have → habban – the verb of possession, and the helper verb of the perfect tense
What does "have" mean in Old English, in "I have a house", "the king has much land", "I have no friend here" or "I have done the work"?
The Old English verb is habban (pronounced /ˈhɑbbɑn/). It means "to have, to possess, to hold, to keep", and it is the direct ancestor of Modern English "have". Its commonest present forms are iċ hæbbe (I have), þū hæfst (you have), hē hæfþ (he has) and wē habbaþ (we have). Its past is hæfde (had), and Modern English "had" is the same word, with the f worn away.
Habban is a weak verb: it makes its past with a -d- (hæfde, "had"), as lufian makes lufode (loved). But it is irregular. Its stem changes between -bb- and -f-: hæbbe, habbaþ and habban have -bb-, while hæfst, hæfþ and hæfde have -f-. The -bb- forms and the -f- forms must be learned together.
Habban does two jobs, as "have" does today. First, it is a full verb of possession: Iċ hæbbe hūs "I have a house". Second, joined to a past participle, it forms a perfect tense: Iċ hæbbe þæt weorc ġedōn "I have done the work". In Old English this second use was still young. The construction had grown out of the first: "I have the work (as something) done". You can still see that origin in early texts, where the participle agrees with the object like an adjective.
Habban also has a negative form, made by fusing ne (not) with the verb: iċ næbbe "I do not have", hē næfþ "he does not have", wē nabbaþ "we do not have", hē næfde "he did not have". This is the usual West Saxon way of saying "not have".
A word of warning: habban looks like Latin habēre and means the same, but the two are not related. Habban goes back to the same root as Latin capere (to take, seize). Its true relatives are German haben, Dutch hebben and Old Norse hafa.
A note on spelling: as in earlier lessons, the dots in ċ and ġ are a modern teaching convention. They mark the palatal sounds: ċ = /tʃ/ as in "church", ġ = /j/ as in "yes". The manuscripts write plain c and g. Quotations keep their editors' spelling, with the dots added.
FAQ: What does "have" mean in Old English?
Q: How do you say "have" in Old English? A: "To have" is habban /ˈhɑbbɑn/. "I have" is iċ hæbbe, "you have" þū hæfst, "he / she / it has" hē / hēo / hit hæfþ, "we / you / they have" wē / ġē / hīe habbaþ. The past "had" is hæfde, plural hæfdon.
Q: How do you say "I have not" in Old English? A: Old English fuses ne with the verb: iċ næbbe "I do not have", hē næfþ "he does not have", hē næfde "he did not have".
Q: Did Old English have a perfect tense with "have"? A: Yes, though it was less common than today: Iċ hæbbe þæt weorc ġedōn "I have done the work". The simple past often does the work where Modern English uses the perfect.
Key Takeaways
✦ Habban means "to have, possess, hold"; it is the ancestor of Modern English "have"
✦ The stem alternates: -bb- in hæbbe, habbaþ, habban; -f- in hæfst, hæfþ, hæfde
✦ The past is hæfde (singular) and hæfdon (plural)
✦ "Not have" is one word: næbbe, næfst, næfþ, nabbaþ, past næfde
✦ Habban + past participle makes a perfect tense: iċ hæbbe ġedōn "I have done"
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
habban /ˈhɑbbɑn/ — both a's as in "father", but short. The double bb is held, as in "grab-bag". Stress on the first syllable.
hæbbe /ˈhæbbe/ — æ as in "cat". The final -e is pronounced, like the e in "bed".
hæfst /hæfst/, hæfþ /hæfθ/ — the f is /f/, because it stands next to a voiceless consonant.
habbaþ /ˈhɑbbɑθ/ — final þ as in "thin".
hæfde /ˈhæfde/, hæfdon /ˈhæfdon/ — "had" and "they had".
hafa /ˈhɑvɑ/ — the imperative "have!". Between vowels f is voiced /v/, as in lufian /ˈluviɑn/.
næbbe /ˈnæbbe/, næfþ /næfθ/, nabbaþ /ˈnɑbbɑθ/, næfde /ˈnæfde/ — the negative forms.
