sayeng, je lis, tu lis, il list, nous lisons, vous lises, ilz lisent.
Also there ben others endyng in ore, as clore, shitte, with all his compost, that is to saye, disclore, unshitte, forclore, shitte out, etc. whiche do make in their present, clos, declos, forclos, etc. and for cause that rules ben infinites, and that they ben more necessary for the teacher than for the lernar, I suppose that those above sayd ben sufficyent for the indicative present.
It is to be noted that in the frenche tongue is but two cojugacions: the first shal be discerned and knowen by the first persone plurel nombre of the present in the shewynge moode, for where the sayd fyrst persone hath no s in the seconde sillable before his termination or ende, than it is of the
we love, we have, we bette, we gyve,
first, as in these verbes, aymons, auons, batons, donons,
with such lyke; and where there is an s begynning the last syllable of the forsayd fyrst persone, than it is of the second, as in these verbes, baisons, taisons, brisons, faisons, disons, lisons, pensons, etc.
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Ye shal note lykewyse that in the indicative mode ye have for the moste parte, foure preterites, that is to say, the imperfect, parfect and indiffinitive with the plusperfect, whiche ben communely founde in all verbes save in them that ben defectives, as it apereth by this verbe,
I say, thou sayest,
je dis, tu dis,
I dyde say;
wherfore the preterit imperfyte is: je disoie;
I sayde,
the perfect, je deis;
I have sayd;
the indiffynitive, jay dit;
I had sayd.
the plusperfect, jauoie dit.
Nevertheles for the most part there is no difference in englysshe betwene the perf. and imperf. that is to say, betwene I dyd say, and I sayd: but bycause it is otherwise in french, I must use the said difference.
OF THE FORMATION OF THE PRETERIT IMPARFYTE.