B. TENSE-FORMATION OF THE STRONG VERBS.
1. Ablaut Verbs.
§ [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 *kai, *kijum, has been replaced by a weak prt.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.