Old English/Phrases - Wikibooks, open books for an open world (2024)

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[edit | edit source]

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?

Hū hāttest þū?; Hƿǣt 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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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)