Present tense of the auxillary verb זײַןZayn “to be”
We’re starting with the conjugation of an exception verb because it is both very common, and it is used in conjugating many verbs in past tense (including the past tense of “to be,” ie: “was.”) More on the lesson order at the bottom of this lesson.
Here is where knowing your pronouns well pays off! If you don’t, go right back to Lesson 2h! Ok, well, you could also go over them now, as they are all listed here.
(The Singular tenses are all different for "zaynen" than for standard Yiddish verbs, which have very regular patterns to them. I'm going to mention the exceptions now, as compared to other verbs, but it will become much clearer when we focus on the standard verbs. "All you need is just a little patience.")
The next Yiddish verb we'll conjugate, "hoben" (in Unit 4), is even closer to the norm. It's conjugated almost exactly the same way as the standard. Why are we starting with the "harder" ones, ie: those without the same repetitive patterns as the standard? Good question.
First off, they are extremely common and useful. Second, they form the basis of other Yiddish conjugations, ie: past tense. Third, You'll be motivated knowing how useful and important they are, and when you get these down, most of them will always seem easy-peasy to you. Anyway, that's our reasoning. If you don't like it, I guess you could skip ahead to regular present tense in Unit 5, and then come back here.
