Introduction

Syllabus

Part I

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Part II

Chapter One

Back to Realelvish

We've been having fun, now it's time to hit the books.

There are two main types of verbs: derived verbs, and root verbs. Both Sindarin and Quenya have them, and they have the same relations. If you go back to Common Eldarin, you'll see the basis of this. These two are:

1. Root verbs are verbs which are a stem with nothing suffixed onto them. These are commonly known as I-verbs.
2. Derived verbs are a stem plus another element to modify the meaning of the stem slightly. There are several of these additions: -a, -ia, -ta, and -na. Because of this, they are often called A-verbs.

In this lesson, We will learn the present, future, and imperative tense conjugations.

When Sindarin verbs are listed in (good!) dictionaries, they are listed by their verb-roots, not as infinitives.

Amputate — Osgar-
Come — Tol-
Fear — Gosta-
Flap — Blab-
Lick — Laf-
See — Tir-
Sing — Linna-
Slay — Dag-

Pronoun Verb Suffixes

Remember the lesson about pronouns? It said that nominative pronouns are almost never used, that they are suffixed onto the ends of the verbs. Here are the suffixes.

Present Tense

In Enlgish, there is two present tenses: the active present tense and the passive present tense, "is doing" and "does". In Sindarin, they are exactly the same.

Present tense for A-verbs is pretty straightforward. You just add the suffix onto the verb-root.

We (not you) fear → Gostam
We (and you) fear → Gostanc
You fear → Gostal
Y'all fear → Gostalir
He/She/It fears → Gosta
They fear → Gostar

The first person singular and the second person informal conjugations are special for A-verbs. The A is replaced with an O.

I fear → Goston
You fear → Gostog
Y'all fear → Gostogir

The present tense for I-verbs is a little more difficult. Treat the vowels in the root of the I-verb as though they are the non-final syllables in a plural, and add an I on the end. Then, add the pronoun suffix. The reason that they are the same is because the plural suffix in Sindarin used to be -in, which vanished after it ended up changing the vowels inside the words. This change is called I-Affection, and you are going to see it again.

I slay → Degin

If the root ends with an F, then the F becomes a V.

I lick → Levin

The third person singular is different. If the root of the I-verb is one syllable long, add a circumflex accent to the vowel. If it is more than one syllable long, none of the vowels are lengthened.

He/She/It licks → Lâf
He/She/It amputates → Osgar

Future Tense

In English, there are two ways of making the future tense. "I will laugh," and "I'm going to laugh." They are translated the same way in Sindarin.

The future tense is the same for both A-verbs and I-verbs. Simply put the verb in its activepresent tense form, then add -tha. It will conjugate like an A-verb.

I will sing → Linnathon
They will sing → Linnathar
You will flap → Blebithog
He/She/It will flap → Blebitha

The Imperative Tense

In English, the imperative tense is made by taking the word "you" out of the subject of the sentence. In Sindarin, the verbs have a special conjugation just for ordering others around. You may recall from the previous chapter, that this conjugation can also be used to express hope or longing for an event to take place, like English "may it be so".

The Imperative Tense for A-verbs is very easy. Take the A off of the root and add an O in its place.

Sing a song about me! → Linno 'laer o nin!
May my enemies fear me! → Gosto nin i chyth nîn!

It's very easy for I-verbs as well. Take the verb root and suffix an O onto it.

Lick the cake! → Lavo i gram!
May summer come today! → Tolo laer sîr!

In Sindarin, there is a verb for "to be", but it only appears in the imperative tense. When using it, put the un-mutated adjective right after it, then put in the subject of the sentence.

May your horse be swift! → No lagor i roch lîn!
Be silent! → No dínen!

Homework

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