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If you are learning how to converse about the past in the German language, you have probably encountered the topic of weak verbs. Weak verbs (and their counterparts, strong verbs) are features of Germanic languages. They are verbs that largely retain their identity when converted into past participles. This conversion is usually done with the addition of a consonant such as “d” or “t” at the end (dental consonants….here, not here…..it is a stretch to call this dental consonance, patient guitar solo at 2:30). Here are some examples of weak verbs in the English language:

love     loved

blink      blinked

See how these strong, unwavering, “weak,” verbs remain constant.  Look at how they function in the German language:

lieben   geliebt

lernen   gelernt

Again, the identity is retained….here, in addition to the dental consonant, a prefix “ge” is added.  How about Dutch:

laken     lakend

……which you better not do too harshly to this blog post!  So there you have it, weak verbs! I know that you’re probably thinking at this point..weak verbs seem so strong and steadfast, what’s the deal? You’ll have to wait for the blog post on strong verbs for clarification of this conundrum.  For now, appreciate that knowledge about weak verbs will provide you with an important foundation for conjugating verbs in the Germanic languages.  Their structures really are very similar.  Really…. just look at the names of Deutsch and Dutch…the only difference is an “e” and an “s” which happen to be found in English…..ok, I’m tired…….Bye!

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