Old English/Phrases

Introduction: Introduction - Grammar - Orthography - I-mutation
Grammar: Nouns - Pronouns - Articles - Adjectives - Numbers - Verbs - Participles - Adverbs - Conjunctions - Prepositions - Interjections - Appositives - Word Formation -

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Note that italics are used in Old English words to indicate that a word is a new word, not attested in historical Old English. Some expressions have several forms, separated by a semicolon (;). If an expression has two forms, the second one is said to several people rather than just one.

Greetings and introduction

The Old English greeting "Ƿes hāl"

Hello!

Ƿes hāl! - Ƿesað hāle (possibly Anglian);: Bēo ġesund - Bēoð ġesunde (West Saxon)

How are you doing?

Hū meaht þū? - Hū magon ġē?;: Hū eart þū? - Hū sindon ġē?

I'm well.

Iċ mæg ƿel; Iċ eom hāl; Iċ eom ġesund

What is your name?

Hƿæt is þīn nama? Hū hāttest þū?; Hƿæt hāttest þū?

My name is ______.

Iċ hātte ______.; Mīn nama is ______.

This (a man / a woman) is...

Þes/Þēos is...

I'll introduce him/her to you

Iċ tǣċe hine/hīe þē

Goodbye (said by departing person)

Often the same as the above translations of "Hello!".

Goodbye (said by the person remaining)

Far ġesund (to one person); Farað ġesunde (to multiple)

Note that greeting by time of day, e.g. "good morning", are not idiomatic or normal in Old English. There is no need to use them - use the equivalent of "hello" instead. If, for whatever reason, you insist on using them anyway, you may use the following:

Good morning

Hafa gōdne morgen - Habbað gōdne morgen

Good day

Hafa gōdne dæg - Habbað gōdne morgen

Good evening

Hafa gōdne ǣfen - Habbað gōdne ǣfen

Good night

Hafa gōde nihte - Habbað gōde nihte

Such a greeting is recording in very early Middle English, but not Old English. If you include the "hafa/habbað", then the greeting is at least sensical and grammatical if not idiomatic; but if the "hafa/habbað" is omitted, it is a slavish imitation of Modern German.

Etiquette

Note that it is likely that Old English speakers had somewhat different etiquette sensibilities than MnE speakers.

Please

Iċ bidde þē - Iċ bidde ēoƿ

Thank you

Iċ þanciġe þē - Iċ þanciġe ēoƿ

Yes

Ġēa

No

Nese

I'm sorry

Mē ofþyncþ; Belāda mē - Belādiað mē

Communication

Do you speak Old English?

Spricst þū Englisċ? - Sprecaþ ġē Englisċ?

I don't speak Old English

Iċ ne sprece Englisċ

Does anyone here speak Old English?

Spricþ hēr ǣniġ mann Englisċ?

I don't understand

Iċ ne understande

What does ... mean?

Hƿæt mǣnð ...?

How do I say... (in Old English)?

Hū seċġe iċ... (on Englisċ)?

Say it in Modern English

Sæġe þæt on Nīƿenglisċ - Seċġaþ þæt on Nīƿenglisċ

Say it again

Sæġe þæt eft - Seċġaþ þæt eft

Speak more slowly

Sprec þu slāƿor - Sprecaþ ġe slāƿor

I don't know that word

Iċ nāt þæt ƿord

Please, explain to me...

Iċ bidde þē, āreċe mē...

What did he/she say?

Hƿæt sǣde hē/hēo?

Food and drink

I'm hungry

Mē hyngreð

I'm thirsty

Mē þyrst

What's there to eat?

Hƿæt is tō etenne?

What's there to drink?

Hƿæt is tō drincenne?

There's still some bread/wine/water/milk

Hlāfes/ƿīnes/ƿæteres/meolċe/æpp ġīt belīft

Would you like an apple/beer/bread/water/milk/beer/wine?

Ƿilt þū/ġe æppel/bēores/hlāfes/ƿæteres/meolċe/ƿīnes?

Religion

I believe in God

Iċ ġelīfe on gode

I am Christian

Iċ eom crīsten (a man)/Iċ eom crīstnu (a woman)

I am Germanic pagan

Iċ eom (germanisċ) hǣðen (of a man)/Iċ eom (germanisċ) hǣðnu (of a woman)

I am not a monotheist

Iċ eom hǣðen/Iċ ne ġelīfe on ānum gode.

Note: "hǣðen" in OE had adopted quite medieval Christian sensibilities of use, and could probably be used for everyone who was not a monotheist, including atheists, polytheists, and so forth. However, perhaps, Germanic pagans were the most obvious examples of "pagans" in the medieval Germanic Christian mindselt.

I am Muslim

Iċ eom muslim

I am Buddhist

Iċ eom budden (of a man)/Iċ eom buddnu (of a woman)

I am Hindu

Iċ eom indisċ hǣðen (of a man)/Iċ eom indisċ hǣðnu (of a woman)

Note: While "indisċ hǣðen" would likely be very easy for a native Old English speaker to understand, Hindus may prefer a new word like "hinden (man)/hindnu (woman)" to the historically Christianified sense of "hǣðen"

I am Jewish

Iċ eom iudēisċ

I don't believe in gods

Iċ ne ġelīfe on godum

I am godless

Iċ eom godlēas

I don't know whether a god exists (or not)

Iċ nāt hƿæðer god sī (þe nā)

I believe in spirits

Iċ ġelīfe on gāstum

I believe in something

Iċ ġelīfe on hƿǣm

I believe in an afterlife

Iċ ġelīfe on æfterlīfe/Iċ ġelīfe on līfe æfter dēaðe

I believe in human virtue

Iċ ġelīfe on manncystum

I am secularist

Iċ ne ġeþafie þæt ġelēafan habben ġeƿeald (literally, "I don't support faiths having (political) power")

I don't observe religion

Iċ ne begange nānne ġelēafan

I'm New Age

Iċ eom nīƿyldisċ hǣðen (of a man)/Iċ eom nīƿyldisċ hǣðnu (of a woman)