Tenses etc.

[Fredrik]

Speaking of tenses I wonder somethings.

First of all, is gothic poor with tenses?
What I can understand there's only one for now, present tense. And 
one for what has happend, preterite. So in that case what would be in 
english:
I saw (or did see if that's a possible form), I have seen, and I had 
seen. These will all be translated in gothic to Ik sahw.
Also a future tense I guess there is, but that's just skulan + 
infinitive.
If I'm not totaly wrong it could also work with present participle to 
describe something that happens or happend at a special time. E.g.
Broþar meins gaggands ist/was. = My brother is/was going.
Or, broþar meins gaggis/iddja þagkjands. = My brother is/was thinking 
whilst he goes/went.
I wonder most if there's any way to translate a sentence such as have 
done, had done. And maybe a lot other tenses that I can think of 
right now.

I have been a bit confused lately. In my book I've read that there's 
three moods in gothic. The swedish names of these are indikativ, 
konjunktiv and imperativ. I'm not good at the english names of 
grammar word but when I checked it out in a dictionary it turned out 
that konjunktiv is subjunctive in english. In verbix it says that the 
three moods are indicative, imperative and optative. Btw. optative is 
optativ in swedish. What's real? Is this third mood subjunctive or 
optative? As far as I know it ain't much difference between them 
anyway, but I don't know for sure.

/Fredrik





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