The Forms of habban
Infinitive: habban (to have) · Inflected infinitive: tō hæbbenne or tō habbanne (to have)
Present indicative: iċ hæbbe (I have) · þū hæfst (you have) · hē, hēo, hit hæfþ (he, she, it has) · wē, ġē, hīe habbaþ (we, you, they have)
Present subjunctive: singular hæbbe · plural hæbben
Past indicative: iċ hæfde (I had) · þū hæfdest (you had) · hē hæfde (he had) · wē, ġē, hīe hæfdon (we, you, they had)
Past subjunctive: singular hæfde · plural hæfden
Imperative: hafa (have! — to one person) · habbaþ (have! — to several)
Participles: hæbbende (having) · ġehæfd (had)
Older and poetic texts, and the Anglian dialects, also have hafast (you have) and hafaþ (he has), as in Beowulf (11.15). Bosworth-Toller also records iċ hafa beside iċ hæbbe.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
11.1a Iċ I hæbbe have hūs house
11.1b Iċ /itʃ/ I-NOM hæbbe /ˈhæbbe/ have-1SG.PRES hūs /huːs/ house-ACC.N.SG
11.2a Hē he hæfþ has hors horse
11.2b Hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG hæfþ /hæfθ/ has-3SG.PRES hors /hors/ horse-ACC.N.SG
11.3a Hæfst have þū you hlāf bread
11.3b Hæfst /hæfst/ have-2SG.PRES þū /θuː/ you-NOM.SG hlāf /hlaːf/ bread-ACC.M.SG
11.4a Wē we habbaþ have wæter water
11.4b Wē /weː/ we-NOM.PL habbaþ /ˈhɑbbɑθ/ have-1PL.PRES wæter /ˈwæter/ water-ACC.N.SG
11.5a Hēo she hæfde had gold gold
11.5b Hēo /heːo/ she-NOM.F.SG hæfde /ˈhæfde/ had-3SG.PRET gold /ɡold/ gold-ACC.N.SG
11.6a Se the cyning king hæfþ has miċel much land land
11.6b Se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG cyning /ˈkyniŋɡ/ king-NOM.M.SG hæfþ /hæfθ/ has-3SG.PRES miċel /ˈmitʃel/ much-ACC.N.SG land /lɑnd/ land-ACC.N.SG
11.7a Iċ I næbbe not-have nānne no frēond friend hēr here
11.7b Iċ /itʃ/ I-NOM næbbe /ˈnæbbe/ not-have-1SG.PRES nānne /ˈnaːnne/ no-ACC.M.SG frēond /freːond/ friend-ACC.M.SG hēr /heːr/ here
11.8a Hīe they hæfdon had þrēo three sċipu ships
11.8b Hīe /hiːe/ they-NOM.PL hæfdon /ˈhæfdon/ had-3PL.PRET þrēo /θreːo/ three-ACC.N sċipu /ˈʃipu/ ships-ACC.N.PL
11.9a Þæt the ċild child hæfþ has ǣnne one brōþor brother and and āne one sweostor sister
11.9b Þæt /θæt/ the-NOM.N.SG ċild /tʃild/ child-NOM.N.SG hæfþ /hæfθ/ has-3SG.PRES ǣnne /ˈæːnne/ one-ACC.M.SG brōþor /ˈbroːðor/ brother-ACC.M.SG and /ɑnd/ and āne /ˈaːne/ one-ACC.F.SG sweostor /ˈsweostor/ sister-ACC.F.SG
11.10a Hafa have þis this sweord sword and and heald keep hit it wel well
11.10b Hafa /ˈhɑvɑ/ have-IMP.SG þis /θis/ this-ACC.N.SG sweord /sweord/ sword-ACC.N.SG and /ɑnd/ and heald /hæɑld/ keep-IMP.SG hit /hit/ it-ACC.N.SG wel /wel/ well
11.11a Iċ I hæbbe have þæt the weorc work ġedōn done
11.11b Iċ /itʃ/ I-NOM hæbbe /ˈhæbbe/ have-1SG.PRES þæt /θæt/ the-ACC.N.SG weorc /weork/ work-ACC.N.SG ġedōn /jeˈdoːn/ done-PAST.PTCP
11.12a Hē he sæġde said þæt that hē he nān no feoh money næfde not-had
11.12b Hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG sæġde /ˈsæjde/ said-3SG.PRET þæt /θæt/ that-CONJ hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG nān /naːn/ no-ACC.N.SG feoh /feox/ money-ACC.N.SG næfde /ˈnæfde/ not-had-3SG.PRET
11.13a Foxas foxes habbað have holu holes and and heofenan heaven's fuglas birds nest nests
11.13b Foxas /ˈfoksɑs/ foxes-NOM.M.PL habbað /ˈhɑbbɑθ/ have-3PL.PRES holu /ˈholu/ holes-ACC.N.PL and /ɑnd/ and heofenan /ˈheovenɑn/ heaven-GEN.SG fuglas /ˈfuɣlɑs/ birds-NOM.M.PL nest /nest/ nests-ACC.N.PL
11.14a Sōþlīċe truly mannes man's Sunu Son næfð not-has hwǣr where hē he hys his hēafod head āhylde may-lay
11.14b Sōþlīċe /ˈsoːθliːtʃe/ truly mannes /ˈmɑnnes/ man-GEN.M.SG Sunu /ˈsunu/ son-NOM.M.SG næfð /næfθ/ not-has-3SG.PRES hwǣr /hwæːr/ where hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG hys /his/ his-GEN.M.SG hēafod /ˈhæːɑvod/ head-ACC.N.SG āhylde /aːˈhylde/ lay-3SG.PRES.SUBJ
11.15a Nū now sċealc warrior hafað has þurh through Drihtnes Lord's miht might dǣd deed ġefremede performed
11.15b Nū /nuː/ now sċealc /ʃæɑlk/ warrior-NOM.M.SG hafað /ˈhɑvɑθ/ has-3SG.PRES þurh /θurx/ through Drihtnes /ˈdrixtnes/ Lord-GEN.M.SG miht /mixt/ might-ACC.F.SG dǣd /dæːd/ deed-ACC.F.SG ġefremede /jeˈfremede/ performed-PAST.PTCP.ACC.F.SG
