Editing Middle English (section)

===Verbs===
As a general rule, the indicative first person singular of verbs in the present tense ended in ''-e'' (e.g., {{lang|enm|ich here}}, "I hear"), the second person singular in ''-(e)st'' (e.g., {{lang|enm|þou spekest}}, "thou speakest"), and the third person singular in ''-eþ'' (e.g., {{lang|enm|he comeþ}}, "he cometh/he comes"). (''[[Thorn (letter)|þ]]'' (the letter "thorn") is pronounced like the unvoiced ''th'' in "think", but under certain circumstances, it may be like the voiced ''th'' in "that"). The following table illustrates a typical conjugation pattern:<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Principles of English Composition.|year = 1831|url = https://archive.org/details/principlesengli01bootgoog|last = Booth|first = David|publisher = Cochrane and Pickersgill}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title = Introduction to Middle English|date = 9 September 2016|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=sjVYDwAAQBAJ|last = Horobin|first = Simon|publisher = Edinburgh University Press |isbn = 9781474408462}}</ref><!-- NOTE: It's unclear which of the following entries in this table require a language tag.-->
{| class="wikitable"
|+Middle English verb inflection
! rowspan="3" |Verbs inflection
! rowspan="3" |Infinitive
! colspan="5" |Present
! colspan="5" |Past
|-
! rowspan="2" |Participle
! colspan="3" |Singular
! rowspan="2" |Plural
! rowspan="2" |Participle
! colspan="3" |Singular
! rowspan="2" |Plural
|-
!1st person
!2nd person
!3rd person
!1st person
!2nd person
!3rd person
|-
! colspan="12" |Regular verbs
|-
!Strong
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|enm|-en}}
| rowspan="2" |  {{lang|enm|-ende}}, -{{lang|enm|ynge}}
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|enm|-e}}
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|enm|-est}}
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|enm|-eþ}} ({{lang|enm|-es}})
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|enm|-en}} {{lang|enm|(-es}}, {{lang|enm|-eþ}})
|{{lang|enm|i-}} {{lang|enm|-en}}
| –
| {{lang|enm|-e}} ({{lang|enm|-est}})
| –
| {{lang|enm|-en}}
|-
!Weak
| {{lang|enm|-ed}}
| {{lang|enm|-ede}}
| {{lang|enm|-edest}}
| {{lang|enm|-ede}}
| {{lang|enm|-eden}}
|-
! colspan="12" |Irregular verbs
|-
! rowspan="2" |Been "{{lang|enm|be}}"
| rowspan="2" |{{lang|enm|been}}
| rowspan="2" |{{lang|enm|beende}}, {{lang|enm|beynge}}
|{{lang|enm|am}}
|{{lang|enm|art}}
|{{lang|enm|is}}
|{{lang|enm|aren}}
| rowspan="2" |{{lang|enm|ibeen}}
| rowspan="2" |{{lang|enm|was}}
|wast
| rowspan="2" |{{lang|enm|was}}
| rowspan="2" |{{lang|enm|weren}}
|-
|{{lang|enm|be}}
|{{lang|enm|bist}}
|{{lang|enm|biþ}}
|{{lang|enm|beth}}, {{lang|enm|been}}
|{{lang|enm|were}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Cunnen}} "can"
|{{lang|enm|cunnen}}
|{{lang|enm|cunnende}}, {{lang|enm|cunnynge}}
|{{lang|enm|can}}
|{{lang|enm|canst}}
|{{lang|enm|can}}
|{{lang|enm|cunnen}}
|{{lang|enm|cunned}}, {{lang|enm|coud}}
|{{lang|enm|coude}}, {{lang|enm|couthe}}
|{{lang|enm|coudest}}, {{lang|enm|couthest}}
|{{lang|enm|coude}}, {{lang|enm|couthe}}
|{{lang|enm|couden}}, {{lang|enm|couthen}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Don}} "do"
|{{lang|enm|don}}
|{{lang|enm|doende}}, {{lang|enm|doynge}}
|{{lang|enm|do}}
|{{lang|enm|dost}}
|{{lang|enm|doþ}}
|{{lang|enm|doþ}}, {{lang|enm|don}}
|{{lang|enm|idon}}
|{{lang|enm|didde}}
|{{lang|enm|didst}}
|{{lang|enm|didde}}
|{{lang|enm|didden}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Douen}} "be good for"
|{{lang|enm|douen}}
|{{lang|enm|douende}}, {{lang|enm|douynge}}
|{{lang|enm|deigh}}
|{{lang|enm|deight}}
|{{lang|enm|deigh}}
|{{lang|enm|douen}}
|{{lang|enm|idought}}
|{{lang|enm|dought}}
|{{lang|enm|doughtest}}
|{{lang|enm|dought}}
|{{lang|enm|doughten}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Durren}} "dare"
|{{lang|enm|durren}}
