Old English grammar tables
Nouns
Strong
Singular (anfeald)
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
Nom. |
stan |
lar giefu |
hus scip |
Acc. |
stan |
lare giefe |
hus scip |
Gen. |
stanes |
lare giefe |
huses scipes |
Dat. |
stane |
lare giefe |
huse scipe |
Plural (manigfeald)
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
Nom. |
stanas |
lara / lare giefa / giefe |
hus scipu |
Acc. |
stanas |
lara / lare giefa / giefe |
hus scipu |
Gen. |
stana |
lara / larena giefa / giefena |
husa scipa |
Dat. |
stanum |
larum giefum |
husum scipum |
Weak
Singular (anfeald)
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
Nom. |
nama |
sunne |
eage |
Acc. |
naman |
sunnan |
eagan |
Gen. |
naman |
sunnan |
eagan |
Dat. |
naman |
sunnan |
eagan |
Plural (manigfeald)
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
Nom. |
naman |
sunnan |
eagan |
Acc. |
naman |
sunnan |
eagan |
Gen. |
namena |
sunnena |
eagena |
Dat. |
namum |
sunnum |
eagum |
There are many masculine and feminine nouns in this "weak" class, encompasing essentially any masculine noun ending "-a" (boda, cnapa, flota, mona, oxa, steorra and many more) and feminine nouns ending "-e" (cirice, hlæfdige, tunge, wise and so forth). Interestingly, that means eorþe, mona, sunne and steorra are all weak nouns.
Masculine weak nouns ending "-o" are leo, tweo.
There are just neuter nouns known in this class: eage, eare.
Minor Declensions
(See Minor noun declensions)
Adjectives
Each adjective has two declensions, depending on whether the noun is definite or indefinite:
- Strong:
- micel scip (a big ship)
- miclu scipu (big ships)
- feower miclu scipu (four big ships)
- Weak:
- For example:
- þæt micle scip (the big ship)
- þa miclan scipu (these big ships)
- urum miclan scipu (our big ships)
In poetry, the weak form appears where such a pronoun is implied, for example in Deor:
- swoncre [strong] seonobende on syllan [weak] monn ("supple sinew-bonds on [the] better man")
Strong (indefinite)
Used where MnE would have "a" or "an", and generally in any case which is not weak (see below)
There are two principal forms, one of which has a "u" in the feminine nom. singular and the neuter nom./acc. plural, and the other which does not. Generally the "u" form is with single, short vowels and the non-"u" form with diphthongs and long vowels, and adjectives ending in "e" or "u". Adjectives ending "lic" and "sum" have the "u" form.
Singular (anfeald)
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
Nom. |
cwic god |
cwicu god |
cwic god |
Acc. |
cwicne godne |
cwice gode |
cwic god |
Gen. |
cwices godes |
cwicre godre |
cwices godes |
Dat. |
cwicum godum |
cwicre godre |
cwicum godum |
Plural (manigfeald)
The dative and genitive plurals do not change with gender, and are the same as the weak forms (see below).
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
Nom. |
cwice gode |
cwica goda |
cwicu god |
Acc. |
cwice gode |
cwica goda |
cwicu god |
Gen. |
cwicra godra |
cwicra godra |
cwicra godra |
Dat. |
cwicum godum |
cwicum godum |
cwicum godum |
Weak (definite)
Used with "se" (etc), "þes" (etc), "min" and other possessives and certain other situations.
Singular (anfeald)
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
Nom. |
cwica goda |
cwice gode |
cwice gode |
Acc. |
cwican godan |
cwican godan |
cwice gode |
Gen. |
cwican godan |
cwican godan |
cwican godan |
Dat. |
cwican godan |
cwican godan |
cwicum godum |
Plural (manigfeald)
The plurals do not change with gender. The dative and genitive plurals are the same as the strong forms (see above).
