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The Conjugation

The document discusses how English grammar and verb conjugation have changed since Shakespeare's time. Specifically, Shakespeare used distinct forms of "you" ("thou" and "you") and conjugated verbs differently in the second and third person singular. For example, "thou art" instead of "you are", and verbs in the third person ended in "-eth" rather than modern forms like "has" and "does". Understanding these differences helps modern audiences comprehend Shakespeare's original language.

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Enrique Alejandro
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260 views

The Conjugation

The document discusses how English grammar and verb conjugation have changed since Shakespeare's time. Specifically, Shakespeare used distinct forms of "you" ("thou" and "you") and conjugated verbs differently in the second and third person singular. For example, "thou art" instead of "you are", and verbs in the third person ended in "-eth" rather than modern forms like "has" and "does". Understanding these differences helps modern audiences comprehend Shakespeare's original language.

Uploaded by

Enrique Alejandro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE CONJUGATION

In order to read and understand Shakespeare, it is important to know that certain aspects of
English grammar have changed since Shakespeare’s time. Probably the most important change
is that English no longer has two ‘you’ forms. In Shakespeare’s time, ‘you’ was used as a more
polite form, and ‘thou’ as a more familiar form. ‘You’ was also used for addressing more than
one person and ‘thou’ to address one person. ‘Thou’ also had different verb conjugations to
‘you’, so Shakespeare would have said ‘you are’, but ‘thou art’, ‘you have’ but ‘thou hast’. The
third person (he, she, it) also had different verb conjugations, with, for example, ‘hath’, ‘doth’
and ‘seeth’ instead of the modern ‘has’, ‘does’ and ‘sees’.

One of the primary obstacles between Shakespeare’s plays and modern audiences is his
language. When he was writing, English was on the cusp of becoming Modern English and
leaving Middle English behind. (You wouldn’t recognize Old English, which started to morph
into Middle English around 1066.) However, there are a few holdovers from Middle English still
remaining. Because of two bodies of literature – Shakespeare’s works and the King James
Bible, newly translated in 1605 – this moment in English’s development was captured in time,
and is thus referred to as Elizabethan English, after Queen Elizabeth I.

Shakespeare uses a lot of contractions, especially to maintain iambic pentameter:

Wi’ = with I’ = In O’ = of T’ = to

‘t = it ‘tis = it is ‘twas = it was

E’en = even (sounds like een) E’er = ever (sounds like air) Ne’er = never (sounds like nair)

Thees and thous!

They both mean you, and they follow a pattern.

Thou = you (subject)

Thee = you (object)

Ye = you (plural)

Thy = your

Thine = yours

To compare this all to Modern English, use the handy chart below:
Shakespeare doesn’t always use the pronouns in the last two lines; since Elizabethan English
was changing, he sometimes used the modern ones instead.

Verb conjugation

In Modern English the form of verbs when conjugated in present tense only changes in 3rd
person singular… and some people do not even get that right! In Shakespearean English you
will come across some other conjugations. To conjugate a verb in 2nd peson singular, add -t, -
st, or -est, depending on the verb. (Thou shalt, thou canst, thou dost, thou knowest)
Shakespeare mixed the old and new styles for 3rd person singular. Sometimes, he wrote he ist
or he hath, and other times, he wrote he is or he has. For other verbs, the conjugation usually
requires that -eth be added to the end of the verb, as in she knoweth or he wanteth.
Shakespeare was at ease with both forms and freely used one or the other.

Also follows a pattern. It’s just a little more complicated than English verb conjugation is now.
Let’s compare verb conjugations in Spanish, Modern English, and Elizabethan English

Conjugating verbs in Modern English is relatively easy, mainly because we changed two of the
conjugations. To conjugate in Elizabethan English,

2nd Person singular verb adds -est, (you give is thou givest)

3rd Person singular verb adds –eth (she gives is she giveth)

Here are the present tense conjugations from that era of two common irregular verbs.

Here are some examples:

Elizabethan English

thou – art hast wilt canst dost hadst wouldst couldst shouldst didst

he— is hath will can doth had would could should did

Modern English

You – are have will can do


Thou – speakest liest lovest thinkest

He— speaketh lieth loveth thinketh

You – speak lie love think

What do you think? What dost thou think? What thinkest thou?

requires that -eth be added to the end of the verb, as in she knoweth or he wanteth.
Shakespeare was at ease with both forms and freely used one or the other.

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