The verb 'to be' is actually composed of three different stems:
| Conjugation | Pronoun | s-stem | b-stem | w-stem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | – | sīn | *bion? | wesan |
| Present indicative | ||||
| ik | *em | bium | wisu | |
| thū | *art | bis(t) | wisis | |
| hē/it/siu | is(t) | *bid | wis(id) | |
| wī/gī/sia | sind(un) | *biod | wesad | |
| Past indicative | ||||
| ik | – | – | was | |
| thū | – | – | wāri | |
| hē/it/siu | – | – | was | |
| wī/gī/sia | – | – | wārun | |
| Present subjunctive | ||||
| ik/thū/hē/it/siu | sī(e) | – | wese | |
| wī/gī/sia | sī(e)n | – | wesen | |
| Past subjunctive | ||||
| ik/thū/hē/it/siu | – | – | wāri | |
| wī/gī/sia | – | – | wārin | |
| Imperative | ||||
| (singular) | – | – | wis, wes | |
| (plural) | – | – | wesad | |
| Present participle | – | – | wesandi | |
| Past participle | – | – | (gi)wesan | |
The present forms of wesan are almost never used. Therefore, wesan is used as the past, imperative, and present participle versions of sīn, and does not have a separate meaning. The b-stem is only met in the present indicative of wesan, and only for the 1st and 2nd persons in the singular.
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