Lesson 17: Verbs — Present Tense
Complete Sindarin verb conjugation for present tense: aorist (simple) and continuative (ongoing) for both A-stem and primary verb classes, all 6 persons.
Two Verb Classes
Sindarin verbs fall into two main conjugation classes, determined by the form of the infinitive (the citation form):
Class 1: Primary Verbs (Consonant-Stem)
These verbs have a root ending in a consonant. In the infinitive (dictionary form), they are cited by their bare root with a hyphen: tir-, ped-, cen-, car-. They are the older, "strong" class of verbs.
Examples:
- tir- — to watch, to guard
- ped- — to speak, to say
- cen- — to see, to behold
- car- — to make, to do, to build
- cab- — to leap, to jump
- men- — to go, to proceed
- tol- — to come
Class 2: A-Stem Verbs (Derived Verbs)
These verbs end in -a or -o in the infinitive (or are cited with the full stem including the thematic vowel). They are "weak" verbs derived from nouns, adjectives, or older roots. They are the more productive class — new verbs tend to be formed as A-stems.
Examples:
- linna- — to sing
- sogo- — to drink
- mato- — to eat
- teitho- — to write, to draw
- noro- — to ride, to run
- garo- — to have, to hold
- anno- — to give
The Aorist (Simple Present)
The aorist (also called "simple present" or "general present") expresses:
- Habitual actions: "I watch every day"
- General truths: "Fire burns"
- Timeless statements
- Narrative present
It is the default present-tense form.
Aorist Personal Suffixes
| Person | Suffix |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | -on |
| 2nd sg. familiar | -og |
| 2nd sg. polite | -odh |
| 3rd sg. | bare stem (or -a for some) |
| 1st pl. incl. | -om |
| 1st pl. excl. | -onc |
| 2nd pl. | -odh |
| 3rd pl. | -ir |
Primary Verb tir- (to watch) — Aorist Conjugation
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | tiron | I watch |
| 2nd sg. fam. | tirog | thou watchest |
| 2nd sg. pol. | tirodh | you watch |
| 3rd sg. | tir | he/she/it watches |
| 1st pl. incl. | tirom | we watch (inclusive) |
| 1st pl. excl. | tironc | we watch (exclusive) |
| 2nd pl. | tirodh | you (pl.) watch |
| 3rd pl. | tirir | they watch |
How to form: primary verb stem + personal suffix. The stem vowel does not change in the aorist.
Primary Verb ped- (to speak) — Aorist Conjugation
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | pedon | I speak |
| 2nd sg. fam. | pedog | thou speakest |
| 2nd sg. pol. | pedodh | you speak |
| 3rd sg. | ped | he/she speaks |
| 1st pl. incl. | pedom | we speak |
| 1st pl. excl. | pedonc | we speak (excl.) |
| 3rd pl. | pedir | they speak |
A-Stem Verb linna- (to sing) — Aorist Conjugation
For A-stem verbs, the thematic -a- drops before consonant-initial suffixes and contracts before vowel-initial suffixes:
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | linnon | I sing |
| 2nd sg. fam. | linnog | thou singest |
| 2nd sg. pol. | linnodh | you sing |
| 3rd sg. | linna | he/she sings (base form) |
| 1st pl. incl. | linnom | we sing |
| 1st pl. excl. | linnonc | we sing (excl.) |
| 3rd pl. | linnir | they sing |
How to form: A-stem verb stem (drop final -a) + personal suffix, except 3rd sg. which keeps the full stem form linna.
The Continuative Present
The continuative present (also called "imperfect" or "present progressive") expresses ongoing action at the moment of speaking: "I am watching (right now)."
Formation for Primary Verbs
The root vowel is lengthened (short vowel → long vowel), and the suffix -a is added to create a new continuative stem. Then the personal suffixes attach to this stem.
Vowel lengthening:
- i → î
- e → ê
- a → â
- o → ô
- u → û
Primary Verb tir- — Continuative Present
Continuative stem: tîra- (i → î, plus -a)
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | tîron | I am watching |
| 2nd sg. fam. | tîrog | thou art watching |
| 2nd sg. pol. | tîrodh | you are watching |
| 3rd sg. | tîra | he/she is watching |
| 1st pl. incl. | tîrom | we are watching |
| 1st pl. excl. | tîronc | we are watching (excl.) |
| 3rd pl. | tîrir | they are watching |
Primary Verb cen- — Continuative Present
Continuative stem: cêna- (e → ê)
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | cênon | I am seeing |
| 3rd sg. | cêna | he/she is seeing |
| 3rd pl. | cênir | they are seeing |
A-Stem Verbs in the Continuative
For A-stem verbs, the aorist and continuative present overlap significantly. The 3rd singular linna ("he sings / he is singing") can express either sense. Scholarly opinion varies on whether A-stem verbs had a distinct continuative form; for practical purposes, context disambiguates.
