בלײַבן

This category applies to most Yiddish verbs, that do not fall into other specific categories.

Present Tense

In the present tense, simple verbs are conjugated by adding specific endings to the verb stem based on the subject pronoun. To get the verb stem, the ending (normally ן) is removed from the infinitive.

Past Tense

The past tense for periphrastic, simple, separable-prefix, and reflexive verbs is formed in a similar manner and follows the same rules.

The past tense is formed using the auxiliary verb האָבן (to have) or זיין (to be) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

In most cases, האָבן is used, but זיין is used with verbs that indicate motion or change of state.

The past participle is often formed by adding גע־ at the beginning and ־ט at the end of the verb stem, though there are many exceptions; in general the past participle needs to memorised.

Future Tense

The future tense for periphrastic, reflexive, separable-prefix and simple verbs is formed in a similar manner and follows the same rules. It is formed using the auxiliary verb וועלן (will) followed by the infinitive form of the main verb.