Tutorial on Old English (1)

This is an alternative page of Wikipǣdia:Tutorial on Old English, this version is written using ƿynn.

Hū man sceolde ƿrītan
For information on typing, see Help:Innung#Typing

Gif þē is nīed, brūc þā stafas: ǣ æ ā ē ī ō ū ȳ þ ð ƿ oþþe Ǣ Æ Ā Ē Ī Ō Ū Ȳ Þ Ð Ƿ in þīnum geƿritum.

When writing, use the early West Saxon spellings:
Use ie instead of y (thus sierƿung instead of syrƿung, his instead of hys, etc.)
Use an instead of on (thus and instead of ond, mann instead of monn, etc.)

OE Style

As a general rule for the OE wiki, try to remember the following OE guidelines to give this wiki a consistent look and feel:

Don'ts
Do not use y for ie in words such as his, hire, sierwung, or for eo in words such as feorran, feorsian
Do not syncopate verb endings on verbs ending in consonant clusters or t/d.  It is well known that the Anglo-Saxons did this, but it will make reading articles so much easier if one finds "bīteþ" and "biddeþ" instead of "bitt" and "bītt."  And "hyngrest" not "hyngrst."  However, you can probably get away with "bītst."
Do not use on instead of an.  It is easier to see and understand "mann," "and," and "band" than "monn," "ond," and "bond."
Do not link to external sites within an article if you can help it.  Save that for the end of the article.
Do not link to images outside the article.  Having little thumbnails that one may click on is nicer, and makes the article better to look at.

Do's
Use the same spelling throughout your article.  It is well known that the Anglo-Saxons didn't do this, but it will make reading articles so much easier with consistent spelling.
Use the special words and characters under the edit box if you need them.
Use the following for definite articles: se, sēo, þæt; þæs, þǣre; þǣm, þǣre; þȳ/þon, þǣre; þone, þā, þæt; and plural: þā; þāra/þǣra; þǣm; þā - don't use thaet, þat, sio, sīo, þām, þāre, etc.  Consistency!
Use the distinctive accusative forms of pronouns (mec, þec, ūsic, uncit, ēowic, incit, hine, hīe, hit).  This will make the articles that much easier to read.
Use the þ for the same sound as in "theta" and ð for the same sound as in "that."  It is well known that the Anglo-Saxons didn't do this, but it will make pronouncing what is read in the articles so much easier.
Use internal links within this wiki.  We are not an advertising service for other websites.
Use image thumbnails within an article rather than simply linking to the image page.  This makes for prettier articles, and is already common practice in other wikis.

Or: be consistent, make it easy for your readers to understand.  And remember, this is an encyclopedia, so Neutral Point of View applies!

Punctuation

Punctuate sentences as you normally would, i.e. a period for sentences, question mark for questions, and exclamation mark for imperatives/commands.
For subordinate clauses, separate them from the main clause by a comma, e.g. "Ic cann secgan, þæt hē is mīn brōðor." Or, "Þes is sē mōnaþ, þe ƿē 'Hāligmōnaþ' hātton."  This makes it a bit clearer to understand.
In series, place commas after each word, including one before 'and' (mōdor, fæder, and sweostor).

Runes

Please visit the How to write with Runes article if you wish to write using the runic alphabet. If you wish to do so, please have a version of the page written using the Latin alphabet first, then transliterated into runes.

And as for Grammar

Information about Syllables Relevant to Old English

Syllables break when:

There are two consonants between two vowel clusters, e.g. hab-ban, en-gel.
There is one consonant between two vowel clusters (the consonant going to the latter syllable), e.g. ē-þel, fre-mast. 

It is important to know what the stem of a word is: It is the most basic factor of a word (compound or not) minus declension/conjugation suffixes, therefore the Modern English word fireman has two stems: fire and man, the same rules apply to Old English; but in compound words, the declension/conjugation of a noun/adjective/verb is purely dependent on the last word in the compound (so the noun "sealtȳþ - salt-wave" may look like it takes the endings of a long-stemmed disyllable; but it is, in fact, a compound word of "sealt - salt" and "ȳþ - wave" (ȳþ being the final member of the compound), therefore it takes the conjugation of a long-stemmed monosyllable: ȳþ).

At many times in Old English, it is important to be able to distinguish four different types of syllables. 

Short-stemmed monosyllables: end with short vowel and one consonant, e.g. scip, in, glæd.

Long-stemmed monosyllables: end with either a long vowel and one consonant or a short vowel and two consonants, e.g. hand, cniht, fōt, tōþ.

Short-stemmed disyllables: end with a short vowel, then one consonant, then another short vowel, then one consonant, e.g. metod, ƿerod, hacod.

Long-stemmed disyllables: end with the same pattern as above (e.g. vowel, consonant cluster, vowel, consonant cluster) but must have at least one long vowel or one cluster of two consonants, e.g. engel, habban, ƿindig, ēþel.

Verbs
The verb is conjugated as follows: ic (stem)-e, þu (stem)-est, hē (stem)-eþ/aþ, ƿē/gē/hīe (stem)-aþ
Strong Verbs: ic -e, þu -(e)st, hē -(e)þ, ƿē/gē/hīe -aþ

--The () means the e of the ending can be syncopated if the ending is still understandable.  Bisen: stendeþ hē, ne stent hē, ac nimþ hē, ne nimeþ hē.  Understendest þu?

Weak Verbs

Type 1a
Verbs with stems ending in a double consonant or in -rian, unless otherwise marked.
Infinitive Forms: nerian, fremman, settan, gremman, etc.
Note how the infinitive ending is always -an.