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
11.1 Iċ hæbbe hūs. → "I have a house."
11.2 Hē hæfþ hors. → "He has a horse."
11.3 Hæfst þū hlāf? → "Do you have bread?"
11.4 Wē habbaþ wæter. → "We have water."
11.5 Hēo hæfde gold. → "She had gold."
11.6 Se cyning hæfþ miċel land. → "The king has much land."
11.7 Iċ næbbe nānne frēond hēr. → "I have no friend here."
11.8 Hīe hæfdon þrēo sċipu. → "They had three ships."
11.9 Þæt ċild hæfþ ǣnne brōþor and āne sweostor. → "The child has a brother and a sister."
11.10 Hafa þis sweord, and heald hit wel. → "Take this sword, and keep it well."
11.11 Iċ hæbbe þæt weorc ġedōn. → "I have done the work."
11.12 Hē sæġde þæt hē nān feoh næfde. → "He said that he had no money."
11.13 Foxas habbað holu, and heofenan fuglas nest. → "Foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven nests." (West Saxon Gospels, Matthew 8:20)
11.14 Sōþlīċe mannes Sunu næfð hwǣr hē hys hēafod āhylde. → "But the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." (West Saxon Gospels, Matthew 8:20)
11.15 Nū sċealc hafað þurh Drihtnes miht dǣd ġefremede. → "Now a warrior has, through the Lord's might, performed a deed." (Beowulf, lines 939–940)
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
11.1 Iċ hæbbe hūs.
11.2 Hē hæfþ hors.
11.3 Hæfst þū hlāf?
11.4 Wē habbaþ wæter.
11.5 Hēo hæfde gold.
11.6 Se cyning hæfþ miċel land.
11.7 Iċ næbbe nānne frēond hēr.
11.8 Hīe hæfdon þrēo sċipu.
11.9 Þæt ċild hæfþ ǣnne brōþor and āne sweostor.
11.10 Hafa þis sweord, and heald hit wel.
11.11 Iċ hæbbe þæt weorc ġedōn.
11.12 Hē sæġde þæt hē nān feoh næfde.
11.13 Foxas habbað holu, and heofenan fuglas nest.
11.14 Sōþlīċe mannes Sunu næfð hwǣr hē hys hēafod āhylde.
11.15 Nū sċealc hafað þurh Drihtnes miht dǣd ġefremede.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for habban (have) in Old English:
1. The Present Tense
Iċ hæbbe (11.1, 11.11) · þū hæfst (11.3) · hē, hēo, hit hæfþ (11.2, 11.6, 11.9) · wē, ġē, hīe habbaþ (11.4, 11.13)
As in every Old English verb, the plural has one form for all three persons: wē habbaþ, ġē habbaþ, hīe habbaþ. The -bb- of the first person and the plural alternates with the -f- of the second and third person singular. The editors of the Gospels print habbað and næfð with ð; ð and þ are the same letter in value, and both spellings are found.
2. The Past Tense
Iċ hæfde · þū hæfdest · hē hæfde (11.5) · wē, ġē, hīe hæfdon (11.8)
Hæfde is the form for both "I had" and "he had". The plural ends in -on: hīe hæfdon. Do not use hæfde with a plural subject.
