agan
FOCUSED PRACTICE · 1 PARADIGM · 4 FORMS
possess, owe
Core drill · 200×
0 / 200 correct repetitions
- Forms
- Each 1sg → 2sg → 3sg → Plural
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Preterite-Present Verbs — Present Indicative
Historical Grammar
Conjugation of Preterit-Present Verbs.
The irregularities occur in the present indicative and subjunctive:
Indicative.
PRESENT.
| Person | witan | āgan | cunnan | durran | sculan | magan | mōtan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sing. | |||||||
| 1. | Ic wāt | āh | cǫn (can) | dear | sceal | mæg | mōt |
| 2. | ðū wāst | āhst | cǫnst (canst) | dearst | scealt | meaht | mōst |
| 3. | hē wāt | āh | cǫn (can) | dear | sceal | mæg | mōt |
| 1. wē wē | |||||||
| 2. gē gē | witon | āgon | cunnon | durron | sculon | magon | mōton |
| 3. hīe hīe | |||||||
Explanation & Usage
Preterit-Present Verbs. (See § 19.)
These verbs are called Preterit-Present because the present tense (indicative and subjunctive) of each of them is, in form, a strong preterit, the old present having been displaced by the new. They all have weak preterits. Most of the Mn.E. Auxiliary Verbs belong to this class.
wiste,
witan, wisse, wiston, gewiten, to know [to wit, wot].
āgan, āhte, āhton. āgen (adj.), to possess [owe].
gecunnen to know, can [uncouth, cunning].
cunnan, cūðe, cūðon, cūð (adj.),
durran, dorste, dorston, — to dare.
sculan, sceolde, sceoldon, — shall.
meahte, meahton,
magan, mihte, mihton, — to be able, may.
mōtan, mōste, mōston, — may, must.
NOTE.—The change in meaning from preterit to present, with retention of the preterit form, is not uncommon in other languages. Several examples are found in Latin and Greek (cf. nōvi and oἶδa, I know). Mn.E. has gone further still: āhte and mōste, which had already suffered the loss of their old preterits (āh, mōt), have been forced back again into the present (ought, must). Having exhausted, therefore, the only means of preterit formation known to Germanic, the strong and the weak, it is not likely that either ought or must will ever develop distinct preterit forms.
Syntax & Usage — Wülfing
Loquentes translation from Wülfing. Wülfing wrote in German; the English below is a Loquentes translation. The Old English examples are Wülfing’s own and are reproduced exactly as printed. The cleaned German original follows in the collapsible block.
E. cunnan.
388. 1. On cunnan as a notional verb in the meaning "know, be acquainted with, understand", Wülfing refers to the accusative, § 99 (I. S. 177).
2. As an auxiliary verb, cunnan denotes a mental or a physical ability; on the difference between its meaning and that of magan he refers to the latter, § 395.
At Bo. 132, 5 the infinitive is omitted: hi wilniað, þæs þe hi cunnon & magon, þæs hehstan godes.
Examples
se þe on fyre geseted biþ & byrnan ne con
nu se hæþena ne con ure gyfe onfon, utan we þam syllan & bringan ðe onfon can urum Drihtne hælendum Criste
þæt hie ne cuþan angitan þæt hit Godes wracu wæs
þe hiora ðenunga cuðen understandan on Englisc
we him ne cunnon æfterspyrigan
ne geðencean ne can hwæt him losað
hwæt can ic sprecan
ac ðonne hwa ne con ða ryhtlice ongietan
se ðe gesceadwislice tocnawan con god & yfel
þæt þu hi oncnawan cuþest
to ælcum þara tola þe ic mid wircan cuðe . . . . & to ælcum þara weorca þe ic wircan cuðe
gyf ðu enigne godne heorde hæbbe þe wel cunne healdan þæt þæt . . . .
þæt ic þe cunne rihtæ & gescæadlice biddan
gyf ic hine ongytan cuðe & gecnawan
hi wilniað, þæs þe hi cunnon & magon, þæs hehstan godes
Original German — Wülfing
E. cunnan.
388. 1. Über cunnan als Begriffszeitwort in der Bedeutung „wissen, kennen, verstehen' vgl. beim Akkusativ § 99, I. S. 177.
2. Als Hülfszeitwort bezeichnet cunnan ein geistiges oder körperliches Können; über den Unterschied seiner Bedeutung und der von magan vgl. bei diesem § 395. Be. 495, 37 se þe on fyre geseted biþ & byrnan ne con; 556, 16 nu se hæþena ne con ure gyfe onfon, utan we þam syllan & bringan ðe onfon can urum Drihtne hælendum Criste (= si paganus nescit accipere nostra donaria, offeramus ei qui novit, Domino Deo nostro). Or. 162, 27 þæt hie ne cuþan angitan þæt hit Godes wracu wæs. Cp. 2, 14 þe hiora ðenunga cuðen understandan on Englisc; 4, 16 we him ne cunnon æfterspyrigan; 38, 1 ne geðencean ne can hwæt him losað; 48, 8 hwæt can ic sprecan; 364, 17 ac ðonne hwa ne con ða ryhtlice ongietan; 435, 23 se ðe gesceadwislice tocnawan con god & yfel. Bo. 24, 20 þæt þu hi oncnawan cuþest. So. 163, 2 to ælcum þara tola þe ic mid wircan cuðe . . . . & to ælcum þara weorca þe ic wircan cuðe; 164, 30 gyf ðu enigne godne heorde hæbbe þe wel cunne healdan þæt þæt . . . .; 165, 21 þæt ic þe cunne rihtæ & gescæadlice biddan; 177, 10 gyf ic hine ongytan cuðe & gecnawan.
Mit ausgelassenem Infinitiv: Bo. 132, 5 hi wilniað, þæs þe hi cunnon & magon, þæs hehstan godes.
Source: Johann Ernst Wülfing, Die Syntax in den Werken Alfreds des Grossen, vol. 2, pp. 23-24, § 388 (Die Hülfszeitwörter. E. cunnan). Scan authority: archive.org diesyntaxindenw00wlgoog; OCR extraction aid: Google Books GEwuAAAAMAAJ. Translator: Loquentes. Printed edition in the US public domain.
Loquentes Practice Reference
Our drill practices the present indicative of the preterite-present modals. The column headings are the seven infinitives exactly as Smith lists them immediately above the conjugation; their order is confirmed by the 1st-singular forms (wāt, āh, cǫn, dear, sceal, mæg, mōt) and by the plurals (witon, āgon, cunnon, durron, sculon, magon, mōton).