þurfan
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *þurban (“to need”).
Germanic cognates include Old Frisian *thurva, Old Saxon thurƀan, Old Dutch thurvan, Old High German durfan, Old Norse þurfa, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌽 (þaurban).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈθur.fɑn/, [ˈθurˠ.vɑn]
Usage notes
- Þurfan is not used in the passive voice, i.e. to express that something "is/was needed", as it lacks an attested past participle. Instead, one would say that there "is/was need of it" using the related noun þearf, along with the genitive of the thing needed, the dative of the one experiencing the need, and the verb "to be": Us wæs þīne þearf ("You were needed by us", or more literally, "To us, there was need of you").
Conjugation
Conjugation of þurfan (preterite-present)
| infinitive | þurfan | þearfenne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | þearf | þorfte |
| second person singular | þearft | þorftest |
| third person singular | þearf | þorfte |
| plural | þurfon | þorfton |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | þyrfe | þorfte |
| plural | þyrfen | þorften |
| imperative | ||
| singular | þyrfe | |
| plural | þurfaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| þearfende | — | |
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