Use of Auxiliary Verbs in Romance Latigiiages. '^'^ 



Compare : 



Bien seya castigado 



Seya dixeron todos puesto e otorgado 



Devie seyer en vida tal onie adorado .... 



Devemos seyer todos lirmes en la sua tenencia 



Vida de Santa M. Eygp. 



Libre d'App 



Libre d'App 



It is, in fact, a question whether, in Old Spanish, the whole 

 verb sederc was not used in all i*.s tenses to denote existence, 

 for besides the infinitive sedere and the present subjunctive 

 scdeani and also the gerund sedendo, I have found instances 

 of the indicative present sedeo, and especially of the imperfect 

 sedebam. 



De san Millan criado en la su merced see . 

 Sennores e amigos quantos aqui seemos . . 

 Mientre que esta duenna en tal caita sedie. 

 La casa de Onorio que sedie escarnida . . 

 Como era mal apriso sedie fuert embargado 

 Sedie una eglesia non mucho aredrada . 

 Sus gentes mui devotas sedien en oracion . 

 Quando esta palabra udieron los trufanos 

 Que sedien mas rabioscs que carniceros canes 

 Seyendo aun el rev en la batalla .... 

 Seyendo estas companias llegadas .... 

 Hy sedie una mesa de cobre bien labrada . 



Vida de St. Dom. , 

 Est. de St. Millan 

 Vide d. S. D. d. S 

 Est. de S. Mill. 

 Est. de S. Mill. 

 Milag. de N. S. 

 Mi lag. de N. S. 



Duelo de la Virg. 

 Chro. del Rev Alp. X. 

 Chro. del Rey Alp. X. 

 Sacrif. de la Misa 



757 

 317 

 562 

 198 

 333 

 415 

 415 



39 



52 



27 



9 



Now, if there can be no doubt that the Spanish ser is a 

 contracted form of sederc, and that the future sere is for 

 sedere Jiabeo, could not the French serai be derived from 

 the same source ; and ought not estrai to be considered 

 as the only form coming from essere Jiabeo ? Compare 

 page 16. 



After these few remarks about ser and estar, it will be 

 shown how they were used in the oldest period of the 

 Spanish language. 



It is recognized that in Spanish j-^r expresses what is essen- 

 tial and permanent, whereas esfar expresses an accidental and 

 transitory state. Indeed, this distinction may be observed to 

 have existed from the recorded beginning of the language. 

 There may be some instances in which the difference is not 

 observed ; but, I dare say, they are very few. 



63 