Weak Verb 1a Present Indicative: nerian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
nerie
ƿē
neriaþ
þu
nerest
gē
neriaþ
hē, hēo, hit
nereþ
hīe
neriaþWeak Verb 1a Present Subjunctive: nerian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
nerie
ƿē
nerien
þu
nerie
gē
nerien
hē, hēo, hit
nerie
hīe
nerien
Weak Verb 1a Past Indicative: nerian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
nerede
ƿē
neredon
þu
neredest
gē
neredon
hē, hēo, hit
nerede
hīe
neredonWeak Verb 1a Past Subjunctive: nerian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
nerede
ƿē
nereden
þu
nerede
gē
nereden
hē, hēo, hit
nerede
hīe
nereden
Weak Verb 1a Imperative: nerian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
nere
(gē)
neriaþWeak Verb 1a Participles: nerian
Present
Past
neriende
genered

And doubled consonant verbs (with fremman as an example):

Weak Verb 1a Present Indicative: fremman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
fremme
ƿē
fremmaþ
þu
fremest
gē
fremmaþ
hē, hēo, hit
fremeþ
hīe
fremmaþWeak Verb 1a Present Subjunctive: fremman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
fremme
ƿē
fremmen
þu
fremme
gē
fremmen
hē, hēo, hit
fremme
hīe
fremmen
Weak Verb 1a Past Indicative: fremman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
fremede
ƿē
fremedon
þu
fremedest
gē
fremedon
hē, hēo, hit
fremede
hīe
fremedonWeak Verb 1a Past Subjunctive: fremman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
fremede
ƿē
fremeden
þu
fremede
gē
fremeden
hē, hēo, hit
fremede
hīe
fremeden
Weak Verb 1a Imperative: fremman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
freme
(gē)
fremmaþWeak Verb 1a Participles: fremman
Present
Past
fremmende
gefremed

And one last type, settan/lecgan type 1a verbs:

Weak Verb 1a Present Indicative: settan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
sette
ƿē
settaþ
þu
setest
gē
settaþ
hē, hēo, hit
seteþ
hīe
settaþWeak Verb 1a Present Subjunctive: settan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
sette
ƿē
setten
þu
sette
gē
setten
hē, hēo, hit
sette
hīe
setten
Weak Verb 1a Past Indicative: settan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
sette
ƿē
setton
þu
settest
gē
setton
hē, hēo, hit
sette
hīe
settonWeak Verb 1a Past Subjunctive: settan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
sette
ƿē
setten
þu
sette
gē
setten
hē, hēo, hit
sette
hīe
setten
Weak Verb 1a Imperative: settan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
sete
(gē)
settaþWeak Verb 1a Participles: settan
Present
Past
settende
geseted

Notes: Weak Verb 1a
The first person is the infinitive, without -an (the stem), plus -e.  (nerian -> neri+an -> neri+e)
The second/third person is formed from the bare stem plus -est/-eþ (nerian -> ner+ian -> nerest, nereþ)
The plural is the infinitive without -an (the stem), plus -aþ.  (nerian -> neri+an -> neri+aþ)
The imperative is formed from the þu (minus -st) and ge (same) forms. (nerest ->nere-st -> nere)
The subjunctive is formed from the stem + -e, -en. (nerian -> neri+e, neri+en)  Thus, it is just like the first person indicative and the first person indicative plus -n.
The present participle is formed from the stem plus -ende (nerian -> neri+ende)
The past participle is formed from the past tense and ge-, minus the -e (nerede -> ge+nered-e -> genered)

Verbs ending in -rian and with doubled consonants drop the -i- or doubled consonant in the same positions: 2nd/3rd person singular, imperative singular, and throughout the past tense.
Verbs like settan (ātreddan, cnyttan, hreddan, hƿettan, lettan, spryttan, lecgan) typically have the above declension.  Lecgan has (legde, geleged).  You may find past forms as "setede."

Type 1b
Verbs with stems ending in more than one consonant (not a doubled consonant) or with a long vowel and one consonant.
Infinitive Forms: dēman, hyngran, drencan, gierƿan, etc.
Note how the infinitive ending is always -an.

Weak Verb 1b Present Indicative: dēman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
dēme
 ƿē
dēmaþ
þu
dēmst
gē
dēmaþ
hē, hēo, hit
dēmþ
hīe
dēmaþWeak Verb 1b Present Subjunctive: dēman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
dēme
ƿē
dēmen
þu
dēme
gē
dēmen
hē, hēo, hit
dēme
hīe
dēmen
Weak Verb 1b Past Indicative: dēman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
dēmde
ƿē
dēmdon
þu
dēmdest
gē
dēmdon
hē, hēo, hit
dēmde
hīe
dēmdonWeak Verb 1b Past Subjunctive: dēman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
dēmde
ƿē
dēmden
þu
dēmde
gē
dēmden
hē, hēo, hit
dēmde
hīe
dēmden
Weak Verb 1b Imperative: dēman
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
dēm
(gē)
dēmaþWeak Verb 1b Participles: dēman
Present
Past
dēmende
gedēmed

And multiple consonant verbs (ending in -c, -sc, -p, -f, with drencan as an example):

Weak Verb 1b Present Indicative: drencan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
drence
ƿē
drencaþ
þu
drencest, drencst
gē
drencaþ
hē, hēo, hit
drenceþ, drencþ
hīe
drencaþWeak Verb 1b Present Subjunctive: drencan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
drence
ƿē
drencen
þu
drence
gē
drencen
hē, hēo, hit
drence
hīe
drencen
Weak Verb 1b Past Indicative: drencan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
drencte
ƿē
drencton
þu
drenctest
gē
drencton
hē, hēo, hit
drencte
hīe
drenctonWeak Verb 1b Past Subjunctive: drencan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
drencte
ƿē
drencten
þu
drencte
gē
drencten
hē, hēo, hit
drencte
hīe
drencten
Weak Verb 1b Imperative: drencan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
drenc
(gē)
drencaþWeak Verb 1b Participles: drencan
Present
Past
drencende
gedrenced

