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. The 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 (/ç, 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?

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