גנבֿענען
(ganvenen)
About Simple Verbs
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.
| Pronoun | Meaning | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| איך | I | ־ | רעדן ← רעד |
| דו | you (singular) | סט | רעדן ← רעדסט |
| ער/זי/עס | he/she/it | ט | רעדן ← רעדט |
| מיר | we | ן | רעדן ← רעדן |
| איר | you (plural) | ט | רעדן ← רעדט |
| זיי | they | ן | רעדן ← רעדן |
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.
| Pronoun | Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| איך | האָב + past participle | איך האָב גערעדט |
| דו | האָסט + past participle | דו האָסט גערעדט |
| ער/זי/עס | האָט + past participle | ער האָט גערעדט |
| מיר | האָבן + past participle | מיר האָבן גערעדט |
| איר | האָט + past participle | איר האָט גערעדט |
| זיי | האָבן + past participle | זיי האָבן גערעדט |
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.
| Pronoun | Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| איך | װעל + infinitive | איך וועל רעדן |
| דו | װעסט + infinitive | דו וועסט רעדן |
| ער/זי/עס | װעט + infinitive | ער וועט רעדן |
| מיר | װעלן + infinitive | מיר וועלן רעדן |
| איר | װעט + infinitive | איר וועט רעדן |
| זיי | װעלן + infinitive | זיי וועלן רעדן |