Willan

The final irregular verb is 'willan - to want'. 'Willan' often comes paired with the infinitive form of another verb, just like in modern English. For example, 'I want to go', 'you want to see', 'he wants to drink'. Examine the sentences 'Ic wille feran to Rome - I want to go to Rome' and 'He wolde ða cnihtas cwellan - He wanted to kill the children''.

Though 'willan' looks like it should be translated to 'will', it is usually more correct to translate it as 'want' or 'intend' in the present tense. When in the past tense, it can be translated as either 'wanted' or 'would'. That's not to say it should never be translated as 'will', but consider 'intend' and 'want' first.

You'll notice that the vowel in the stem changes between the present tense and the past tense. Other than that, the endings of the past are identical to Class I Weak verbs. You can practice conjugating the verb 'willan' below.