3. The Object of habban
What is had stands in the accusative: hlāf (11.3), nānne frēond (11.7), ǣnne brōþor and āne sweostor (11.9). With a masculine or feminine noun the accusative shows in the words that go with it: nānne, ǣnne, āne. With twēntiġ (twenty) and higher numbers, with hund (hundred), and with words of quantity such as fela (many), the thing had goes into the genitive plural: fela hrȳþera "many cattle" (11.17), syx hund tamra dēora "six hundred tame animals" (Section F).
4. The Negative
Ne fuses with the verb: næbbe (11.7), næfþ / næfð (11.14), nabbaþ, næfde (11.12). Old English also keeps a second negative inside the sentence where Modern English would not: Iċ næbbe nānne frēond (11.7), literally "I not-have no friend", and hē nān feoh næfde (11.12). This double negative strengthens the denial; it is correct Old English, not a mistake.
5. The Imperative
Hafa to one person, habbaþ to several. It often means "take, keep, have this": Hafa þis sweord (11.10).
6. The Perfect: habban + Past Participle
Iċ hæbbe þæt weorc ġedōn (11.11) "I have done the work". The past participle of a transitive verb is joined to habban to show an action completed and still relevant. In later prose the participle normally has no ending (ġedōn). In older verse it can still agree with the object like an adjective: sċealc hafað… dǣd ġefremede (11.15), where ġefremede takes the feminine accusative ending of dǣd. That agreement shows where the perfect came from: "the warrior has the deed (as a thing) accomplished". Verbs of motion and change make their perfect with bēon / wesan instead: hē is ġecumen "he has come".
7. Word Order
In a main clause the verb stands second: Nū sċealc hafað… (11.15), and after an opening word such as nū or þā the verb comes before the subject: Nū habbaþ wē mete (11.23). In questions the verb comes first: Hæfst þū hlāf? (11.3). In a clause introduced by þæt the verb goes to the end: þæt hē nān feoh næfde (11.12). In the perfect the participle usually stands at the end of the clause: Iċ hæbbe þæt weorc ġedōn (11.11).
Common Mistakes
✦ Using the stem of the infinitive for the first person: Incorrect "*iċ habbe". Correct "iċ hæbbe".
✦ Using the singular for a plural subject: Incorrect "hīe hæfþ", "hīe hæfde". Correct "hīe habbaþ", "hīe hæfdon".
✦ Using -bb- in the second and third person: Incorrect "*hē hæbbeþ". Correct "hē hæfþ".
✦ Writing "not have" as two words in West Saxon: Usual "iċ næbbe", "hē næfde", rather than "iċ ne hæbbe".
✦ Confusing the imperative with the plural: "hafa" is spoken to one person, "habbaþ" to several.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Frequency and Register
Habban is among the most frequent verbs in Old English, in every kind of text: law codes, wills, chronicles, homilies, Gospel translations and poetry. In wills and charters it is the verb of ownership: what a man or woman hæfþ is what they can bequeath. In the schoolroom it was one of the first verbs a pupil met. In Ælfric's Colloquy, the Latin conversation book with an Old English gloss, the master asks the ploughman "hæfst þu ænigne geferan?" (have you any companion?), and he answers "ic hæbbe sumne cnapan" (I have a boy) who drives the oxen with a goad.
The Birth of the Perfect
Old English mostly uses the simple past where Modern English uses the perfect: "Iċ ġeseah hine" can mean "I saw him" or "I have seen him". The perfect with habban grew steadily through the Old English period, first with verbs that take an object, and later with others. It became one of the defining features of English grammar. German and Dutch built the same tense from their own haben and hebben.
From hæfþ to has
Hæfþ became Middle English "hath", the form of Chaucer and of the King James Bible ("the Son of man hath not where to lay his head"). The form "has" came from the north, where the ending -s replaced -th. It spread south and became the standard spoken form by the seventeenth century. "Had" is hæfde, with the f lost in Middle English, as it was in hēafod → "head".
Wealth in Old English
The language of having is the language of wealth. Ǣht (possession, property), from the same root as the verb āgan (to own), gives the plural ǣhta "possessions". Feoh meant both "cattle" and "money", because cattle were wealth; its relative in Latin is pecus (cattle), from which comes pecūnia (money). In Ohthere's account (Section F), a man's riches are counted in reindeer, cattle, sheep and swine.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
From the account of Ohthere, the Norwegian traveller who visited King Alfred's court in the late ninth century. His report was added to the Old English translation of Orosius's History against the Pagans. The text follows Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader, with dotted letters added for the learner.
Ohthere has just been described (in the words of the text) as "swȳðe spēdiġ man on þǣm ǣhtum þe heora spēda on bēoð, þæt is, on wildrum": "a very rich man in the possessions in which their wealth consists, that is, in wild animals".
