Weak verb - Definition and Overview

In Germanic languages, weak verbs are those verbs that have a regular inflection, in which the stem of a word is not changed by ablaut. They contrast with the strong verbs, that exhibit these changes.

In most Germanic languages, the preterites and past participles of weak verbs are distinguished by a dental suffix, an inflection that contains a /t/ or /d/ sound. Not all weak verbs are regular verbs in English; some have been made irregular by eclipsis or contraction, such as hear ~ heard; while others are merely irregular due to the eccentricities of English spelling, such as lay ~ laid.

Examples

to love - loved
to say - said