From an East Central German iterative construction flimmen + -ern, since the 17th century. flimmen is attested since the 16th century and is an ablauted variant of Middle High German vlammen, whence also German flammen.[1]
flimmern (weak, third-person singular present flimmert, past tense flimmerte, past participle geflimmert, auxiliary haben)
infinitive | flimmern | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
present participle | flimmernd | ||||
past participle | geflimmert | ||||
auxiliary | haben | ||||
indicative | subjunctive | ||||
singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
present | ich flimmre ich flimmere ich flimmer |
wir flimmern | i | ich flimmere ich flimmre |
wir flimmern |
du flimmerst | ihr flimmert | du flimmerest du flimmrest |
ihr flimmeret ihr flimmret | ||
er flimmert | sie flimmern | er flimmere er flimmre |
sie flimmern | ||
preterite | ich flimmerte | wir flimmerten | ii | ich flimmerte1 | wir flimmerten1 |
du flimmertest | ihr flimmertet | du flimmertest1 | ihr flimmertet1 | ||
er flimmerte | sie flimmerten | er flimmerte1 | sie flimmerten1 | ||
imperative | flimmre (du) flimmer (du) flimmere (du) |
flimmert (ihr) |
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.