"I am come"

I just finished reading Wuthering Heights (although it is a classic, I had never read it before), and a lot of the language in it is old-fashioned or archaic. I don't know if "I am come" might still be heard in British English, but to an American it definitely sounds archaic.

I'll try to watch for further questions you have about the book -- but I'm not sure how much I can help with the

I am come from the UK, and we don't say that.

This book was published in 1845. Therefore the language it uses is over 150 years old so much of it will not be appropriate for contemporary use.

I am come has its roots deep in the history of the English language. In Old English (1200 years ago) there were only two tenses, the present tense and the preterite. The present tense was used to express the future as well and the preterite had the meaning of the modern past tense, continuous past, perfect and pluperfect. However, even in those days the periphrastic tenses were sometimes f

0As a phrase, I'd agree with you but as a construction it has modern echoes. "We are sat here" was the phrase I used that kicked off the query and of course in the marriage ceremony we still hear "We are gathered" (although I would allow that this as more archaic roots).02br
02br
00The only reason I found this thread was because I was looking for a more learned explananation

but sir why don't say that

Anonymousbut sir why don't say that

It is very old-fashioned; we don't use it anymore.

Mister MicawberIt is very old-fashioned; we don't use it anymore.

Methinks thy word is spoke aright.

You can use it if you want to create a literary effect in a piece of fiction. Perhaps to indicate a certain timeless quality, or a sense of displacement in time from contemporary norms. For example, if you were writing some sort of fantasy or science fiction story that has an ambiguous setting, or characters inhabiting some nether world we cannot really place in a humanly historical time fra