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Old English · verb

þurfan

Part of speech: verb
IPA: /ˈθur.fɑn/
[ˈθurˠ.vɑn]
Syllables: ˈθur · fɑn (2 syllables)
Modern English: obliged

Meaning

to need
to be obliged (to do something)

Conjugation

Conjugation of þurfan
Indicative
	Present	Past
1st singular	þearf	þorfte
2nd singular	þearft	þorftest
3rd singular	þearf	þorfte
Plural	þurfon	þorfton
Subjunctive
Singular	þyrfe	þorfte
Plural	þyrfen	þorften

Non-finite forms of þurfan
	Form
Infinitive	þurfan
Inflected infinitive	þearfenne
Imperative singular	þyrfe
Imperative plural	þurfaþ
Present participle	þearfende

All forms (13)

þearf
þorfte
þearft
þorftest
þurfon
þorfton
þyrfe
þyrfen
þorften
þurfan
þearfenne
þurfaþ
þearfende

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 (þaurban).

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