And multiple consonant verbs (using hyngran as an example):

Weak Verb 1b Present Indicative: hyngran
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
hyngre
ƿē
hyngraþ
þu
hyngrest
gē
hyngraþ
hē, hēo, hit
hyngreþ
hīe
hyngraþWeak Verb 1b Present Subjunctive: hyngran
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
hyngre
ƿē
hyngren
þu
hyngre
gē
hyngren
hē, hēo, hit
hyngre
hīe
hyngren
Weak Verb 1b Past Indicative: hyngran
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
hyngrede
ƿē
hyngredon
þu
hyngredest
gē
hyngredon
hē, hēo, hit
hyngrede
hīe
hyngredonWeak Verb 1b Past Subjunctive: hyngran
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
hyngrede
ƿē
hyngreden
þu
hyngrede
gē
hyngreden
hē, hēo, hit
hyngrede
hīe
hyngreden
Weak Verb 1b Imperative: hyngran
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
hyngre
(gē)
hyngraþWeak Verb 1b Participles: hyngran
Present
Past
hyngrende
gehyngred

And one last type, gierƿan verbs (ending in -ƿan):

Weak Verb 1b Present Indicative: gierƿan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
gierƿe
ƿē
gierƿaþ
þu
gierest
gē
gierƿaþ
hē, hēo, hit
giereþ
hīe
gierƿaþWeak Verb 1b Present Subjunctive: gierƿan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
gierƿe
ƿē
gierƿen
þu
gierƿe
gē
gierƿen
hē, hēo, hit
gierƿe
hīe
gierƿen
Weak Verb 1b Past Indicative: gierƿan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
gierede
ƿē
gieredon
þu
gieredest
gē
gieredon
hē, hēo, hit
gierede
hīe
gieredonWeak Verb 1b Past Subjunctive: gierƿan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
gierede
ƿē
giereden
þu
gierede
gē
giereden
hē, hēo, hit
gierede
hīe
giereden
Weak Verb 1b Imperative: gierƿan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
giere
(gē)
gierƿaþWeak Verb 1b Participles: gierƿan
Present
Past
gierƿende
gegierƿed, gegiered

Notes: Weak Verb 1b
See notes on Weak Verb 1a for formation of the different forms of the verb.
The most 'regular' 1b verbs are those like dēman (long vowel, 1 consonant) and hyngran (short vowel, multiple consonants), in that they don't have much variation in formation like drencan and gierƿan verbs.
Verbs having a long vowel and one consonant, like dēman, don't generally have the full -est, -eþ endings.  Thus, the imperative is simply the þu form without -st (dēm!, not dēme!).
Verbs like dēman include verbs ending in -rn, -ng, -rg, -lg, ƿiernan (ƿiernde, geƿierned), lengan (lengde, gelenged), byrgan (byrgde, gebyrged), and fylgan (fylgde, gefylged).  It also includes contracted verbs like hēan (hēade, gehēad), rȳn, tȳn, þēon, þȳn.
Verbs like drencan include those ending in -nc, -sc, -p, -sp, -t, -rp.  They add -te in the past tense (ācƿencte, ādƿæscte, etc.).
Verbs like hyngran, with a short vowel and multiple consonants, are more 'regular' than other 1b verbs.  Their past tense is always -ede, and the past participle is always ge-(stem)-ed (bīecnede, þrysmede, symblede, ræfnede).
Verbs like gierƿan, ending in -ƿan, drop the -ƿ- in the same places as the -i- in 1a verbs (smierƿan -> smierest, nierƿan -> niereþ).  Verbs like getrīeƿan, lǣƿan, forslǣƿan, hlēoƿan (with a long vowel/diphthong) kept the -ƿ- in all forms, however.

Weak Verb 2

These are all other verbs, and are about half of all weak verbs.

Weak Verb 2 Present Indicative: endian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
endie
ƿē
endiaþ
þu
endast
gē
endiaþ
hē, hēo, hit
endaþ
hīe
endiaþWeak Verb 2 Present Subjunctive: endian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
endie
ƿē
endien
þu
endie
gē
endien
hē, hēo, hit
endie
hīe
endien
Weak Verb 2 Past Indicative: endian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
endode
ƿē
endodon
þu
endodest
gē
endodon
hē, hēo, hit
endode
hīe
endodonWeak Verb 2 Past Subjunctive: endian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
endode
ƿē
endoden
þu
endode
gē
endoden
hē, hēo, hit
endode
hīe
endoden
Weak Verb 2 Imperative: endian
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
enda
(gē)
endiaþWeak Verb 2 Participles: endian
Present
Past
endiende
geendod

Verbs like tƿēogan to doubt are slightly irregular, since they were originally class 3 verbs, but decline alike, so it's not too difficult to learn them.  There are only tƿēogan, fēogan to hate, frēogan to love, make free, smēagan to ponder, consider, and þrēagan to reprove, rebuke.  Sometimes these verbs show up as tƿēon, fēon, frēon, smēan, and þrēan.

