Lesson 2

 In this lesson you'll learn:
- How to ask or say what something is
- The three nominatuve forms of the definite article (the)
- The other forms of the masc. A-stem and the neuter A-stem

 

Lesson 2

The definite article

The definite article (the) in Gothic is translated with the same word for "thus" and "that".
 In Gothic "the" is translated with "sa" (masc.) "þata" (neut.) and "so" (fem.).
These are the forms for the singular form, so "sa" can be used for "the king", but not for "the kings".

"the" however is only translated if a word was used before. So for example:
"The king is with a soldier, the king is on the road."
"Þiudans ist miþ gadrauhta, sa þiudans ist ana wiga."

How to ask or say what something is

It is very important to be able to say what something is, or to ask what something is. For this we need to know the word for "what". The Gothic word for what is hwa.
Hwa is declined like a neut. word.

As we learned in the previous lesson, "is" is ist in Gothic. "What is ..." can now be translated as "Hwa ist ....". As we saw above, sa, þata and so can also mean "this" or "that". If you want to say "that" in Gothic in a general sense, like in "I see that", you use the neuter form, þata.
What is that can now be translated as "Hwa ist þata ...".

If you want to say what something is, you have to translate the English "That is ...", in Gothic this would be "Þata ist ...", or a shortened form "Þatist ...".

The other forms of the masc. A-stem

We already learned the singular forms:

• Nom. = þiudans
• Gen. = þiudanis
• Dat. = þiudana
• Acc. = þiudan

The plural forms of "king" are like this:

• Kings, nom. = þiudanos
• Kings, gen. = þiudane
• Kings, dat. = þiudanam
• Kings, acc. = þiudanans 

 there is one form which we didn't discuss yet, the vocative. This form is used when talking to someone, examples: "O God, listen to my prayer" or "My friend, I ...".

This form is the same as the accusative for A-stems.

Now there is one A-stem left, the neuter form. The only difference is that the nominative and accusative are the same, there is no final -s for the nominative singular and the plural nominative and accusative are -a instead of -os and -ans.
Let's take a look at the declension of "word", which is "waurd" in Gothic:

• Word, nom. = waurd
• Word, gen. = waurdis
• Word, dat. = waurda
• Word, acc. = waurd
• Words, nom. = waurda
• Words, gen. = waurde
• Words, dat. = waurdam
• Words, acc. = waurda

The word God (guþ) maintains the þ in these declensions, but in most other words "þ" changes to "d" in the genitive sing. and plur., dative sing. and plur., and the nominative and accusative plural, so þ stays þ in the nominative and accusative singular.

Vocabulary

and = jah
without = inuh + acc. 
where = hwar (in questions)
not = ni
bread = hlaifs (m. A)
why = duhwe
because = unte

servant = skalks (m. A)
wine = wein (n. A)
well = waila
together = samana 
house = razn (n. A)
close, near = nehwa + dat.
there = jainar (that place)
a lot, much = filu + gen.
later = biþe


Reading text:

Hwa ist þata? Þata ist þiudans. Sa þiudans ist samana miþ skalka in razna. Hwar ist þata razn? Þata razn ist nehwa wiga jah akra. Duhwe eis sind jainar? Jainar sind, unte hlaifs ist jah jainar. Hlaifs ist þamma (for the) þiudana. Wein ist jah jainar, filu weinis! Nu sa þiudans ist inuh wein, iþ biþe is ist miþ weina.

Translate:
1. Where is the servant? There isn't bread!
2. We are (plural) in the house together.
3. Why are you there? Because there is wine?
4. There are a lot of birds.

Answers:
1. Hwar ist skalks? Nist hlaifs/Hlaifs nist!
2. (Weis) sijum in razna samana.
3. Duhwe þu is jainar? Unte ist wein?
4. Sind filu fugle.



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