CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE VERB SUBSTANTIVE.
[§ 395]. The verb substantive is generally dealt with as an irregular verb. This is inaccurate. The true notion is that the idea of being or existing is expressed by four different verbs, each of which is defective in some of its parts. The parts, however, that are wanting in one verb, are made up by the inflections of one of the others. There is, for example, no præterite of the verb am, and no present of the verb was. The absence, however, of the present form of was is made up by the word am, and the absence of the præterite form of am is made up by the word was.
[§ 396]. Was.—Defective, except in the præterite tense, where it is found both in the indicative and conjunctive.
| Indicative. | Conjunctive. | ||
| Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. |
| 1. Was. | Were. | 1. Were. | Were. |
| 2. Wast. | Were. | 2. Wert. | Were. |
| 3. Was. | Were. | 3. Were. | Were. |
In the older stages of the Gothic languages the word has both a full conjugation and a regular one. In Anglo-Saxon it has an infinitive, a participle present, and a participle past. In Mœso-Gothic it is inflected throughout with -s; as visa, vas, vêsum, visans. In that language it has the power of the Latin maneo = to remain. The -r first appears in the Old High German; wisu, was, wârumês, wësaner. In Norse the s entirely disappears, and the word is inflected with r throughout; vera, var, vorum, &c.
[§ 397]. Be.—Inflected in Anglo-Saxon throughout the present tense, both indicative and subjunctive; found also as an
infinitive beón, as a gerund to beonne, and as a participle beonde. In the present English its inflection is as follows:—
| Present. | |||||
| Indicative. | Conjunctive. | Imperative. | |||
| Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. |
| 1. — | — | Be. | Be. | — | — |
| 2. Beest. | — | Beest? | Be. | Be. | Be. |
| 3. — | — | Be. | Be, Bin. | — | — |
| Infin. To be. Pres. P. Being. Past Part. Been. | |||||