A verb of motion as a finite verb may take either a present participle or an infinitive of another verb of motion. In most instances, the finite verb is a basic one and usually in the third person preterit singular like com, eode and ferde, and the verb accompanies with it is more descriptive or specific in explaining a detailed movement. With a present participle, the combination of the two verbs of motion shows in what manner the subject came or went, like com gangende ‘came walking’, while the combination with an infinitive means either a simultaneous action, like com gan ‘came walking’, or two actions in succession, like eode sittan ‘went and sat’ (or ‘went to sit’). As long as the two verbs of motion are in combination, the finite verb may well be said to function as an auxiliary.

A verb of motion as a finite verb can be used with a present participle, an infinitive, or a to-infinitive of a verb of any sense: e.g. ferde feohtende ‘went fighting’, gretan eode ‘went in and greeted or went in to greet’, and com to gehælenne ‘came to heel’. The to-infinitive has an adverbial function, denoting ‘in order to (do something)’, and sometimes the function is shared by the bare infinitive. Thus eode geseon may mean either ‘went and saw’ or ‘went to see’, but a connotation may attach any time according to contexts. I give some examples.