Unit 3
Verbs in Gothic take endings for all three persons, whereas in English only the third person singular has its own ending: -s. Here is an
example of the inflected endings of a Gothic verb, along with the personal pronouns they correspond to:
| Infinitive | siggwan | to sing |
| Singular |
| 1st | ik siggwa | I sing |
| 2nd | þū siggwis | Thou sing |
| 3rd | is siggwiþ | He sings (feminine: si siggwiþ, she sings; neuter: ita siggwiþ, it sings.) |
| Plural |
| 1st | weis siggwam | we sing |
| 2nd | jus siggwiþ | you (pl.) sing |
| 3rd | eis siggwand | they (masculine) sing (feminine: ijōs siggwand; neuter: ija siggwand). |
In the first and second persons, Gothic also has a dual number:
| Dual |
| 1st | wit siggwōs | we two sing |
| 2nd | jut siggwats | you two sing |
Sometimes, a word that should end in þ is found to end in d instead,
for example drigkid instead of drigkiþ.
As with most languages, the verb for "to be" is irregular:
| Infinitive | wisan | to be |
| Singular |
| 1st | ik im | I am |
| 2nd | þū is | thou art |
| 3rd | is ist | he is (si ist, she is; ita ist, it is) |
| Dual |
| 1st | wit siju | we two are |
| 2nd | jut sijuts | you two are |
| Plural |
| 1st | weis sijum | we are |
| 2nd | jus sijuþ | you (pl.) are |
| 3rd | eis sind | they (masc.) are (fem. ijōs sind; neut. ija sind.) |
In written and spoken Gothic, it would be unusual to use the pronoun with the verb, except for emphasis. Still, it is easier to learn
and memorize the different forms when they are put together like this.
The numbers from one to ten in Gothic are:
| 1 | áins |
| 2 | twái |
| 3 | þreis |
| 4 | fidwōr |
| 5 | fimf |
| 6 | saíhs |
| 7 | sibun |
| 8 | ahtáu |
| 9 | niun |
| 10 | taíhun |
| 1. þamma razna sind saíhs daúra. |
The house has six doors. (Literally, to the house are six doors. In unit 12 we'll
encounter another way to say this.) |
| 2. Saíƕa þans láubans fimf bagmē. |
I see the leaves of five trees. |
| 3. Saiis kaúrn in akra. |
You (thou) sow corn in a field. |
| 4. þái skalkōs áiþans qiþand þamma þiudana. |
The servants speak oaths to the king. |
| 5. Wit gaggōs and þana wig du þamma razna. |
We two are going along the way to the house. (Note and = along; this preposition
takes the accusative. Du = to; takes the dative.) |
See if you can translate these sentences into Gothic:
| 6. Seven birds are eating fruits. |
| 7. They see the door of the house. |
| 8. This is the way to the servants' house. |
| 9. You two are sowing in the daytime. |
| 10. You (plural) are singing in the morning. |
Answers
| 6. Sibun fuglōs itand akrana. |
| 7. Saíƕand þata daúr þis raznis. |
| 8. Þata ist sa wigs du þamma razna þizē skalkē. |
| 9. Saiats in þamma daga. |
| 10. Jus siggwiþ in þamma maúrgina. |
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