1.2.2 Verbs (v.)

• 1.2.2.1 Aorist/Present Tense
• 1.2.2.2 Verb Suffixes
• 1.2.2.2a Verb & Conjugation Practice
• 1.2.2.3 Future, Past, Perfect
• 1.2.2.4 Section Summary
• Exercise 1.1

Like all languages, Sindarin uses verbs for the action of a sentence. In dictionaries, Sindarin verbs are listed by their verb stem which ends in a dash “-”, such as mad- “to eat”. The verb stem is not used by itself; various suffixes or inflections are added when forming sentences. Here is a sample of Sindarin verbs with their meanings:

• rista- v. “to cut”
• lor- v. “to sleep”
• mad- v. “to eat”
• men- v. “to go”
• nor- v. “to run”
• sav- v. “to have”
• síla- v. “to shine”
• tir- v. “to look (towards)”
• hir- v. “to find”

Sindarin, including its earlier forms, features two primary verb categories: basic verbs, originating from simple primitive verbal roots, and derived verbs, formed by adding verbal suffixes. These categories are often referred to as i-stem and a-stem verbs in literature, named after the common i or a ending in their present tense forms. This classification is used by David Salo in his book, “Gateway to Sindarin,” though it's unclear if he was the first to use these terms. Paul Strack labels them as “basic” and “derived” verbs and finds that is more aligned with the terminology used for similar verb classes in Quenya.

1.2.2.1 Aorist Tense / Present Tense

The simple present tense in Sindarin appears to originate from the ancient Common Eldarin aorist tense.

Due to limited examples, its precise usage is challenging to pinpoint. However, many Neo-Sindarin writers believe it operates similarly to the English simple present tense and can also convey the present continuous or imperfective. For instance, the Sindarin phrase “tôl achar(n)” has been interpreted in various sources as “vengeance comes” (simple present) or “vengeance is coming” (present continuous/imperfective). Going forward, I am using the simple present tense for all my sentences.

• Edhel lôr. “An elf sleeps.”
• e·Chothron hâf vegil. “The captain has a sword.”
• e·Chadhod dîr en·orch. “The dwarf watches the orc.”
• Orch mâd aew. “An orc eats birds.”

In Sindarin, lack of an article means the noun is indefinite (“a/an”).

Present Tense: For basic verbs, the third singular present form (without any suffix) is just the verb stem with the vowel lengthened (but not mutated) if the verb is monosyllabic: en·edhel nôr “the elf runs (nor-)”, en·edhel orthor “the elf conquers (orthor-)”. When a pronominal subject suffix is added, the verb (a) inserts an -i- between the verb stem and suffix, and (b) the base vowel undergoes internal i-affection, changing a, o, u to e, e, y: nerin “I run”. This i-affection does not apply to any known prefixes: ortherin “I conquer (= over-rule)”, but they are mutated if unrecognized: ephedin (aphad-) “I follow”. For plural subjects, the verb adds the suffix -r, again causing internal i-affection: en·edhil nerir “the elves run”, en·edhil ortherir “the elves conquer”.

• i → i: en·edhel dîr “the elf watches,” tirin “I watch.”
• e → e: en·edhel gên “the elf sees,” cenin “I see.”
• a → e: en·edhel gâr “the elf makes,” cerin “I make.”
• o → e: en·edhel nôr “the elf runs,” nerin “I run.”
• o → e: en·edhel orthor “the elf conquers,” ortherin “I conquer.”
• u → y: *en·edhel rûn “the elf rubs,” rynin “I rub.”

* Basic verbs with u in Sindarin are very rare (none are attested), and this example verb *run- “to rub” is created for demonstration purposes.

For derived verbs, the third singular present form (without any suffix) is just the verb stem: en·edhel padra “the elf walks (padra-)”. With a suffix, the final a becomes o: padron “I walk”. The only exception is the suffix -r, which is added without changing the vowel: in·edhil badrar “the elves walk”. Half-strong verbs drop the final a in the third singular: en·edhil dangada “the elf confirms (tangad(a)-)”. The a returns with subject suffixes but usually does not change to o as with derived verbs: tangadan “I confirm”.

1.2.2.2 Verb Suffixes:

Conjugation endings for the present, based on Paul Strack’s chart, are as follows:

Below are comparative sentences in Neo-Sindarin, illustrating how verbs are conjugated for different subjects and how subtle changes in verb forms can alter the meaning slightly:

• Lerin. “I sleep.” vs. Edhel lôr. “An elf sleeps.”
  • Here leri-n = “sleep-I”.
• Sevin vegil. “I have a sword.” vs. e·Chothron hâf vegil. “The captain has a sword.”
  • Here sevi-n = “have-I”.
• e·Chedhyd dirir e·orch. “The dwarves watch the orc.” vs. e·Chadhod dîr en·orch. “The dwarf watches the orc.”
  • Here tiri-r = “watch” no “they” it is only a verb that is conjugated to agree with a plural subject.
• Yrch vedir aew. “Orcs eat birds” vs. Orch vâd aew. “An orc eats birds”
  • Here medi-r = “eat” no “they” it is only a verb that is conjugated to agree with a plural subject.

In the last two sentences, aew can cause some ambiguity one way to get around this is to add a definite article. Yrch vedir in·aew. “Orcs watch the birds.”

Verb & Conjugation Practice

1.2.2.3 Future, Past:

The remaining tenses are not covered in detail in this chapter, but briefly they are formed as follows and you can find more info here on Parf Edhellen:

• Future by adding -athon to the basic verb stem: nor- “to run” → norathon “(I) will run”
• Past by “lengthening” the vowel into the basic verb stem: nor- “to run” → onúren “(I) ran”

The Sindarin past tense seems to function similarly to the English past tense, but its formation is more complicated, and we have relatively few examples to work from. The Sindarin past tense seems to be marked by a variety of morphological features, not all of which apply in every case:

1. A vocalic augment causing soft mutation of the following consonant: agor “did” for car-“do”; this is mostly used for basic verbs.
2. Mutation of the base vowel via vowel lengthening: onúr “ran” for nor- “run”; this is mostly used for certain basic verbs.
3. Nasal infixion: echant “formed, made” for echad- “to form, make, shape, cut out”; this is mostly used for half-strong verbs and certain basic verbs.
4. Past suffix -ant: teithant “wrote, drew” for teitha- “to write, draw, inscribe, make marks or signs”; this is mostly used for (transitive) derived verbs.
5. Past suffix -as(t): sílas(t) “shined” for síla “shine”; this is mostly used for (intransitive) derived verbs.

The past is quite complicated. For now, you just need to be aware these tenses exist.

1.2.2.4 Section Summary

This summary covers both this and the previous section.

• Plural nouns undergo i-affection: internal i-affection, final i-affection, and final i-intrusion:
  • bâr “house” → bair “houses”, gil/gail “star” → gil/gîl “stars”, taur “forest” → toer “forests”.
  • gil has varying etymologies, and its singular form is variously attested as gil or gail. The plural gîl likely corresponds to gail, and would be regular (cf. cair > cîr). However, if you use gil as singular, it should remain unchanged in plural.
• The aorist tense and present are treated the same. nor- → nôr, “run/runs”.

This course includes a comprehensive All-Exercises chapter at the end. For convenience, you might consider printing the exercises by chapter, allowing you to write your answers directly next to each question. Additionally, for easier reference, these exercises are also incorporated within the relevant sections of each chapter. At the conclusion of this chapter, you'll find a Section 1.3.1 titled “Chapter Vocabulary”, which will be useful for the exercises in this and subsequent chapters.

Exercise 1.1