diff --git a/src/App.tsx b/src/App.tsx
index 18179fb..24d70ba 100644
--- a/src/App.tsx
+++ b/src/App.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { entryFeeder } from "./demo-components/entryFeeder";
 import { Hider } from "./components/library";
 import InflectionDemo from "./demo-components/InflectionDemo";
 import SpellingDemo from "./demo-components/SpellingDemo";
+import { renderVerb } from "./lib/src/render-verb";
 
 function App() {
     const [showingTextOptions, setShowingTextOptions] = useStickyState<boolean>(false, "showTextOpts1");
@@ -35,8 +36,17 @@ function App() {
     useEffect(() => {
         document.documentElement.setAttribute("data-theme", theme);
     }, [theme]);
+    const rv = renderVerb({
+        verb: { entry: {"ts":1527815399,"i":15035,"p":"وهل","f":"wahul","g":"wahul","e":"to hit","r":4,"c":"v. trans.","tppp":"واهه","tppf":"waahu","ec":"hit,hits,hitting,hit,hit"} as T.VerbDictionaryEntry},
+        aspect: "imperfective",
+        tense: "habitualPast",
+        person: 9,
+    });
     return <>
         <main className="flex-shrink-0 mb-4">
+            <pre>
+                {JSON.stringify(rv, null, "  ")}
+            </pre>
             <div className="container" style={{ maxWidth: "800px" }}>
             <div style={{ position: "absolute", top: "1.5rem", right: "1.5rem", display: "flex", flexDirection: "row" }}>
                 <div
diff --git a/src/lib/src/misc-helpers.ts b/src/lib/src/misc-helpers.ts
index c46aff8..1bcc86f 100644
--- a/src/lib/src/misc-helpers.ts
+++ b/src/lib/src/misc-helpers.ts
@@ -25,11 +25,7 @@ export function entryOfFull(e: T.FullEntry): T.DictionaryEntry {
 }
 
 // just for type safety
-export function noPersInfs(s: T.OptionalPersonInflections<T.LengthOptions<T.PsString>>): T.LengthOptions<T.PsString>;
-export function noPersInfs(s: T.FullForm<T.PsString>): T.SingleOrLengthOpts<T.PsString>;
-export function noPersInfs(s: 
-    T.OptionalPersonInflections<T.LengthOptions<T.PsString>> | T.FullForm<T.PsString>
-): T.SingleOrLengthOpts<T.PsString> | T.LengthOptions<T.PsString> {
+export function noPersInfs<S extends object>(s: T.OptionalPersonInflections<S>): S {
     if ("mascSing" in s) {
         // this path shouldn't be used, just for type safety
         return s.mascSing;
diff --git a/src/lib/src/render-verb.ts b/src/lib/src/render-verb.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6041786
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/src/render-verb.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+import {
+    getVerbBlockPosFromPerson,
+    noPersInfs,
+} from "./misc-helpers";
+import * as T from "../../types";
+import { concatPsString, getVerbInfo } from "../library";
+import {
+    presentEndings,
+    pastEndings,
+} from "./grammar-units";
+
+// export type RenderedVerbB = VerbRenderedBlock
+//     | PerfectiveHeadBlock
+//     | ModalVerbBlock
+//     | ModalVerbKedulPart
+//     | PerfectEquativeBlock
+//     | PerfectParticipleBlock;
+
+// export type PerfectiveHeadBlock = { type: "perfectiveHead", ps: PsString };
+// export type VerbRenderedBlock = {
+//     type: "verb",
+//     block: Omit<VerbSelectionComplete, "object"> & {
+//         hasBa: boolean,
+//         ps: SingleOrLengthOpts<PsString[]>,
+//         person: Person,
+//         complementWelded: undefined | Rendered<ComplementSelection> | Rendered<UnselectedComplementSelection>,
+//     },
+// };
+
+type PerfectiveHeadBlock = {
+    type: "perfectiveHead",
+    ps: T.PsString,
+};
+
+type VerbBlock = {