Weak Verb 2 Present Indicative: tƿēogan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
tƿēoge
ƿē
tƿēogaþ
þu
tƿēost
gē
tƿēogaþ
hē, hēo, hit
tƿēoþ
hīe
tƿēogaþWeak Verb 2 Present Subjunctive: tƿēogan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
tƿēoge
ƿē
tƿēogen
þu
tƿēoge
gē
tƿēogen
hē, hēo, hit
tƿēoge
hīe
tƿēogen
Weak Verb 2 Past Indicative: tƿēogan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
tƿēode
ƿē
tƿēodon
þu
tƿēodest
gē
tƿēodon
hē, hēo, hit
tƿēode
hīe
tƿēodonWeak Verb 2 Past Subjunctive: tƿēogan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
ic
tƿēode
ƿē
tƿēoden
þu
tƿēode
gē
tƿēoden
hē, hēo, hit
tƿēode
hīe
tƿēoden
Weak Verb 2 Imperative: tƿēogan
Pronoun
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
(þu)
tƿēo
(gē)
tƿēogaþWeak Verb 2 Participles: tƿēogan
Present
Past
tƿēogiende, tƿēonde (poetical)
getƿēod

Notes: Weak Verb 2
See notes on Weak Verb 1a for formation of the different forms of the verb.
These verbs all end in -ian.
These verbs are the most 'regular' verbs in that all verbs of this class decline the same aside from a small group of exceptional verbs.
The second and third person singular have the endings -ast and -aþ, without the -i-.
The imperative is still the second person, minus -st.
The verbs that act like tƿēogan are remnants of class 3 verbs that became class 2 verbs before the written history of Old English.

Pronouns
In dæftunge: nemniendlic, āgniendlic, forgifendlic, ƿregendlic

First Person Singular: I, We Two, We
I
We two
We
Nom.
ic
ƿit
ƿē
Gen.
mīn
uncer
ūser, ūre
Dat.
mē
unc
ūs
Acc.
mec
uncit
ūsic
Second Person Pronouns: Thou, Ye two, Ye
Thou
Ye two
Ye
Nom.
þu
git
gē
Gen.
þīn
incer
ēoƿer
Dat.
þē
inc
ēoƿ
Acc.
þec
incit
ēoƿic
<tr>Third Person Pronouns: He, She, It, They
He
She
It
They
Nom.
hē
hēo
hit
hīe
Gen.
his
hire
his
hira, hiera
Dat.
him
hire
him
him, heom
Acc.
hine
hīe
hit
hīe<td>

Interrogative Pronoun: Who, What
Who
What
Nom.
hƿā
hƿæt
Gen.
hƿæs
hƿæs
Dat.
hƿǣm
hƿǣm
Inst.
hƿȳ/hƿī
hƿȳ/hƿī
Acc.
hƿone
hƿæt

Notice how the Interrogative pronouns look like the pronouns hē and hit (hƿǣm and him, hƿone and hine, hƿæt and hit, hƿæs and his).  If you compare to the Definite Article, you'll see the same similarities, mostly a difference of þ-/hƿ- (þone and hƿone, þǣm and hƿǣm, þȳ and hƿȳ, þæt and hƿæt, þæs and hƿæs).

Declension
The genitive pronoun functions as an adjective.  As such, it declines to agree with the case, gender, and number of the noun which it describes.  The pronouns mīn, þīn, sīn, ūser, ēoƿer, uncer, incer decline, whereas his, hire, and hira do not.  The following table illustrates the declensions of these pronouns, which is exactly like the adjective blind.

First Person Singular Genitive Declension: mīn
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
mīn
mīn
mīn
Gen.
mīnes
mīnes
mīnre
Dat.
mīnum
mīnum
mīnre
Inst.
mīne
mīne
mīnre
Acc.
mīnne
mīn
mīneFirst Person Singular Genitive Declension: mīn
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
mīne
mīn
mīna
Gen.
mīnra
mīnra
mīnra
Dat.
mīnum
mīnum
mīnum
Inst.
mīnum
mīnum
mīnum
Acc.
mīne
mīn
mīna
Second Person Singular Genitive Declension: þīn
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
þīn
þīn
þīn
Gen.
þīnes
þīnes
þīnre
Dat.
þīnum
þīnum
þīnre
Inst.
þīne
þīne
þīnre
Acc.
þīnne
þīn
þīneSecond Person Singular Genitive Declension: þīn
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
þīne
þīn
þīna
Gen.
þīnra
þīnra
þīnra
Dat.
þīnum
þīnum
þīnum
Inst.
þīnum
þīnum
þīnum
Acc.
þīne
þīn
þīna
First Person Plural Genitive Declension: ūser
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
ūser
ūser
ūser
Gen.
ūseres
ūseres
ūserre
Dat.
ūserum
ūserum
ūserre
Inst.
ūsere
ūsere
ūserre
Acc.
ūserne
ūser
ūsereFirst Person Plural Genitive Declension: ūser
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
ūsere
ūser
ūsera
Gen.
ūserra
ūserra
ūserra
Dat.
ūserum
ūserum
ūserum
Inst.
ūserum
ūserum
ūserum
Acc.
ūsere
ūser
ūsera

Nouns

The following tables show the most common noun declensions for the three genders (~68% masculine, ~73% feminine, ~91% neuter).

