behave – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of behave

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to behave
Participle: behaved
Gerund: behaving

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

Ibehave
youbehave
he;she;itbehaves
webehave
youbehave
theybehave

Perfect

Ihave behaved
youhave behaved
he;she;ithas behaved
wehave behaved
youhave behaved
theyhave behaved

Past

Ibehaved
youbehaved
he;she;itbehaved
webehaved
youbehaved
theybehaved

Pluperfect

Ihad behaved
youhad behaved
he;she;ithad behaved
wehad behaved
youhad behaved
theyhad behaved

Future

Iwill behave
youwill behave
he;she;itwill behave
wewill behave
youwill behave
theywill behave

Future Perfect

Iwill have behaved
youwill have behaved
he;she;itwill have behaved
wewill have behaved
youwill have behaved
theywill have behaved

Subjunctive

Present

Ibehave
youbehave
he;she;itbehave
webehave
youbehave
theybehave

Perfect

Ihave behaved
youhave behaved
he;she;ithave behaved
wehave behaved
youhave behaved
theyhave behaved

Imperfect

Ibehaved
youbehaved
he;she;itbehaved
webehaved
youbehaved
theybehaved

Pluperfect

Ihad behaved
youhad behaved
he;she;ithad behaved
wehad behaved
youhad behaved
theyhad behaved

Conditional

Present

Iwould behave
youwould behave
he;she;itwould behave
wewould behave
youwould behave
theywould behave

Perfect

Iwould have behaved
youwould have behaved
he;she;itwould have behaved
wewould have behaved
youwould have behaved
theywould have behaved

Imperative

youbehave
weLet's behave
youbehave

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam behaving
youare behaving
he;she;itis behaving
weare behaving
youare behaving
theyare behaving

Perfect

Ihave been behaving
youhave been behaving
he;she;ithas been behaving
wehave been behaving
youhave been behaving
theyhave been behaving

Past

Iwas behaving
youwere behaving
he;she;itwas behaving
wewere behaving
youwere behaving
theywere behaving

Pluperfect

Ihad been behaving
youhad been behaving
he;she;ithad been behaving
wehad been behaving
youhad been behaving
theyhad been behaving

Future

Iwill be behaving
youwill be behaving
he;she;itwill be behaving
wewill be behaving
youwill be behaving
theywill be behaving

Future Perfect

Iwill have been behaving
youwill have been behaving
he;she;itwill have been behaving
wewill have been behaving
youwill have been behaving
theywill have been behaving

Conditional

Present

Iwould be behaving
youwould be behaving
he;she;itwould be behaving
wewould be behaving
youwould be behaving
theywould be behaving

Perfect

Iwould have been behaving
youwould have been behaving
he;she;itwould have been behaving
wewould have been behaving
youwould have been behaving
theywould have been behaving

Other

Verbs similar to 'behave'

behate, behove, belave, bewave, becare, becrave, bedaze, beehive, begaze, begrave,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

behave
chillax, good
act
conduct, perform, respond, deal, do, function

Antonyms

act
rest, repose, refrain, cease

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

1. c.1410, from be- intensive prefix + have in the sense of "to have or bear oneself in a particular way, comport." O.E. behabban meant "to contain." Behavior is 1490, from havour, altered (by influence of have) from aver, from O.Fr. aveir "to have." Behaviorism coined 1913 by U.S. psychologist John B. Watson (1878-1958).
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.
4. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.
5. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider.
6. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi
7. Proto-Germanic *bider.
8. Proto-Germanic *bi-
9. Proto-West Germanic *bi-
10. substratebor.?
11. Proto-Indo-European *kap-der.
12. Proto-Germanic *habjaną
13. Proto-West Germanic *habbjan
14. Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan
15. Old English behabban
16. Middle English behaven
17. English behave
18. From Middle English behaven, bihabben (“to restrain, behave”), from Old English behabban (“to surround, embrace, hold, contain, hold back, withhold, restrain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan, equivalent to be- + have. Cognate with Middle Low German behebben, behāven (“to receive, acquire, reach, keep”), Low German behebben (“to act, behave”), German behaben (“to behave”). See: Old English 'behabban', Low Saxon 'behebben', German, old spelling 'behaben'.

Verbs referencing "behave"

German, old spelling behaben, Welsh bihafio.

Sample Sentences

  • “ La, now ! ” said Uncle Tom, “ they are so full of tickle all the while, they can't behave theirselves. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ These yer knowin ’ boys is allers aggravatin ’ and sarcy, ” said a coarse-looking fellow, from the other side of the room; “ that's why they gets cut up and marked so. If they behaved themselves, they would n't. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] now, ” said Marie, “ I know it's impossible to get along with some of these creatures. They are so bad they ought not to live. I don't feel a particle of sympathy for such cases. If they'd only behave themselves, it would not happen. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ Topsy, this is your new mistress. I 'm going to give you up to her; see now that you behave yourself. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ What makes you behave so ? ” said St. Clare, who could not help being amused with the child's expression. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ ‘Just as you please, ’ said he; ‘but, if you don't behave reasonably, I'll sell both the children, where you shall never see them again. ’ He told me that he always had meant to have me, from the first time he saw me; and that he had drawn Henry on, and [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ You lie, you jade ! I'll be up to my word. Either behave yourself, or stay down to the quarters, and fare and work with the rest. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ I wish, Cassy, ” said Legree, “ you'd behave yourself decently. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ _You_ talk about behaving decently ! And what have you been doing ? — you, who haven't even sense enough to keep from spoiling one of your best hands, right in the most pressing season, just for your devilish temper ! ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)