|{{lang|enm|durrende}}, {{lang|enm|durrynge}}
|{{lang|enm|dar}}
|{{lang|enm|darst}}
|{{lang|enm|dar}}
|{{lang|enm|durren}}
|{{lang|enm|durst}}, {{lang|enm|dirst}}
|{{lang|enm|durst}}
|{{lang|enm|durstest}}
|{{lang|enm|durst}}
|{{lang|enm|dursten}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Gon}} "go"
|{{lang|enm|Gon}}
|{{lang|enm|goende}}, {{lang|enm|goynge}}
|{{lang|enm|go}}
|{{lang|enm|gost}}
|{{lang|enm|goþ}}
|{{lang|enm|goþ}}, {{lang|enm|gon}}
|{{lang|enm|igon}}(gen)
|{{lang|enm|wend}}, {{lang|enm|yede}}, {{lang|enm|yode}}
|{{lang|enm|wendest}}, {{lang|enm|yedest}}, {{lang|enm|yodest}}
|{{lang|enm|wende}}, {{lang|enm|yede}}, {{lang|enm|yode}}
|{{lang|enm|wenden}}, {{lang|enm|yeden}}, {{lang|enm|yoden}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Haven}} "have"
|{{lang|enm|haven}}
|{{lang|enm|havende}}, {{lang|enm|havynge}}
|{{lang|enm|have}}
|{{lang|enm|hast}}
|{{lang|enm|haþ}}
|{{lang|enm|haven}}
|{{lang|enm|ihad}}
|{{lang|enm|hadde}}
|{{lang|enm|haddest}}
|{{lang|enm|hadde}}
|{{lang|enm|hadden}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Moten}} "must"
| –
| –
|{{lang|enm|mot}}
|{{lang|enm|must}}
|{{lang|enm|mot}}
|{{lang|enm|moten}}
| –
|{{lang|enm|muste}}
|{{lang|enm|mustest}}
|{{lang|enm|muste}}
|{{lang|enm|musten}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Mowen}} "may"
|{{lang|enm|mowen}}
|{{lang|enm|mowende}}, {{lang|enm|mowynge}}
|{{lang|enm|may}}
|{{lang|enm|myghst}}
|{{lang|enm|may}}
|{{lang|enm|mowen}}
|{{lang|enm|imought}}
|{{lang|enm|mighte}}
|{{lang|enm|mightest}}
|{{lang|enm|mighte}}
|{{lang|enm|mighten}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Owen}} "owe, ought"
|{{lang|enm|owen}}
|{{lang|enm|owende, owynge}}
|{{lang|enm|owe}}
|{{lang|enm|owest}}
|{{lang|enm|owe}}
|{{lang|enm|owen}}
|{{lang|enm|iowen}}
|{{lang|enm|owed}}
|{{lang|enm|ought}}
|{{lang|enm|owed}}
|{{lang|enm|ought}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Schulen}} "should"
| –
| –
|{{lang|enm|schal}}
|{{lang|enm|schalt}}
|{{lang|enm|schal}}
|{{lang|enm|schulen}}
| –
|{{lang|enm|scholde}}
|{{lang|enm|scholdest}}
|{{lang|enm|scholde}}
|{{lang|enm|scholde}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Þurven/Þaren}} "need"
| –
| –
|{{lang|enm|þarf}}
|{{lang|enm|þarst}}
|{{lang|enm|þarf}}
|{{lang|enm|þurven, þaren}}
| –
|{{lang|enm|þurft}}
|{{lang|enm|þurst}}
|{{lang|enm|þurft}}
|{{lang|enm|þurften}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Willen}} "want"
|{{lang|enm|willen}}
|{{lang|enm|willende, willynge}}
|{{lang|enm|will}}
|{{lang|enm|wilt}}
|{{lang|enm|will}}
|{{lang|enm|wollen}}
|  –
|{{lang|enm|wolde}}
|{{lang|enm|woldest}}
|{{lang|enm|wolde}}
|{{lang|enm|wolden}}
|-
!{{lang|enm|Witen}} "know"
|{{lang|enm|witen}}
|{{lang|enm|witende, witynge}}
|{{lang|enm|woot}}
|{{lang|enm|woost}}
|{{lang|enm|woot}}
|{{lang|enm|witen}}
|{{lang|enm|iwiten}}
|{{lang|enm|wiste}}
|{{lang|enm|wistest}}
|{{lang|enm|wiste}}
|{{lang|enm|wisten}}
|}
Plural forms vary strongly by dialect, with Southern dialects preserving the Old English ''-eþ'', Midland dialects showing ''-en'' from about 1200, and Northern forms using ''-es'' in the third person singular as well as the plural.<ref name="cambridge">{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/211/1905.html|title=The Cambridge History of English and American Literature| first1 =AW | last1 = Ward | first2 = AR | last2 = Waller| date= 1907–21| access-date= Oct 4, 2011 | publisher = Bartleby}}</ref>

The past tense of weak verbs was formed by adding an ''-ed(e)'', ''-d(e)'', or ''-t(e)'' ending. The past-tense forms, without their personal endings, also served as past participles with past-participle prefixes derived from Old English: ''i-'', ''y-'', and sometimes ''bi-''.

[[Germanic strong verb|Strong verbs]], by contrast, formed their past tense by changing their stem vowel (e.g., {{lang|enm|binden}} became {{lang|enm|bound}}, a process called [[apophony]]), as in Modern English.