In this lesson, we will learn the preterite tense for active indicative verbs.
PRETERITE TENSE
The preterite tense is the past tense. This means that the action was completed in the past. It is translated into English as “-ed.”
Some examples in English are:
We walked to the store yesterday.
I bought my sister a necklace for her birthday.
FORMATION OF PRETERITE TENSE
In Gaulish, the verbal base used to form the preterite tense is the second principal part of a verb listed in a dictionary. Let us take a look at a couple of examples:
anāt, anāsset, anātos AI.; anatlon, –i no.: to breathe; to stay, remain
delget, delxti, delxtos BI.; delgon, –i no.: to hold, hug, grab; to keep; to tell a story
In the first example, the second principle part is anāsset. This means that the preterite base for anāt is anāss-.
In the second example, the second principle part is delxti. This means that the preterite base for delget is delxt-.
In both examples, the preterite base is determined by dropping the 3rd person singular preterite ending (-et in the first example and -i in the second example). However, notice how the verbal root changes for each class of verb. A1 verbs have what is called a -s preterite and B1 verbs have what is called a -t preterite. This is why dictionaries will list the principle parts of verbs: so that we don’t have to apply the sound changes associated with each verb class when forming the preterite. Therefore, it is important to always consult a dictionary and look at the principle parts for a verb when composing or translating Gaulish.
NOTE: For a more detailed discussion of the preterite for each verb class and what sound changes occur, see Iextis Galation (pp. 50-51, s.v. Preterite).
The preterite indicative active endings for each verb class are listed below.
AI Verbs
| nessāssū | I approached |
| nessāsses | you approached |
| nessās | he/she/it approached |
| nessāssamos | we approached |
| nessāssate | you (all) approached |
| nessāssant | they approached |
AII VERBS
| arcissū | I asked |
| arcisses | you asked |
| arcis | he/she/it asked |
| arcissamos | we asked |
| arcissate | you (all) asked |
| arcissant | they asked |
BI Verbs
| delxtū | I held, hugged |
| delxtes | you held, hugged |
| delxti | he/she/it held, hugged |
| delxtomes | we held, hugged |
| delxtete | you (all) held, hugged |
| delxton | they held, hugged |
BII VERBS
| gartū | I summoned |
| gartes | you summoned |
| garti | he/she/it summoned |
| gartomes | we summoned |
| gartete | you (all) summoned |
| garton | they summoned |
BIII VERBS
| dacū | I showed |
| daces | you showed |
| daci | he/she/it showed |
| dacomes | we showed |
| dacete | you (all) showed |
| dacon | they showed |
BIV Verbs
| biboran | I judged |
| bibores | you judged |
| bibore | he/she/it judged |
| biborames | we judged |
| biborate | you (all) judged |
| biborant | they judged |
BV Verbs
| lilan | I flowed |
| lilas | you flowed |
| lile | he/she/it flowed |
| lilames | we flowed |
| lilate | you (all) flowed |
| lilant | they flowed |
APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
Remember to use a dictionary so that you can look at a verb’s principle parts in order to determine the preterite verb form.
Exercises
Translate the following sentences into English.
1. toutā adaxti olcās nouiās.
2. bertūmī sedlon in trebin atros mou.
3. tecissamos trei caiton dumnon etic cateiāssamos in dunon.
Click for answer key.
1. The tribe moved to new lands.
2. I carried the chair into the home of my father.
3. We escaped through the dark forest and returned to the hillfort.
Translate the following sentences into Gaulish. For some of the English vocabulary below, there is more than one Gaulish word with the English meaning. Choose the best Gaulish word that conveys what the English means and how it is being used in the sentence.
1. The man bought pants and a cloak at the market.
2. I removed the cow from the pasture.
3. We made offerings to the Gods on behalf of our sick mother.
Click for answer key.
1. uiros pipre bracās etic sagon in magē.
2. axāssūmī būn dī clouniī.
3. readdāssamos dēuobo are matren sergin anson.
Gaulish Paganism 