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    The aspectual verb wêze
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    The aspectual verb wêze may be conjugated in the perfect tense either with wêzebe or with hawwehave.

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    The aspectual verb wêze can be used to indicate a change of location, but its meaning is restricted to denote absence, more specifically, absence from a source location that is not overtly expressed. As a result, this construction may be referred to as the absentive. An example is given below:

    Example 1

    Wêr is Watze? Hy is nei de stêd ta
    Wêr is Watze he is to the town to
    Where is Watze? He has gone to town

    The perfective motional interpretation is carried solely by the verb wêzebe and its accompanying goal Adposition Phrase (PP). The source is understood from the context to be the topic's usual location. Source PPs are never or rarely spelled out in this type of clause.

    In case the source is spelled out, the perfect participle of geango must be present (see predication and noun incorporation on the absence of the infinitival or participial forms of this light verb and some others).

    Example 2

    a. ?*Wêr is Watze? Hy is fan Kollum nei Ljouwert ta
    Wêr is Watze he is from Kollum to the town to
    Where is Watze? He has gone from Kollum to Ljouwert
    b. Wêr is Watze? Hy is fan Kollum nei Ljouwert ta gien
    Wêr is Watze he is from Kollum to the town to gone
    Where is Watze? He has gone from Kollum to Ljouwert

    It was shown that verbs denoting a change of location are conjugated with wêzebe, that is, they display unaccusative behaviour. The aspectual verb wêzebe, however, is an exception in that it can be conjugated with either havehawwe or wêzebe.

    Example 3

    a. Watze hat nei De Jouwer ta west
    Watze has to De jouwer to been
    Watze has been away to De Jouwer
    b. Watze is nei De Jouwer ta west
    Watze is to De jouwer to been
    Watze has been away to De Jouwer

    This variation is present regardless of the verb's pattern of complementation. So it is also found in case the verb is accompanied by an Adjective Phrase (AP):

    Example 4

    a. Watze hat siik west
    Watze has ill been
    Watze has been ill
    b. Watze is siik west
    Watze is ill been
    Watze has been ill

    The variation is chiefly found in the position of the tensed verb. In non-finite position, the verb hawwehave is generally used:

    Example 5

    a. ?*Nei lang siik west te wêzen
    after long ill been to be
    After having been ill for a long time
    b. Nei lang siik west te hawwen
    after long ill been to have
    After having been ill for a long time
    c. ?*Dat moast dus in Friezinne west wêze
    that must therefore a Frisian.woman been be
    She must have been a Frisian
    d. Dat moast dus in Friezinne west hawwe
    that must therefore a Frisian.woman been have
    She must have been a Frisian
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    More details can be found in Hoekstra (2004).

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    More details can be found in Hoekstra (2004).

    References:
    • Hoekstra, Eric & Wolf, Henk2004West hat, west is: it helptiidwurd fan it perfektum by 'wêze'Us wurk: tydskrift foar Frisistyk5385-105
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    ABOUT THIS TOPIC
    Author(s):
    Eric Hoekstra
    Category:
    Frisian Syntax
    Publication date:
    07 August 2019
    Keywords:
    aspectual verb
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