtit fochten. feuchten, fechtit
    freeze freeze froze frozen
    shoot shoot shot, shootit shot(ten), shuitit

    * Also choise or chyse in Southern varieties, inflecting choised and chysed.

    bind bind band bund
    ding strike dang dung, dinged
    find find fand fund
    fling fling flang flung
    hing hang hang, hingit hung, hingit
    rin run ran, run run, ran
    sclim climb sclam, sclimm(i)t sclum, sclimm(i)t
    sing sing sang, sing(i)t sung, sing(i)t
    win win, reach wan wun
    wind wind wand, windit, wint wund, windit
    begin begin begoud began

    beir bear, carry buir born
    shear shear, clip shuir shorn
    sweir swear swuir sworn
    teir tear tuir torn
    weir wear wuir worn

    steal steal staw, stealt stowen, stealt

    burst/brust burst barst, burstit/ brast bursten, burstit/brusten
    creep creep crap, creepit cruppen, creepit
    come come cam, comed come(n), comed
    drink drink drank drunk(en), drucken
    greet weep grat grutten
    grip grip grap, grippit gruppen, grippit
    leap leap lap(e), leapit luppen, leapit
    sweit sweat swat(tit), sweitit swutten, swatten, sweitit
    weet wet wat, weetit wutten, wat(tit), weetit

    be be wis, war been
    gie give gae, gied gien, gied
    see* see saw, see'd seen

    * The verb see is used colloquially to indicate a desire to be handed something.

    See's ower thon jurnal.
    Pass me that magazine over.
    Coud ye see's the teapat?
    Could you pass me the teapot?

    forget forget forgat forgotten
    get get gat gotten
    speak speak spak spoken

    bid bid bad(e) bid(den)
    hit hit hat hitten
    pit put pat, pit pit(ten), pat
    quit rid, quit quat quitten, quat
    sit sit sat sitten
    smit smit smat(e), smittit smitten, smittit
    spit spit spat, spittit spitten, spittit
    stick stick stack, stickit sticken, stickit
    strick strike strack stricken

    cast cast cuist cuisten, casten
    lat let luit luiten, latten
    thrash thrash thruish thruishen
    wash wash wuish, washt wuishen, washt

    fesh fetch fuish, fesht fuishen , fesht, feshen
    haud hold hui(l)d, held* huiden, hauden, haudit
    staund stand stuid stuiden

    * The prevalent forms are held and hauden, huid occurs in North Northern and Insular dialects, huild in Mid Northern dialects and some Insular dialects.

    brak brak breuk, brak breuken, brak(en)
    mistak mistake misteuk mistaen
    shak shake sheuk, shakkit sheuken, shakkit
    tak take teuk teuken, takken, taen

    bake bake beuk, bakit* beuk, baken*
    lauch laugh leuch, laucht*, leuchen, lauchen, laucht*

    * The prevalent forms are bakit, baken and laucht.

    blaw blow blew blawn
    craw crow crew, crawed crawn
    draw draw drew drawn
    faw fall fell fawn
    maw mow mew, mawed mawn
    sawe sow sew, sawed sawn, sawed
    shaw show shew, shawed shawn
    shew sew shewed shewen, shewed
    snaw snow snew, snawed snawn, snawed
    straw straw strawed strawn
    thraw throw threw, thrawed thrawn, threwen

    flee fly flew, flee’d flowen, flewen
    growe grow grew, growed growen, growed

    In simple sentences Scots prefers the word order Subject - verb - adverb - (adjective) object.

    He sneckit aff the licht.
    He switched the light off.
    She hingit oot the washin.
    She hung the washing out.
    The wirkers heezed up the wechty stanes.
    The workers hoisted the heavy stones up.

    Standard English prefers Subject - verb - (adjective) object - adverb.

  6. In middle Scots the present participle (referring to an action that is roughly contemporaneous ) was formed by adding and to the verb. By the twentieth century the pronunciation had become indistinguishable from that of the verbal noun in most dialects. During the Scots revival some Scots writers started to revive the older form spelling the present participle an. In line with modern pronunciation the form in is used here.

    In words like bide, side, ride and hate the final e is dropped when forming the present participle. Where the verb ends with ie the ie changes to y.

