Old English/Phrases

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 right|thumb|200x200px|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)