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Hē he hæfde had þā then ġȳt still ðā when hē he þone the cyningc king sōhte visited tamra tame dēora animals unbebohtra unsold syx six hund hundred
F.1b Hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG hæfde /ˈhæfde/ had-3SG.PRET þā /θaː/ then ġȳt /jyːt/ still ðā /θaː/ when hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG þone /ˈθone/ the-ACC.M.SG cyningc /ˈkyniŋɡ/ king-ACC.M.SG sōhte /ˈsoːxte/ sought-3SG.PRET tamra /ˈtɑmrɑ/ tame-GEN.PL dēora /ˈdeːorɑ/ animals-GEN.N.PL unbebohtra /ˈunbeboxtrɑ/ unsold-GEN.PL syx /syks/ six hund /hund/ hundred-ACC.N
F.2a Hē he wæs was mid among þǣm the fyrstum first mannum men on in þǣm the lande land næfde not-had hē he þēah however mā more ðonne than twēntig twenty hrȳðera cattle and and twentig twenty sċēapa sheep and and twentig twenty swȳna swine
F.2b Hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG wæs /wæs/ was-3SG.PRET mid /mid/ among þǣm /θæːm/ the-DAT.PL fyrstum /ˈfyrstum/ first-DAT.PL mannum /ˈmɑnnum/ men-DAT.M.PL on /on/ in þǣm /θæːm/ the-DAT.N.SG lande /ˈlɑnde/ land-DAT.N.SG næfde /ˈnæfde/ not-had-3SG.PRET hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG þēah /θæːɑx/ however mā /maː/ more ðonne /ˈθonne/ than twēntig /ˈtweːntij/ twenty hrȳðera /ˈhryːðerɑ/ cattle-GEN.N.PL and /ɑnd/ and twentig /ˈtweːntij/ twenty sċēapa /ˈʃæːɑpɑ/ sheep-GEN.N.PL and /ɑnd/ and twentig /ˈtweːntij/ twenty swȳna /ˈswyːnɑ/ swine-GEN.N.PL
F.3a and and þæt the lȳtle little þæt that hē he erede ploughed hē he erede ploughed mid with horsan horses
F.3b and /ɑnd/ and þæt /θæt/ the-ACC.N.SG lȳtle /ˈlyːtle/ little-ACC.N.SG(WEAK) þæt /θæt/ that-REL hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG erede /ˈerede/ ploughed-3SG.PRET hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG erede /ˈerede/ ploughed-3SG.PRET mid /mid/ with horsan /ˈhorsɑn/ horses-DAT.N.PL
F-B: Full Text with Translation
Hē hæfde þā ġȳt, ðā hē þone cyningc sōhte, tamra dēora unbebohtra syx hund. → "He still had, when he visited the king, six hundred tame animals, unsold."
Hē wæs mid þǣm fyrstum mannum on þǣm lande: næfde hē þēah mā ðonne twēntig hrȳðera, and twentig sċēapa, and twentig swȳna; and þæt lȳtle þæt hē erede, hē erede mid horsan. → "He was among the first men in that land; yet he had no more than twenty cattle, and twenty sheep, and twenty swine; and the little that he ploughed, he ploughed with horses."
— Ohthere's account, in the Old English Orosius (late ninth century); text from Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader
F-C: Old English Text Only
Hē hæfde þā ġȳt, ðā hē þone cyningc sōhte, tamra dēora unbebohtra syx hund.
Hē wæs mid þǣm fyrstum mannum on þǣm lande: næfde hē þēah mā ðonne twēntig hrȳðera, and twentig sċēapa, and twentig swȳna; and þæt lȳtle þæt hē erede, hē erede mid horsan.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The passage sets hæfde against næfde: what Ohthere had in plenty, and what he had little of.
hæfde: "Hē hæfde… syx hund". The past singular of habban. The thing possessed, six hundred animals, is put in the genitive plural after the number: tamra dēora unbebohtra syx hund, literally "of tame animals unsold, six hundred". Hund (hundred) is a noun, so it takes a genitive, as Modern English says "a dozen of them".
næfde hē: the negative past, with the verb placed first in its clause for emphasis: "not had he, however, more than twenty…". Again the things counted stand in the genitive plural after mā ðonne twēntig: hrȳðera, sċēapa, swȳna.
