In Pennsylvania Dutch, past tense verbs (or past participles) need a helper verb when speaking about the past. Most of the time, that helper verb is a form of havva (to have). However, there are some past tense words that use a form of sei (to be). Which ones?
When to use sei as the helper verb
The general rule for when to use sei (to be) is when the past tense verb is talking about a change in condition or location.
| Pronoun (EN) | Pronoun (Deitsh) | Helper verb (sei) |
|---|---|---|
| I | ich | binn |
| you | du | bisht |
| he/she/it | eah/see/es | is |
| we | miah | sinn |
| you all (you plural) | diah | sind |
| they | si | sinn |
Note, what is explained here is not the same as when sei is used with adjectives that look like past tense verbs † We’re only talking about verbs that happened in the past.
Past tense verbs that use sei as the helper verb
To make things easier, here is a list of the most commonly used past tense verbs * that use the sei helper verb.
became = vadda
Eah is ald vadda. (He became old.)
came = kumma
Du bisht zrikk kumma. (You came back.)
died (animals) = doht-ganga
‘Sis doht-ganga. (It died.)
died (humans) = kshtauva
Eah is kshtauva. (He died.)
fell = kfalla
Geshtah, is da bohm kfalla. (Yesterday, the tree fell.)
fell asleep = eikshlohfa
Si sinn eikshlohfa. (They fell asleep.)
flew = kflowwa
Deah raven is zrikk un faddi kflowwa. (The raven flew back and forth.)
grew up = ufgvaxa
Ich binn ufgvaxa in Ohio. (I grew up in Ohio.)
left = falossa
Si sinn falossa. (They left.)
ran = kshprunga
See is fatt kshprunga. (She ran away from home.)
resurrected / stood up / got up = uf kshtanna
Eah is uf kshtanna free. (He got up early.)
Da Jesus is uf kshtanna funn di dohda. (Jesus was resurrected from the dead.)
stayed = geblivva
Eah is datt geblivva. (He stayed there.)
walked = gloffa
Eah is vekk gloffa. (He walked away.)
went = ganga
Miah sinn haym ganga. (We went home.)
* Note 1: There may be other past tense verbs that also use sei as their helper verb. However, these are some of the more common ones that you might use in conversation.
† Note 2: Some adjectives are spelled like past tense verbs and may use a form of sei or vadda. Don’t get these adjectives confused with past tense verbs. They’re not the same.