    He cam beirin praisents.
    He came bearing presents.
    He wis bidin ootby.
    He was staying outside.
    He wis hatin haein tae wirk on the Saubath.
    He hated having to work on Sunday.
    She wis batin the dug.
    She was beating the dog.
    He's aye cairyin on lik a daft fuil body.
    He's always behaving like a stupid fool person.
    The dug wis coueryin doun whan the thunner clappit.
    The dog was cowering when the thunder clapped.

    Note that the irregular present participle of gae is gaun.

    A'm gaun hame, thare's nocht tae dae.
    I'm going home, there is nothing to do.

    Scots often uses the continuous tense where Standard English would have a simple tense.

    A'm thinkin means much the same as 'I imagine' in Standard English.
    A'm doutin means much the same as 'I'm afraid' in Standard English.

    A'm thinkin we wad been telt tae gang
    I imagine we would have been told to leave.
    A'm doutin that thare will be wittins anent the mishanter.
    I'm afraid there will be news about the accident.

    This also occurs with other tenses and verbs.

    A'll pit ma buits on the morn, an be rinnin ower the muir.
    I'll put my boots on tomorrow and run over the moor.
    Ye wad get a sair fricht, gin he wis comin alive again.
    You would get a terrible fright if he came back to life.

    Progressive use of the present participle.

    He wisna likin it an the lassie he wis wi wisna likin it.
    He didn't like it and the girl he was with didn't like it.
    We warna wantin tae big a new hoose.
    We didn't want to build a new house.
    Ye're no intendin tae appen thon bottle o wine the nicht, are ye?
    You don't intend to open that bottle of wine tonight, do you?
    He's no liftin a wird ye say.
    He doesn't understand a word you say.

    Scots prefers the use of present participle to the infinitive.

    Thay aye conteena wirkin till the whistle blaws.
    They always continue to work until the whistle blows.
    He stairtit speakin til his feres.
    He started to speak to his comrades.
    It wis glaikit lea'in the dug in the hoose its lane.
    It was thoughtless to leave the dog in the house on its own.
    Ettle at eatin less gin ye're ower wechty.
    Try to eat less if you're over weight.

    In a few words the older past participle survives in various forms such as appearant, awnd, though now usually awin, farrant and willint now often willin.

    He wis aye willint tae dae't.
    He was always willing to do it.
    The lamms willintly gaed til the slauchter.
    The lambs willingly went to the slaughter.

  7. Negative verbs.

    Single syllable verbs used to be negated by affixing na or nae.

    A seena why.
    I don't see why.
    He kensna whaur she is.
    He doesn't know where she is.
    She camna hame.
    She didn't come home.
    He'll carena a tait.
    He won't care a bit.

    These are now usually replaced by modal verb forms or no.

    A daena see why.
    I don't care a bit.
    He daesna ken whaur she is.
    He doesn't know where she is.
    She didna come hame.
    She didn't come home.
    He'll no care a tait.
    He won't care a bit.

    The usual negative with past tense verbs is niver.

    A naurhaund coft the haliday, but A coudna gang till the hint-end o Augist sae A niver coft it.
    I nearly bought the holiday, but I couldn't go until the end of August so I didn't buy it.
    A niver gotten stairtit till nine.
    I didn't get started until nine.
    A will niver iver dae drogs.
    I will at no time take drugs.

    Negative or unpleasant attributes may be indicated by the prefix mis.

    That wickit man mislippens his bairns.
    That wicked man neglects his children.
    The mediciner miskent the seemptoms.
    The physician mistook the symptoms.
    A misdout wir lads'll win the gemme.
    I doubt our boys will win the game.
    The penter wis sair mistrystit wi the onding.
    The painter was extremely dismayed by the downpour.

  8. Interrogative sentences (questions) may begin with a verb instead of an auxiliary.

    Think ye sae?
    Do you think so?
    Cam ye by Athol?
    Did you come past Athol?

[ Start | Previous | Next ]


[ Hame | Shop | Reader | Dictionary | Airticles | Clishmaclaiver | Veesitor's Beuk ]

Wabmaister ©2000 Andy Eagle