ðā… sōhte: ðā here means "when" (a conjunction), while the þā just before it means "then". The same word does both jobs; the word order tells them apart.
unbebohtra: "unsold", from bebyċġan (to sell): the herd was still his when he came to Alfred. The edition prints both twēntig and twentig, with and without the length mark; they are the same word.
horsan: a late form of the dative plural, where the classical West Saxon would have horsum.
The writer is explaining a foreign economy to an English audience. In Wessex, wealth meant ploughland, cattle and sheep. Ohthere was "among the first men" of his country, yet he had only twenty of each, and he ploughed with horses rather than oxen. His wealth was in reindeer and, as the next lines tell, in the tribute the Sámi paid him. The repeated hæfde / næfde frames the comparison: having and not having, in two languages of wealth.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
A short tale in the manner of a homily exemplum: two brothers, one who has much and one who has little, and a hard year that shows what each truly has. (A constructed narrative for teaching, not a quotation.)
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
11.16a Sum a-certain mann man hæfde had twēgen two suna sons
11.16b Sum /sum/ a-certain-NOM.M.SG mann /mɑnn/ man-NOM.M.SG hæfde /ˈhæfde/ had-3SG.PRET twēgen /ˈtweːjen/ two-ACC.M suna /ˈsunɑ/ sons-ACC.M.PL
11.17a Se the yldra elder hæfde had miċel much land land and and fela many hrȳþera cattle
11.17b Se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG yldra /ˈyldrɑ/ elder-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) hæfde /ˈhæfde/ had-3SG.PRET miċel /ˈmitʃel/ much-ACC.N.SG land /lɑnd/ land-ACC.N.SG and /ɑnd/ and fela /ˈfelɑ/ many hrȳþera /ˈhryːðerɑ/ cattle-GEN.N.PL
11.18a Se the ġingra younger næfde not-had būton except ān one hors horse and and āne one cū cow
11.18b Se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG ġingra /ˈjiŋɡrɑ/ younger-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) næfde /ˈnæfde/ not-had-3SG.PRET būton /ˈbuːton/ except ān /aːn/ one-ACC.N.SG hors /hors/ horse-ACC.N.SG and /ɑnd/ and āne /ˈaːne/ one-ACC.F.SG cū /kuː/ cow-ACC.F.SG
11.19a Þā then cwæþ said se the ġingra younger Lȳtel little iċ I hæbbe have ac but hit it is is mīn mine
11.19b Þā /θaː/ then cwæþ /kwæθ/ said-3SG.PRET se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG ġingra /ˈjiŋɡrɑ/ younger-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) Lȳtel /ˈlyːtel/ little-ACC.N.SG iċ /itʃ/ I-NOM hæbbe /ˈhæbbe/ have-1SG.PRES ac /ɑk/ but hit /hit/ it-NOM.N.SG is /is/ is-3SG.PRES mīn /miːn/ mine
11.20a On in sumum a-certain ġēare year wæs was miċel great hungor hunger and and þā the menn people næfdon not-had hlāf bread
11.20b On /on/ in sumum /ˈsumum/ a-certain-DAT.N.SG ġēare /ˈjæːɑre/ year-DAT.N.SG wæs /wæs/ was-3SG.PRET miċel /ˈmitʃel/ great-NOM.M.SG hungor /ˈhuŋɡor/ hunger-NOM.M.SG and /ɑnd/ and þā /θaː/ the-NOM.PL menn /menn/ people-NOM.M.PL næfdon /ˈnæfdon/ not-had-3PL.PRET hlāf /hlaːf/ bread-ACC.M.SG
11.21a Se the yldra elder hæfde had miċel much corn grain ac but hē he hit it hēold kept him for-him selfum self
11.21b Se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG yldra /ˈyldrɑ/ elder-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) hæfde /ˈhæfde/ had-3SG.PRET miċel /ˈmitʃel/ much-ACC.N.SG corn /korn/ grain-ACC.N.SG ac /ɑk/ but hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG hit /hit/ it-ACC.N.SG hēold /heːold/ kept-3SG.PRET him /him/ him-DAT.M.SG selfum /ˈselvum/ self-DAT.M.SG