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
Nom. |
cwican godan |
cwican godan |
cwican godan |
Acc. |
cwican godan |
cwican godan |
cwican godan |
Gen. |
cwicra godra |
cwicra godra |
cwicra godra |
Dat. |
cwicum godum |
cwicum godum |
cwicum godum |
Demonstrative pronouns
That
Masc | Fem | Neut | |
Singular | |||
Nom | se | seo | þæt |
Acc | þone | þa | þæt |
Gen | þæs | þære | þæs |
Dat | þæm | þære | þæm |
Inst | þy | þære | þy |
Plural | |||
Nom | þa | ||
Acc | þa | ||
Gen | þara | ||
Dat | þæm |
This
. | Masc | Fem | Neut |
. | Singular | ||
Nom | þes | þeos | þis |
Acc | þisne | þas | þis |
Gen | þisses | þisse / þisre | þisses |
Dat | þissum | þisse / þisre | þissum |
Inst | þys | þisse | þys |
. | Plural | ||
Nom | þas | ||
Acc | þas | ||
Gen | þissa / þisra | ||
Dat | þissum |
What / Who
. | Masc | Fem | Neut |
Nom | hwa | hwa | hwæt |
Acc | hwone | hwa | hwæt |
Gen | hwæs | hwæs | hwæs |
Dat | hwæm | hwæm | hwæm |
Inst | x | x | hwy / hwon |
Pronouns
Singular
1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
Nom |
ic | þu | he | heo | hit |
Acc |
mec / me | þec / þe | hine | hie | hit |
Gen |
min | þin | his | hiere | his |
Dat |
me | þe | him | hiere | him |
Dual
1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
Nom | wit | git | — |
Acc | unc / uncet | inc / incet | — |
Gen | uncer | incer | — |
Dat | unc | inc | — |
Plural
1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
Nom | we | ge | hie |
Acc | us | eow | hie |
Gen | ure | eower | hiera |
Dat | us | eow | him |
Min / Þin
Decline like strong adjectives
Singular
Masc | Fem | Neut | |
Nom | min þin |
min þin |
min þin |
Acc | minne þinne |
mine þine |
min þin |
Gen | mines þines |
mine þine |
mines þines |
Dat | minum þinum |
minre þinre |
minum þinum |
Plural
(Also with dual)
Masc | Fem | Neut | |
Nom | mine þine |
mina þina |
min þin |
Acc | mine þine |
mina þina |
min þin |
Gen | minra þinra |
minra þinra |
minra þinra |
Dat | minum þinum |
minum þinum |
minum þinum |
Prepositions (foresetnessa)
- (See Prepositions.)
A preposition is followed by a noun either in the accusative or the dative. As in German, some prepositions always have the accusative or always the dative. Others have:
- the accusative where motion is implied
- the dative otherwise
- For example in and ofer take the dative when they mean "in" and "above" but the accusative when they mean "into" and "over" (with motion).
A few can take the genitive in a specific circumstance.
Which preposition takes which case is not always the same in Englisc as in German. They are:
Accusative | Accusative or dative | Dative | Genitive (and circs) |
---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Numbers
(See Numbers.)
Verbs
Weak verbs
(See also Weak verbs)
Present tense
Hieran; 'to hear'
|
|
Present participle
- hierende
Past tense ('preterite')
|
|
Past participle
- gehiered
Present tense
Hælan; 'to heal'
|
|
Present participle
- hælende
Past tense ('preterite')
|
|
Past participle
- gehæled
Strong verbs
See Strong verbs
Special verbs: Hatan
See Special verbs
Hatan has several meanings. As a regular verb it means "to command" or "to vow" or "to call by a name". There is also a 'preterite-present' version of the verb meaning "to be named".
Hatan regular
(To call or command or vow)
Present
|
|
Past tense ('preterite')
|
|
Past participle
- gehaten
Hatan preterite-present
(To be called) In this version, the present tense and past tense (preterite) are the same.
Present
|
|
Preterite
|
|
Past participle
- -