The Strong Masculine Noun Declension
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
se
-
þā
-as
Gen.
þæs
-es
þāra
-a
Dat.
þǣm
-e
þǣm
-um
Inst.
þȳ/þon
-e
þǣm
-um
Acc.
þone
-
þā
-asThe Weak Masculine Noun Declension
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
se
-a
þā
-an
Gen.
þæs
-an
þāra
-ena
Dat.
þǣm
-an
þǣm
-um
Inst.
þȳ/þon
-an
þǣm
-um
Acc.
þone
-an
þā
-an
The Strong Feminine Noun Declension
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
sēo
-/-u
þā
-a
Gen.
þǣre
-e
þāra
-a
Dat.
þǣre
-e
þǣm
-um
Inst.
þǣre
-e
þǣm
-um
Acc.
þā
-e
þā
-aThe Weak Feminine Noun Declension
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
sēo
-e
þā
-an
Gen.
þǣre
-an
þāra
-ena
Dat.
þǣre
-an
þǣm
-um
Inst.
þǣre
-an
þǣm
-um
Acc.
þā
-an
þā
-an
<tr>The Strong Neuter Noun Declension
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
þæt
-
-/-u
-/-u
Gen.
þæs
-es
þāra
-a
Dat.
þǣm
-e
þǣm
-um
Inst.
þȳ/þon
-e
þǣm
-um
Acc.
þæt
-
þā
-/-u<td>

The Weak Neuter Noun Declension
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
þæt
-e
þā
-an
Gen.
þæs
-an
þāra
-ena
Dat.
þǣm
-an
þǣm
-um
Inst.
þȳ/þon
-an
þǣm
-um
Acc.
þæt
-e
þā
-an

Masculine Nouns

Strong Masculine
<tr>Strong Masculine Noun: stān
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
se
stān
þā
stānas
Gen.
þæs
stānes
þāra
stāna
Dat.
þǣm
stāne
þǣm
stānum
Inst.
þȳ/þon
stāne
þǣm
stānum
Acc.
þone
stān
þā
stānas<td>

This declension has about 63.8% of all masculine nouns.  Since this declension was so common, it became the basis for the modern English plural -(e)s ending.  One-syllable nouns, like stān, gang, and ǣl all decline alike.  Nouns ending in a double consonant, like bucc, hnæpp, and cropp, also decline like stān.  The first irregularity comes with nouns like dæg, which have the letter 'æ' followed by one consonant.  The 'æ' becomes 'a' in the plural.

<tr>Strong Masculine Noun: dæg
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
se
dæg
þā
dagas
Gen.
þæs
dæges
þāra
daga
Dat.
þǣm
dæge
þǣm
dagum
Inst.
þȳ/þon
dæge
þǣm
dagum
Acc.
þone
dæg
þā
dagas<td>

Nouns like dæg include: pæþ, stæf, hƿæl, etc.  One noun, mǣg, has both māgas and mǣgas for plural.

Nouns like mearh are also a litle different from stān.  They drop the -h before endings, and lengthen the vowel.

<tr>Strong Masculine Noun: mearh
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
se
mearh
þā
mēaras
Gen.
þæs
mēares
þāra
mēara
Dat.
þǣm
mēare
þǣm
mēarum
Inst.
þȳ/þon
mēare
þǣm
mēarum
Acc.
þone
mearh
þā
mēaras<td>

Nouns like mearh include: ealh, eolh, fearh, healh, sealh, seolh, ƿealh, etc.  The word scōh simply adds endings, since it already has a long vowel:

<tr>Strong Masculine Noun: scōh
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
se
scōh
þā
scōs
Gen.
þæs
scōs
þāra
scōna
Dat.
þǣm
scō
þǣm
scōm, scōum
Inst.
þȳ/þon
scō
þǣm
scōm, scōum
Acc.
þone
scōh
þā
scōs<td>

Weak Masculine

Note that all weak masculine nouns have the letter a as an ending in the nominative singular (making weak masculine nouns very easy to detect), which is a suffix which is often the equivalent in meaning to the Modern English suffix -er.

Note that some masculine nouns ending in a long ā are weak (e.g. rā "roebuck), but not all.

<tr>Weak Masculine Noun: Nama - Name
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
se
nama
þā
naman
Gen.
þæs
naman
þāra
namena
Dat.
þǣm
naman
þǣm
namum
Inst.
þȳ/þon
naman
þǣm
namum
Acc.
þone
naman
þā
naman<td>

Neuter Nouns

Neuter nouns are much the same as masculine nous in declension, and, if you have already learnt the masculine noun declensions, these should be no problem. 

Strong Neuter

Here's where your knowledge of long-stemmed and short-stemmed syllables comes in handy.

Short-stemmed monosyllables and long-stemmed disyllables take these endings:

<tr>Strong Neuter Noun: Scip - Ship
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
þæt
scip
þā
scipu
Gen.
þæs
scipes
þāra
scipa
Dat.
þǣm
scipe
þǣm
scipum
Inst.
þȳ/þon
scipe
þǣm
scipum
Acc.
þæt
scip
þā
scipu<td>

And long-stemmed monosyllabes/short-stemmed disyllables take these endings:

<tr>Strong Neuter Noun: Hūs - House
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
þæt
hūs
þā
hūs
Gen.
þæs
hūses
þāra
hūsa
Dat.
þǣm
hūse
þǣm
hūsum
Inst.
þȳ/þon
hūse
þǣm
hūsum
Acc.
þæt
hūs
þā
hūs<td>

Note that the only difference between the two declensions is that u is in the neuter plural for short-stemmed monosyllables and long-stemmed disyllables; but in long-stemmed disyllables and short-stemmed mono-syllables, the u is not there.

All of the rules for the masculine strong sub-declensions occur (e.g. æ in singular and a in plural; h after a vowel is lost before declension suffixes, and the vowel is lengthened; and h after a consonant is lost, and the first stem-vowel is lengthened) in the neuter strong declension, too.

Weak Neuter

Weak neuter nouns are almost exactly the same as weak masculine nouns in declension, but singular nominative and accusative has -e instead of -a and -an.