11.22a Se the ġingra younger hæfde had lȳtel little ac but hē he sealde gave þǣm the hungrigum hungry hlāf bread
11.22b Se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG ġingra /ˈjiŋɡrɑ/ younger-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) hæfde /ˈhæfde/ had-3SG.PRET lȳtel /ˈlyːtel/ little-ACC.N.SG ac /ɑk/ but hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG sealde /ˈsæɑlde/ gave-3SG.PRET þǣm /θæːm/ the-DAT.PL hungrigum /ˈhuŋɡriɣum/ hungry-DAT.PL hlāf /hlaːf/ bread-ACC.M.SG
11.23a Þā the hungrigan hungry cwǣdon said Nū now habbaþ have wē we mete food
11.23b Þā /θaː/ the-NOM.PL hungrigan /ˈhuŋɡriɣɑn/ hungry-NOM.PL(WEAK) cwǣdon /ˈkwæːdon/ said-3PL.PRET Nū /nuː/ now habbaþ /ˈhɑbbɑθ/ have-1PL.PRES wē /weː/ we-NOM.PL mete /ˈmete/ food-ACC.M.SG
11.24a Æfter after þǣm the hungre hunger næfde not-had se the yldra elder nānne no frēond friend
11.24b Æfter /ˈæfter/ after þǣm /θæːm/ the-DAT.M.SG hungre /ˈhuŋɡre/ hunger-DAT.M.SG næfde /ˈnæfde/ not-had-3SG.PRET se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG yldra /ˈyldrɑ/ elder-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) nānne /ˈnaːnne/ no-ACC.M.SG frēond /freːond/ friend-ACC.M.SG
11.25a Hē he hæfde had gold gold and and land land ac but nān no mann man hine him ne not lufode loved
11.25b Hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG hæfde /ˈhæfde/ had-3SG.PRET gold /ɡold/ gold-ACC.N.SG and /ɑnd/ and land /lɑnd/ land-ACC.N.SG ac /ɑk/ but nān /naːn/ no-NOM.M.SG mann /mɑnn/ man-NOM.M.SG hine /ˈhine/ him-ACC.M.SG ne /ne/ not lufode /ˈluvode/ loved-3SG.PRET
11.26a Se the ġingra younger hæfde had fela many frēonda friends
11.26b Se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG ġingra /ˈjiŋɡrɑ/ younger-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) hæfde /ˈhæfde/ had-3SG.PRET fela /ˈfelɑ/ many frēonda /ˈfreːondɑ/ friends-GEN.M.PL
11.27a Hīe they cwǣdon said tō to him him Þū you hæfst have ūs us ġeholpen helped
11.27b Hīe /hiːe/ they-NOM.PL cwǣdon /ˈkwæːdon/ said-3PL.PRET tō /toː/ to him /him/ him-DAT.M.SG Þū /θuː/ you-NOM.SG hæfst /hæfst/ have-2SG.PRES ūs /uːs/ us-DAT.PL ġeholpen /jeˈholpen/ helped-PAST.PTCP
11.28a Nū now hafa have þū you ūrne our fultum help
11.28b Nū /nuː/ now hafa /ˈhɑvɑ/ have-IMP.SG þū /θuː/ you-NOM.SG ūrne /ˈuːrne/ our-ACC.M.SG fultum /ˈfultum/ help-ACC.M.SG
11.29a Se the yldra elder cwæþ said Iċ I hæbbe have ealle all þing things and and iċ I næbbe not-have nāht nothing
11.29b Se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG yldra /ˈyldrɑ/ elder-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) cwæþ /kwæθ/ said-3SG.PRET Iċ /itʃ/ I-NOM hæbbe /ˈhæbbe/ have-1SG.PRES ealle /ˈæɑlle/ all-ACC.N.PL þing /θiŋɡ/ things-ACC.N.PL and /ɑnd/ and iċ /itʃ/ I-NOM næbbe /ˈnæbbe/ not-have-1SG.PRES nāht /naːxt/ nothing-ACC
11.30a Se the ġingra younger cwæþ said Sē he þe who frēond friend hæfþ has hē he hæfþ has ǣhta wealth
11.30b Se /se/ the-NOM.M.SG ġingra /ˈjiŋɡrɑ/ younger-NOM.M.SG(WEAK) cwæþ /kwæθ/ said-3SG.PRET Sē /seː/ he-NOM.M.SG(DEM) þe /θe/ who-REL frēond /freːond/ friend-ACC.M.SG hæfþ /hæfθ/ has-3SG.PRES hē /heː/ he-NOM.M.SG hæfþ /hæfθ/ has-3SG.PRES ǣhta /ˈæːxtɑ/ possessions-ACC.F.PL
Part B: Natural Sentences
11.16 Sum mann hæfde twēgen suna. → "A certain man had two sons."
11.17 Se yldra hæfde miċel land and fela hrȳþera. → "The elder had much land and many cattle."
11.18 Se ġingra næfde būton ān hors and āne cū. → "The younger had nothing but one horse and one cow."
11.19 Þā cwæþ se ġingra: "Lȳtel iċ hæbbe, ac hit is mīn." → Then the younger said: "Little I have, but it is mine."