+    type: "verb",
+    hasBa: boolean,
+    ps: T.SingleOrLengthOpts<T.PsString[]>,
+    person: T.Person,
+    aspect: T.Aspect,
+    tense: keyof T.AspectContent,
+};
+
+export function renderVerb({ verb, aspect, tense, person }: {
+    verb: T.VerbEntry,
+    aspect: T.Aspect,
+    tense: keyof T.AspectContent,
+    person: T.Person,
+}): {
+    hasBa: boolean,
+    verbBlocks: [PerfectiveHeadBlock, VerbBlock] | [VerbBlock] 
+} {
+    // WARNING: this only works with simple verbs
+    const isPast = tense === "past" || tense === "habitualPast";
+    const hasBa = tense === "future" || tense === "habitualPast";
+    const { perfectiveHead, rootStem } = getRootStem(verb, aspect, isPast);
+    const ending = getEnding(person, isPast);
+    const verbPs = addEnding(rootStem, ending);
+    const verbBlock: VerbBlock = {
+        type: "verb",
+        hasBa,
+        ps: verbPs,
+        person,
+        aspect,
+        tense,
+    };
+    const perfectiveHeadBlock: PerfectiveHeadBlock | undefined = perfectiveHead ? {
+        type: "perfectiveHead",
+        ps: noPersInfs(perfectiveHead),
+    } : undefined;
+    return {
+        hasBa,
+        verbBlocks: perfectiveHeadBlock ? [
+            perfectiveHeadBlock, verbBlock,
+        ] : [verbBlock],
+    }
+}
+
+function addEnding(rootStem: T.FullForm<T.PsString>, ending: T.SingleOrLengthOpts<T.PsString[]>): T.SingleOrLengthOpts<T.PsString[]> {
+    const rs = noPersInfs(rootStem);
+    const end = noPersInfs(ending);
+    if ("long" in rs) {
+        if ("long" in end) {
+            return {
+                long: end.long.map((e) => concatPsString(rs.long, e)),
+                short: end.short.map((e) => concatPsString(rs.short, e)),
+            };
+        } else {
+            return {
+                long: end.map((e) => concatPsString(rs.long, e)),
+                short: end.map((e) => concatPsString(rs.short, e)),
+            };
+        }
+    }
+    if ("long" in end) {
+        throw new Error("should not be using verb stems with long and short endings");
+    }
+    return end.map((e) => concatPsString(rs, e));
+}
+
+function getRootStem(verb: T.VerbEntry, aspect: T.Aspect, isPast: boolean): {
+    perfectiveHead: undefined | T.OptionalPersonInflections<T.PsString>,
+    rootStem: T.OptionalPersonInflections<T.SingleOrLengthOpts<T.PsString>>,
+} {
+    const vInfo = getVerbInfo(verb.entry) as T.SimpleVerbInfo;
+    const rs = vInfo[isPast ? "root" : "stem"];
+    if (aspect === "perfective" && rs.perfectiveSplit) {
+        return extractPerfectiveSplit(rs.perfectiveSplit);
+    }
+    return {
+        perfectiveHead: undefined,
+        rootStem: rs[aspect],
+    }
+
+    function extractPerfectiveSplit(splitInfo: T.SplitInfo): ReturnType<typeof getRootStem> {
+        // TODO: allow for infs
+        const si = noPersInfs(splitInfo);
+        if ("long" in si) {
+            return {
+                perfectiveHead: si.long[0],
+                rootStem: {
+                    long: si.long[1],
+                    short: si.short[1],
+                }
+            }
+        } else {
+            return {
+                perfectiveHead: si[0],
+                rootStem: si[1],
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+function getEnding(person: T.Person, isPast: boolean) {
+    const [row, col] = getVerbBlockPosFromPerson(person);
+    return isPast ? {
+        long: pastEndings.long[row][col],
+        short: pastEndings.short[row][col],
+    } : presentEndings[row][col];
+}
+