<tr>Weak Neuter Noun: Ēare - Ear
Article
Singular
Article
Plural
Nom.
þæt
ēare
þā
ēaran
Gen.
þæs
ēaranan
þāra
ēarena
Dat.
þǣm
ēaran
þǣm
ēarum
Inst.
þȳ/þon
ēaran
þǣm
ēarum
Acc.
þæt
ēare
þā
ēaran<td>

There is only one other noun belonging to this declension: ēage - eye.

Case Usage
General Notes
A noun's case tells what it is doing in a sentence.  And when there is an appositive phrase, it matches the noun to which it refers. E.g., "I gave it to John, the new president - Ic geaf hit Iohanne, þǣm nīƿan foresittende."  John and "the new president" are both in the dative case.

Nominative
Subject of a sentence, or the object of copula verbs (bēon, ƿesan, ƿeorðan).  This is the dictionary form of a noun.

Genitive
Case of possession, and the object of some prepositions and adjectives.  This tells whose thing a specific thing is.  E.g., "cyninges þorp" - "king's village."

Dative
Case of giving, telling to/for whom something is done, the benificiary of some action.  E.g., Ic geaf him þæt - I gave him that.  It is also the case of many prepositions.

Instrumental
Case telling "by what means" something is done.  It is inflected in nouns like the dative, but with an adjective describing the noun, the difference is made clearer (or with an article - þȳ or þon).  E.g., þȳ hamore slōg hē þone cyning - with the hammer he hit the king.

Accusative
Direct Object of a sentence, and the object of some prepositions (ƿiþ, etc.).  It is uninflected in masculine/neuter nouns, but has an -e ending with most feminine nouns.

It is also used to show duration of length or time, e.g. "I ran a mile," "I waited an hour," "I'll be running the whole length of the school," etc.

Adjectives

These are those words that come before a noun, describing what kind of noun it is.  There are two ways to decline an adjective, either strong or weak.  A Strong adjective is that which stands alone, preceded by no article or possessive.  A Weak adjective is that which is preceded by se/sēo/þæt, mīn/þīn, etc.

NOTE: eall, genōg, manig, and ōðer are always declined strong.  You may find "Se ōðer mann" instead of *"Se ōðera mann."

One-Syllable Adjectives
Strong Adjective Singular Declension: glæd
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
glæd
glæd
gladu
Gen.
glades
glades
glædre
Dat.
gladum
gladum
glædre
Inst.
glade
glade
glædre
Acc.
glædne
glæd
gladeStrong Plural Adjective Declension: glæd
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
glade
gladu
glada
Gen.
glædra
glædra
glædra
Dat.
gladum
gladum
gladum
Inst.
gladum
gladum
gladum
Acc.
glade
gladu
glada
Strong Adjective Singular Declension: blind
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
blind
blind
blind
Gen.
blindes
blindes
blindre
Dat.
blindum
blindum
blindre
Inst.
blinde
blinde
blindre
Acc.
blindne
blind
blindeStrong Adjective Plural Declension: blind
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
blinde
blind
blinda
Gen.
blindra
blindra
blindra
Dat.
blindum
blindum
blindum
Inst.
blindum
blindum
blindum
Acc.
blinde
blind
blinda
Strong Adjective Singular Declension: hēah
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
hēah
hēah
hēa
Gen.
hēas
hēas
hēare
Dat.
hēa(u)m
hēa(u)m
hēare
Inst.
hēa
hēa
hēare
Acc.
hēane
hēah
hēaStrong Plural Adjective Declension: hēah
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
hēa
hēa
hēa
Gen.
hēara
hēara
hēara
Dat.
hēa(u)m
hēa(u)m
hēa(u)m
Inst.
hēa(u)m
hēa(u)m
hēa(u)m
Acc.
hēa
hēa
hēa

Variations in Declension
Adjectives like glæd, have æ followed by one consonant, and change the æ to a with endings beginning in a vowel (-es, -u, etc.).  Also declined like glæd are all adjectives ending in -lic and -sum.
Adjectives like blind, have a short vowel followed by two consonants (sƿift, scearp), or a long vowel followed by one consonant (ƿāc, frōd).  Also declined like blind are all adjectives ending in -cund, -feald, -fæst, and -lēas.  The possessives mīn, þīn, sīn, ūser, uncer, ēoƿer, incer are declined like blind also.
Adjectives like hēah, ending in -h, drop the -h before any ending beginning in a vowel, and drop that vowel.  Thus, where glæd has gladu, glades, hēah will have hēa, hēas.

Two-Syllable Adjectives

Strong Adjective Singular Declension: manig
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
manig
manig
manig
Gen.
maniges
maniges
manigre
Dat.
manigum
manigum
manigre
Inst.
manige
manige
manigre
Acc.
manigne
manig
manigeStrong Plural Adjective Declension: manig
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
manige
manig
maniga
Gen.
manigra
manigra
manigra
Dat.
manigum
manigum
manigum
Inst.
manigum
manigum
manigum
Acc.
manige
manig
maniga
Strong Adjective Singular Declension: hālig
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
hālig
hālig
hāligu
Gen.
hālges
hālges
hāligre
Dat.
hālgum
hālgum
hāligre
Inst.
hālge
hālge
hāligre
Acc.
hāligne
blind
hālgeStrong Adjective Plural Declension: hālig
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
hālge
hālig
hālga
Gen.
hāligra
hāligra
hāligra
Dat.
hālgum
hālgum
hālgum
Inst.
hālgum
hālgum
hālgum
Acc.
hālge
hālig
hālga
Strong Adjective Singular Declension: ƿilde
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
ƿilde
ƿilde
ƿildu
Gen.
ƿildes
ƿildes
ƿildre
Dat.
ƿildum
ƿildum
ƿildre
Inst.
ƿilde
ƿilde
ƿildre
Acc.
ƿildne
ƿilde
ƿildeStrong Plural Adjective Declension: ƿilde
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
ƿilde
ƿildu
ƿilda
Gen.
ƿildra
ƿildra
ƿildra
Dat.
ƿildum
ƿildum
ƿildum
Inst.
ƿildum
ƿildum
ƿildum
Acc.
ƿilde
ƿildu
ƿilda

