The anomalous verbs are actually the remnants of athematic verbs. The only two such verbs are im 'I am' and wiljáu 'I will'. The verb im 'I am' is athematic in the present indicative and subjunctive, but forms a suppletive system with the verb wisan 'to be', whose forms supply the infintive and the remaining elements of the paradigm.
Wisan "to be"
Wisan is a very irregular verb that derives from is- or sij-. It conjugates like so:
The Active Voice
| Present Indicative |
singular |
dual |
plural |
| 1 |
im (i am) |
wit siju (we two are) |
weis sijum (we all are) |
| 2 |
is (you are) |
jut sijuts (you two are) |
jus sijuþ (you all are) |
| 3 |
ist (he is) |
|
eis sind (they are) |
| Optative/ Subjunctive |
singular |
dual |
plural |
| 1 |
Ek sijáu |
wit sijáiwa |
weis sijáima |
| 2 |
Þu sijáis |
jut sijáits |
jus sijáiþ |
| 3 |
Is sijái |
|
eis sijáina |
| Preterite |
singular |
dual |
plural |
| 1 |
Ek was (i was) |
wit wesu (we two were) |
weis wesum (we all were) |
| 2 |
Þu wast (you were) |
jut wesuts (you two were) |
jus wesuþ (you all were) |
| 3 |
Is was (he was) |
|
eis wesun (they were) |
| Optative Preterite |
singular |
dual |
plural |
| 1 |
Ek wesjau |
wit weseiwa |
weis weseima |
| 2 |
Þu weseis |
jut weseits |
jus weseiþ |
| 3 |
Is wesi |
|
eis weseina |
| Imperative |
singular |
dual |
plural |
| 1 |
|
|
weis sijáima |
| 2 |
Þu sái, sijáis |
jut sijáits |
jus sijáiþ |
| 3 |
Is sijái |
|
eis sijáina |
The Passive Voice
| Indicative |
wisada |
| Optative |
wisaidau |
The optative forms are used for the imperative, apart from the possible form sái. There are also forms sium and siuþ alternating with sijum and sijuþ, respectively. The initial vowel of ist combines with a preceding vowel in a few common phrases: ni ist > nist; þata ist > þatist; kara ist > karist.
The word wists is the the nominal form meaning "being".
Wiljan "to will"
The verb wiljáu 'I will' does not retain any present indicative forms in Gothic. Only preterite subjunctive forms remain (though in Old English only the present subjunctive), which are used in place of the present indicative. From these were built a new infinitive and weak past tense.
| Present |
|
|
| 1 Singular |
wiljáu |
|
| 2 |
wileis |
|
| 3 |
wili |
|
| 2 Dual |
wileits |
|
| 1 Plural |
wileima |
|
| 2 |
wileiþ |
|
| 3 |
wileina |
|
| Past |
Indicative |
Subjunctive |
| 1 Singular |
wilda |
wildedjáu |
| 2 |
wildes |
wildedeis |
| 3 |
wilda |
wildedeis |
| 1 Dual |
wildedu |
wildedeiwa |
| 2 |
wildeduts |
wildedeits |
| 1 Plural |
wildedum |
wildedeima |
| 2 |
wildeduþ |
wildedeiþ |
| 3 |
wildedun |
wildedeina |
| Infinitive |
wiljan |
|
| Present Part. |
wiljands |
|
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