A collection of useful phrases in Old English, the version of English that was spoken in England from about the 5th to the 11th century.
See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
Key to abbreviations: frm = formal, inf = informal, sg = singular (said to one person), dl = dual (said to two people), pl = plural (said to two or more people).
| English | Ænglisc (Old English) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Wilcume |
| Hello (General greeting) | Wes hāl (sg) Wesaþ hāle (pl) Wesaþ hāla (pl/f) |
| How are you? | Hu eart þú? (sg) Hū magon ġit? (dl) Hū magon ġē? (pl) |
| Reply to 'How are you?' | Iċ mæġ wel. Iċ þancie þē |
| Long time no see | Lange iċ ne ġeseah þē (sg) Lange iċ ne ġeseah inc (dl) Lange iċ ne ġeseah ēow (pl) |
| What's your name? | Hū hāttest þū? |
| My name is ... | Iċ hātte ... |
| Where are you from? | Hwanan eart þū? |
| I'm from ... | Iċ eom of ... |
| Pleased to meet you | Mé lícaþ þé tó métanne (sg) Mé lícaþ éow tó métanne (pl) |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) |
Gōd morgen sīe þē (sg) Gōd morgen sīe inc (dl) Gōd morgen sīe ēow (pl) |
| Good evening (Evening greeting) |
Gōdne ǣfen |
| Good night | Gōde nihte |
| Goodbye (Parting phrases) |
Wes hāl (sg) Wes þū hāl Wesaþ hāle (pl) Wesaþ hāla (pl/f) Far gesund (sg) Faraþ gesunde (pl) Faraþ gesunda (pl/f) God þē mid sīe ("God be with you") |
| Good luck! | Gōd wyrd sīe þē (sg) Gōd wyrd sīe inc (dl) Gōd wyrd sīe ēow (pl) |
| Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking) |
Gōd hælo! |
| Have a nice day | Gōd dæġ sīe þē (sg) Gōd dæġ sīe inc (dl) Gōd dæġ sīe ēow (pl) |
| Bon appetit / Have a nice meal |
Þæt se ǣt þē līcie! |
| Bon voyage / Have a good journey |
Far þū wel |
| I understand | Iċ understande |
| I don't understand | Iċ ne understande |
| Yes | Ġēa Ġēse |
| No | Nese |
| Maybe | Wēninga |
| I know | Iċ wāt |
| I don't know | Iċ nāt |
| Please speak more slowly | Iċ bidde þē þæt þū sprece slāwor |
| Please say that again | Iċ bidde þē þæt þū þæt eftige |
| Please write it down | Iċ bidde þē hit to āwrītanne |
| Do you speak Old English? | Spricst þū Englisċ? |
| Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?') |
Ġēse, lytel |
| Speak to me in Old English | Cweþ mē on Ænglisċ tō |
| How do you say ... in Old English? | Hū seġþ man ... on Ænglisċ? |
| Excuse me | Belāda mē |
| How much is this? | On hwǣm is þis? |
| Sorry | Belāda mē |
| Please | Iċ bidde þē (sg) Iċ bidde inc (dl) Iċ bidde ēow (pl) |
| Thank you | Iċ þancie þē Iċ þancie inc (dl) Iċ þancie ēow (pl) |
| Reply to thank you | Wilcume |
| Where's the toilet / bathroom? | Hwær stent se gangern? |
| This gentleman will pay for everything | Þes wer abygþ eall. |
| This lady will pay for everything | Þes wif abygþ eall. |
| Would you like to dance with me? | Wolde þū mid mē fricigan? |
| I miss you | Iċ gewilnige þē |
| I love you | Iċ lufie þē |
| Get well soon | Hǣl hraþe! |
| Go away! | Gā aweg! |
| Leave me alone! | Forlǣte mec! |
| Help! | Help (þū)!r Helpaþ (ge!) |
| Fire! | Fȳr! |
| Stop! | Ablinn! Ablinnaþ! |
| Call the police! | Cīg þǣm weardum! |
| Christmas greetings | Gōd Gēol sīe þē! Gōd Crīstes mæsse sīe þē! |
| New Year greetings | Gōd nīewe gēar cume þē! |
| Easter greetings | Ēasterdæg sīe þē! |
| Birthday greetings | Gesǣlig Gebyrddæg |
| One language is never enough | Ān geþēode nis nā genōh |
| My hovercraft is full of eels | Mīn lyftcræft is ful ǣla |
Phrase supplied by Matthew Leigh Embleton, with corrections and additions by T. Patrick Snyder and Eadwine of Ænglisc Mid Eadwine
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Old English | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel | Books and learning materials
Other collections of Old English phrases
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Old_English/Phrases
http://speaksaxon.blogspot.co.uk
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Old_English_phrasebook#Old English
https://babblelingua.com/useful-phrases-in-old-english/
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