The verb conjugation in OE. The paradigm of the OE verb includes a little bit more than 30 positions (less than theoretically possible); in addition, many forms were fully or partially homonymous. Practically speaking there were about ten endings which marked different grammatical categories. Thus each marker was used for some categories: e. g.: the ending -e could be found in 9 positions, -en – in 5 positions, -að in 4 positions etc.
In OE there were 2 non-finite forms of the verbals. In many respects they were closer to the nouns and adjectives than to the finite verbs.
There are more nominal features than verbal especially at the morphological level.
THE INFINITIVE had no verbal grammatical characteristics being a verbal noun by origin. It had a sort of reduced case-system: there were 2 forms which roughly corresponded to Nom. and Dat. cases of nouns.
The preposition to could be used to indicate the direction or purpose of the action.
Maniʒe cōmen tō bycʒenne þa þinʒ (Many (people) came to buy those things)
Hīe woldon hine forbærnan (They wanted to burn him).
THE PARTICIPLE was a kind of verbal adjective which was characterized not only by nominal but also by certain verbal features. Present Participle was opposed to Past Participle through voice and tense distinctions: it was active and expressed present or simultaneous processes and qualities, while Participle II expressed states or qualities resulting from past action and was contrasted to Participle I as passive to active if the verb was transitive. Participle II of intransitive verbs had an active meaning; it indicated a past action and was opposed to Participle I only through tense.
THE PARTICIPLE was a kind of verbal adjective which was characterized not only by nominal but also by certain verbal features. Present Participle was opposed to Past Participle through voice and tense distinctions: it was active and expressed present or simultaneous processes and qualities, while Participle II expressed states or qualities resulting from past action and was contrasted to Participle I as passive to active if the verb was transitive. Participle II of intransitive verbs had an active meaning; it indicated a past action and was opposed to Participle I only through tense.
The forms of the two participles were strictly differentiated. Participle I was formed from the Present Tense stem with the help of the suffix –ende. Participle II had a stem of its own: in strong verbs it was marked by a certain grade of the root vowel interchange and by the suffix –en; in weak verbs it ended in -d / -t. Participle II was commonly marked by the prefix ʒe-, though it could also occur without it, especially if the verb had other word building prefixes.
The forms of the two participles were strictly differentiated. Participle I was formed from the Present Tense stem with the help of the suffix –ende. Participle II had a stem of its own: in strong verbs it was marked by a certain grade of the root vowel interchange and by the suffix –en; in weak verbs it ended in -d / -t. Participle II was commonly marked by the prefix ʒe-, though it could also occur without it, especially if the verb had other word building prefixes.