wenan
Breton edit
Noun edit
wenan
- Soft mutation of gwenan.
Old English edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Germanic *wēnijaną. Cognate with Old Frisian wēna, Old Saxon wānian, Old High German wānen (German wähnen), Old Norse væna, Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wēnjan).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
wēnan
- to think (be of a certain opinion)
- Iċ wēne swā.
- I think so.
- Iċ wēne þæt iċ wite hwǣr þīna cǣġa sīen.
- I think I know where your keys are.
- Hwæt wēnaþ ġē be þām þe wē ealle hwǣrhwugu ġemēten?
- What do you guys think of us all meeting up somewhere?
- to expect (+ genitive)
- Early 11th century, Wulfstan, "Secundum Lucam"
- Uton helpan ūre selfra þā hwīle þe wē magon, þȳ lǣs wē forweorðen þonne wē lǣst wēnen.
- Let us help ourselves while we can, lest we perish when we least expect it.
- Early 11th century, Wulfstan, "Secundum Lucam"
- (poetic) to hope
Usage notes edit
A following verb expressing what is thought or expected is usually in the subjunctive mood: Iċ wēne þæt þū sīe lēoflīċ ("I think you're lovely").
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of wēnan (weak class 1)
| infinitive | wēnan | wēnenne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | wēne | wēnde |
| second person singular | wēnest, wēnst | wēndest |
| third person singular | wēneþ, wēnþ | wēnde |
| plural | wēnaþ | wēndon |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | wēne | wēnde |
| plural | wēnen | wēnden |
| imperative | ||
| singular | wēn | |
| plural | wēnaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| wēnende | (ġe)wēned | |