Old English/Phrases

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

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)