Variations in Declension

Adjectives like manig, with a short stem (one short vowel and one consonant, plus an ending with one short vowel and one consonant, -ig, -od, -en, -or, -ol, -oþ, -er), simply add the endings to the adjective, but never add the -u ending.
Adjectives like hālig, with a long stem (one short vowel and two consonants, or a long vowel with one consonant, plus an ending with one short vowel and one consonant, -ig, -od, -en, -or, -ol, -oþ, -er), will syncopate the second stem vowel (hālges, ēacne, hǣðna) in endings beginning with vowels.  These adjectives will always add the -u ending (but won't syncopate in that case).
Adjectives ending in -e, such as ƿilde, will always have the u-ending in the feminine singular and neuter plural.  They simply drop the -e, and add endings as necessary.

U-Ending and Weak Adjectives

Strong Adjective Singular Declension: gearu
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
gearu
gearu
gearu
Gen.
gearƿes
gearƿes
gearore
Dat.
gearƿum
gearƿum
gearore
Inst.
gearƿe
gearƿe
gearore
Acc.
gearone
gearu
gearƿeStrong Plural Adjective Declension: gearu
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
gearƿe
gearu
gearƿa
Gen.
gearora
gearora
gearora
Dat.
gearƿum
gearƿum
gearƿum
Inst.
gearƿum
gearƿum
gearƿum
Acc.
gearƿe
gearu
gearƿa
Weak Adjective Singular Declension: blind
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
blinda
blinde
blinde
Gen.
blindan
blindan
blindan
Dat.
blindan
blindan
blindan
Inst.
blindan
blindan
blindan
Acc.
blindan
blinde
blindanWeak Plural Adjective Declension: blind
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
blindan
blindan
blindan
Gen.
blindra
blindra
blindra
Dat.
blindum
blindum
blindum
Inst.
blindum
blindum
blindum
Acc.
blindan
blindan
blindan

Weak Declension with definite article and possessive pronoun:

Weak Adjective Singular Declension: blind
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
se blinda
þæt blinde
sēo blinde
Gen.
þæs blindan
þæs blindan
þǣre blindan
Dat.
þǣm blindan
þǣm blindan
þǣre blindan
Inst.
þȳ blindan
þȳ blindan
þǣre blindan
Acc.
þone blindan
þæt blinde
þā blindanStrong Plural Adjective Declension: blind
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
þā blindan
þā blindan
þā blindan
Gen.
þāra blindra
þāra blindra
þāra blindra
Dat.
þǣm blindum
þǣm blindum
þǣm blindum
Inst.
þǣm blindum
þǣm blindum
þǣm blindum
Acc.
þā blindan
þā blindan
þā blindan

Weak Adjective Singular Declension: blind
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
mīn blinda
mīn blinde
mīn blinde
Gen.
mīnes blindan
mīnes blindan
mīnre blindan
Dat.
mīnum blindan
mīnum blindan
mīnre blindan
Inst.
mīne blindan
mīne blindan
mīnre blindan
Acc.
mīnne blindan
mīn blinde
mīne blindanStrong Plural Adjective Declension: blind
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
mīne blindan
mīn blindan
mīna blindan
Gen.
mīnra blindra
mīnra blindra
mīnra blindra
Dat.
mīnum blindum
mīnum blindum
mīnum blindum
Inst.
mīnum blindum
mīnum blindum
mīnum blindum
Acc.
mīne blindan
mīn blindan
mīna blindan

Variations in Declension
Adjectives ending in -u change it to -o- before -re, -ra, -ne.  The -u changes to -ƿ- before endings beginning with a vowel.
Adjectives occur in the weak declension after se, sēo, þæt, þes, þēos, þis, mīn, þīn, sīn, etc.
Adjectives like glæd will have -a- throughout the weak declension.

Numbers

We did not have Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0) in Old English.  Rather, they used Roman numerals (i, v, x, c, d, m...).  For the purposes of this website, it is requested that all pages use Arabic numerals for ease of reading.

Cardinal Numbers

The cardinal numbers are: 

 ān; forma
 tƿēgen, tƿā, tū; ōðer
 þrīe, þrēo; þridda
 fēoƿer; fēorða
 fīf; fīfta
 six; sixta
 seofon; seofoða
 eahta; eahtoða
 nigon; nigoða
 tīene; tēoða
 endleofan; endleofta
 tƿelf; tƿelfta
 þrēotīene; þrēotēoða
 fēoƿertīene; fēoƿertēoða
 fīftīene; fīftēoða
 sixtīene; sixtēoða
 seofontīene; seofontēoða
 eahtatīene; eahtatēoða
 nigontīene; nigontēoða
 tƿentig; tƿentigoða
 ān and tƿentig; ān and tƿentigoða
30. þrītig; þrītigoða
40. fēoƿertig; fēoƿertigoða
50. fīftig; fīftigoða
60. sixtig; sixtigoða
70. hundseofontig; hundseofontigoða
80. hundeahtatig; hundeahtatigoða
90. hundnigontig; hundnigontigoða
100. hund, hundred, hundtēontig; hundtēontigoða
110. hundendleofantig; hundendleofantigoða
120. hundtƿelftig; hundtƿelftigoða
200. tū hund
300. þrēo hund
1000. þūsend

Simply use the Arabic numbers when writing a number.  In regards to declension, only the numbers 1, 2, and 3 decline with the noun.  The others do not decline except when acting as a noun themselves (mid 4 manna, but mid fēoƿerum).

