Presents

Old English
Part 9

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 Leofwynn and Æþelwulf
Dialogue 1
Leofwynn: Ēala, Æþelwulf.
Leofwynn: Hey, Aethelwulf.
Æþelwulf: Ēala, Leofwynn.
Aethelwulf: Hey Leofwynn.
Leofwynn: Hū gǣþ hit mid þē?
Leofwynn: How’s it going with you?
Æþelwulf: Hit gǣþ wel, and mid þē?
Aethelwulf: It goes well, and with you?
Leofwynn: Mid mē gǣþ hit ēac wel.
Leofwynn: It’s also going well with me.
Æþelwulf: Hū byþ þæt weder tōdǣġ?
Aethelwulf: How is the weather today?
Leofwynn: Mē þynceþ þæt nū ys hit ġenipfull, ac ðis
morġen rīnde hit.
Leofwynn: It seems to me that it is now cloudy, but this
morning it rained.
Æþelwulf: Wa!
Aethelwulf: Aw!
Leofwynn: Hwæt?
Leofwynn: What?
Æþelwulf: iċ hopode þæt hit siġelbeorht wǣre.
Aethelwulf: I hoped that it were sunny.
Leofwynn: iċ besārġie.
Leofwynn: I’m sorry.

This lesson illustrates some of the weather expressions

that Old English used. One of the key things you’ll
notice, is the use of the impersonal hit, which functions
the same way that Modern English it does in
expressions like “it’s raining.”
Also notice the use of wǣre in the subjunctive in the
expression: iċ hopode þæt hit siġelbeorht wǣre. I
hoped it that it were sunny.

Dialogue 2
Leofwynn: Wes þū hāl, Æþelwulf.
Leofwynn: Hello, Aethelwulf.
Æþelwulf: Wes hāl, Leofwynn. Hwā ys ðis mid þē?
Aethelwulf: Hello, Leofwynn. Who is this with you?
Leofwynn: A, ðis ys mīn frēond, Milde. Milde, ðis ys
mīn frēond, Æþelwulf.
Leofwynn: Ah, this is my friend, Milde. Milde, this is my
friend, Aethelwulf.
Milde: Mē līcaþ þē tō mēttanne.
Milde: I’m pleased to meet you.
Æþelwulf: Mē līcaþ þē tō mēttanne ēac. Hwanan
cymst þū?
Aethelwulf: I’m pleased to meet you too. Where do you
come from?
Milde: Iċ cume of Lundene, and þē?
Milder: I come from London, and you?
Æþelwulf: Iċ cume of Sceaftesbyrg, swā Leofwynn.
Aethelwulf: I come from Shaftesbury, as Leofwynn.
Leofwynn: Ġise, wē wǣron nēahstan.
Leofwynn: Yes, we were neighbors.

This dialogue is largely straightforward, but another

example of the impersonal expression does pop up in
mē līcaþ þē tō mēttanne which literally translates to it
please me to meet you. This is important as mē līcaþ is
a useful expression that can be translated as I like,
followed by a subject or clause.
 Dialogue 3
Æþelwulf: Bēo ġesund, Leofwynn!
Aethelwulf: Hello, Leofwynn!
Leofwynn: Bēo ġesund, Æþelwulf! Hwider gǣst þū?
Leofwynn: Hello, Aethelwulf! Where are you going?
Æþelwulf: Iċ gā on þā wudu. Iċ wille eofor huntian and
bringe hit hām tō mīne wīfe. Hwæt fremest þū?
Aethelwulf: I am going into the woods. I want to hunt
a boar and bring it home to my wife. What are you
doing?
Leofwynn: A! Iċ brēowe gōd ealu for mīne mǣġþe.
Wilt þū sumu?
Leofwynn: Oh, I am brewing good ale for my family. Do
you want some?
Æþelelwulf: Ġise, wē magon eoferes flæsc bemūtian
and ealu!
Aethelwulf: Yes, we can exchange boar meat and ale!
Leofwynn: Ġecwēme!
Leofwynn: Agreed!
This dialogue illustrates how to use some preterite-
present and irregular verbs, namely magan and willan.
Notice, that the verb may or may not go to the end of
the clause.
This concludes Part 9. New parts are made available on
patreon.com/stevevagabond weekly, so check back
often.

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