Key Verb Paradigms: Five Essential Verbs
Verb 1: tir- (to watch, to guard)
| Tense | 1st sg. | 3rd sg. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aorist | tiron | tir | tirir |
| Continuative | tîron | tîra | tîrir |
Verb 2: ped- (to speak, to say)
| Tense | 1st sg. | 3rd sg. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aorist | pedon | ped | pedir |
| Continuative | pêdon | pêda | pêdir |
Verb 3: cen- (to see, to behold)
| Tense | 1st sg. | 3rd sg. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aorist | cenon | cen | cenir |
| Continuative | cênon | cêna | cênir |
Verb 4: car- (to make, to do, to build)
| Tense | 1st sg. | 3rd sg. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aorist | caron | car | carir |
| Continuative | câron | câra | cârir |
Note: car- has an irregular past tense (agor) covered in Lesson 18.
Verb 5: linna- (to sing)
| Tense | 1st sg. | 3rd sg. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aorist | linnon | linna | linnir |
| Continuative | same or extended form | linna | linnir |
Impersonal Verb: boe (It Is Necessary)
Boe is an impersonal verb that does not conjugate. It always appears in the 3rd person singular ("it is necessary"), and its subject is the infinitive of another verb:
Structure: boe + [dative of agent] + [infinitive/verb]
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| Boe pedim | We must speak (it is necessary that we speak) |
| Boe anim tírad | I must watch (it is necessary for me to watch) |
| Boe ammen | It is necessary for us |
| Boe le tírad | You must watch |
Attested: boe ammen tírad (it is necessary for us to look) — from Tolkien's drafts.
The dative is expressed through the prepositional pronoun forms (anim = for myself, ammen = for us, le = for thee).
The Verb nâ (to be) — Preview
The copula nâ (is, am, are) is the most important irregular verb. Full treatment is in Lesson 26. Present:
- Nân — I am (1st sg.)
- Nâ — it is / he is / she is (3rd sg.)
- I aran nâ beleg — the king is great
Verb-Subject-Object Word Order
Sindarin follows VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) order, unlike English (SVO). The verb comes first, then the subject, then the object. The object noun undergoes soft mutation (Lesson 11).
| VSO Structure | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | Tiron | I watch |
| Verb + Object | Tiron varad | I watch a tower |
| Verb + Subject | Linna i edhel | The elf sings |
| Verb + Subject + Object | Cêna i edhel i varad | The elf is watching the tower |
When the subject is expressed by the verb's personal suffix (1st/2nd person), no separate subject pronoun is needed:
- Tiron = "I watch" — the -on suffix identifies the subject as 1st singular
- Linnir = "they sing" — the -ir suffix identifies 3rd plural
A separate subject pronoun may be added for emphasis:
- Im tiron = "I (myself) watch" — im is the emphatic 1st singular pronoun
Summary: Present Tense Forms at a Glance
| Person | Aorist Suffix | Continuative | A-stem aorist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | stem + -on | long-stem + -on | stem + -on |
| 2sg fam. | stem + -og | long-stem + -og | stem + -og |
| 2sg pol. | stem + -odh | long-stem + -odh | stem + -odh |
| 3sg | bare stem | long-stem + -a | stem + -a |
| 1pl incl. | stem + -om | long-stem + -om | stem + -om |
| 1pl excl. | stem + -onc | long-stem + -onc | stem + -onc |
| 3pl | stem + -ir | long-stem + -ir | stem + -ir |
Practice: Conjugate These Verbs
Conjugate each verb in the aorist for all persons (1sg, 2sg fam., 3sg, 1pl incl., 3pl):
- cab- (to leap)
- men- (to go)
- noro- (to ride, A-stem)
- anno- (to give, A-stem)
- cen- (to see)
Answers:
1. cab- (to leap): 1sg cabon, 2sg cabog, 3sg cab, 1pl cabom, 3pl cabir
2. men- (to go): 1sg menon, 2sg menog, 3sg men, 1pl menom, 3pl menir
3. noro- (to ride, A-stem): 1sg noron, 2sg norog, 3sg noro, 1pl norom, 3pl norir
4. anno- (to give, A-stem): 1sg annon, 2sg annog, 3sg anno, 1pl annom, 3pl annir
5. cen- (to see): 1sg cenon, 2sg cenog, 3sg cen, 1pl cenom, 3pl cenir