Usage with nouns
Numbers 1, 2, 3 decline with the noun, just like any other adjective (in þrim dagum).
Numbers 4 - 12 simply precede the noun, just like modern English (fēoƿer þegnas, seofon mōnþas).
Decades (20, 30,...90) take a noun in the genitive, or in agreement (fīftig manna, on fēoƿertigum gēarum).

Declension of 1, 2, 3 in Old English

Note that the numeral 1 could decline strong or weak, and in the weak declension, could be plural.

Strong Singular Declension of Numeral: One
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
ān
ān
ān
Gen.
ānes
ānes
ānre
Dat.
ānum
ānum
ānre
Inst.
āne
āne
ānre
Acc.
ǣnne
ān
āneWeak Plural Declension of Numeral: ān
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
ānan
ānan
ānan
Gen.
ānra
ānra
ānra
Dat.
ānum
ānum
ānum
Inst.
ānum
ānum
ānum
Acc.
ānan
ānan
ānan
Declension of Numeral: 2
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
tƿēgen
tū
tƿā
Gen.
tƿēga
tƿēga
tƿēga
Dat.
tƿǣm
tƿǣm
tƿǣm
Inst.
tƿǣm
tƿǣm
tƿǣm
Acc.
tƿēgen
tū
tƿā
Declension of Numeral: 3
Masculine
Neuter
Feminine
Nom.
þrīe
þrēo
þrēo
Gen.
þrēora
þrēora
þrēora
Dat.
þrim
þrim
þrim
Inst.
þrim
þrim
þrim
Acc.
þrīe
þrēo
þrēo

Ordinal Numbers

For ordinal numbers, simply write the number and the declension afterwards: se 6a mann, þǣm 3an mann, etc.

The ordinal numbers, for the purposes of the wiki, are: 

forma, ōðer, þridda, fēorþa, fīfta, sixta, seofoða, eahtoða, nigoða, tēoða, endleofoða, tƿelfta, þrēotēoða (fēoƿer~, etc.), tƿentigoða (þrītigoða, etc.), hundtēontigoða (100th), hundendleofontigoða (110th), hundtƿelftigoða (120th).

Sentence Construction

Main Clauses

Typically, sentences have normal modern word order (called SVO, subject-verb-object).  The exception is with pronoun objects, which are typically placed before the verb.
Ic hine geseah - I saw him.
Hīe mē gēafon þæt hūs - they gave me the house.

Verb Agreement
Verbs agree with their subject in number and person.
Ic hine geseah (singular, 1st person)
 Ƿē tȳdon þā leorneras (plural, 1st person)

Subordinate Clauses
Subordinate clauses are introduced with þe, or sē (sēo, þæt) with/without þe.
Þonne is ān port on sūðeƿeardum þǣm lande, þone man hǣteþ Sciringes heal - Then is one port in the south of that country, which is called Skringssalr. (þone is a relative pronoun, referring to "se port", and taking the accusative case, which is the correct case in the clause).

The type of relative pronoun "sē þe," "sēo þe," and "þæt þe" are more common when the antecedent has no demonstrative/qualifier.
 þæt þu onfō his gelēafan and his bebodu healde, sē þe þē fram ƿilƿendlicum earfeðum generede - that thou may receive the trust of the one who has saved thee from earthly hardships, and obey his commands.

Complex Sentences

Verbs with þæt-complements
The verbs forbeodan forbid, forberan refrain from, gesƿīcan stop, ƿiþcƿeðan deny, refuse, and several others, take a þæt-clause as objects.
...and forbead þæt hine man God hēte - and forbade anyone to call him God (literally, "and forbade that one called him God").
and forbead þæt man nā þǣr eft ne timbrode - and forbade anyone to build there afterward (literally, "and forbade that one never there after not built").
Also, verbs like tƿēonan doubt, tƿēo bēon to be in doubt
...forþon nis nān tƿēo, þæt hē forgifnesse sellan nelle, þǣm þe hīe geearnian ƿillaþ - ...therefore there is no doubt that he will give forgiveness to those who want to earn it. (literally, "therefore is not no doubt that he will not give forgiveness, to them that want to earn it").

Questions
Questions are formed in 2 ways: with verb-subject word order, or with question words.

Method 1: Verb-subject order
Simply place the verb first, then the subject.  This is one of the ways we ask questions in modern English.
Example: hæfst þu ænigne geferan? (Hast thou any companion?)

Method 2: Question Words
Hƿæt, hƿā, hƿǣr, hƿilc, hū, hū fela, etc.
Hƿā eart þu? Who are you?
Using hƿæðer-subject-verb is used to express doubt or incredulity, or even when expecting the answer 'no.'  The verb is most often in the subjunctive, but may be indicative with impersonal verbs.
Example: hƿæðer gē nū sēcen gold of trēoƿum? (Surely you aren't looking for gold in trees?, Are you looking for gold in trees?, literally, "whether ye may seek gold in trees?").
Example: hƿæðer Rōmāne hit ƿiten nū ænigum menn tō secgenne, hƿæt hiera folces forƿurde? (Do the Romans now know enough to say how many of their people perished?, Surely the Romans know enough now to say how many of their people perished?)

Flocc:Help for modern English speakers