11.20 On sumum ġēare wæs miċel hungor, and þā menn næfdon hlāf. → "In a certain year there was a great famine, and the people had no bread."
11.21 Se yldra hæfde miċel corn, ac hē hit hēold him selfum. → "The elder had much grain, but he kept it for himself."
11.22 Se ġingra hæfde lȳtel, ac hē sealde þǣm hungrigum hlāf. → "The younger had little, but he gave bread to the hungry."
11.23 Þā hungrigan cwǣdon: "Nū habbaþ wē mete." → The hungry said: "Now we have food."
11.24 Æfter þǣm hungre næfde se yldra nānne frēond. → "After the famine the elder had no friend."
11.25 Hē hæfde gold and land, ac nān mann hine ne lufode. → "He had gold and land, but no one loved him."
11.26 Se ġingra hæfde fela frēonda. → "The younger had many friends."
11.27 Hīe cwǣdon tō him: "Þū hæfst ūs ġeholpen." → They said to him: "You have helped us."
11.28 "Nū hafa þū ūrne fultum." → "Now have our help."
11.29 Se yldra cwæþ: "Iċ hæbbe ealle þing, and iċ næbbe nāht." → The elder said: "I have everything, and I have nothing."
11.30 Se ġingra cwæþ: "Sē þe frēond hæfþ, hē hæfþ ǣhta." → The younger said: "He who has a friend has wealth."
Part C: Old English Text Only
11.16 Sum mann hæfde twēgen suna.
11.17 Se yldra hæfde miċel land and fela hrȳþera.
11.18 Se ġingra næfde būton ān hors and āne cū.
11.19 Þā cwæþ se ġingra: "Lȳtel iċ hæbbe, ac hit is mīn."
11.20 On sumum ġēare wæs miċel hungor, and þā menn næfdon hlāf.
11.21 Se yldra hæfde miċel corn, ac hē hit hēold him selfum.
11.22 Se ġingra hæfde lȳtel, ac hē sealde þǣm hungrigum hlāf.
11.23 Þā hungrigan cwǣdon: "Nū habbaþ wē mete."
11.24 Æfter þǣm hungre næfde se yldra nānne frēond.
11.25 Hē hæfde gold and land, ac nān mann hine ne lufode.
11.26 Se ġingra hæfde fela frēonda.
11.27 Hīe cwǣdon tō him: "Þū hæfst ūs ġeholpen."
11.28 "Nū hafa þū ūrne fultum."
11.29 Se yldra cwæþ: "Iċ hæbbe ealle þing, and iċ næbbe nāht."
11.30 Se ġingra cwæþ: "Sē þe frēond hæfþ, hē hæfþ ǣhta."
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The tale runs on the contrast between hæfde and næfde, as Ohthere's account does in Section F.
The past singular hæfde: 11.16, 11.17, 11.21, 11.22, 11.25, 11.26. A narrative is told in the past, so hæfde is the form met most often.
The negative næfde: 11.18 and 11.24; its plural næfdon in 11.20, þā menn næfdon hlāf "the people had no bread". Note that Old English says wæs miċel hungor "there was a great famine", not "the land had a famine": habban is not used for events. In 11.18 næfde… būton means "had nothing except", literally "not-had except". In 11.24 the negative is doubled: næfde… nānne frēond.
The present in speech: when the characters speak, the tense changes to the present: iċ hæbbe (11.19, 11.29), wē habbaþ (11.23), hæfþ (11.30), iċ næbbe (11.29).
The perfect: Þū hæfst ūs ġeholpen (11.27) "you have helped us". The verb helpan takes the dative, so ūs is dative; the participle ġeholpen has no ending.
The imperative: hafa þū (11.28), "have, take". Old English can add the pronoun to an imperative for emphasis.
Word order: after an opening phrase the verb comes second, before the subject: On sumum ġēare wæs miċel hungor (11.20), Æfter þǣm hungre næfde se yldra… (11.24), Nū habbaþ wē… (11.23). In 11.19 Lȳtel iċ hæbbe puts the object first for emphasis; with a pronoun subject such as iċ, the verb may follow the subject even then.
Quantity: fela (many) takes the genitive plural: fela hrȳþera (11.17), fela frēonda (11.26).
The last line plays on the two senses of having: the elder hæbbe ealle þing and yet næbbe nāht. The younger's answer turns ǣhta, "possessions", towards friendship.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Double consonants: pronounced long, held for a moment: habban /ˈhɑbbɑn/, hæbbe /ˈhæbbe/, mann /mɑnn/, ealle /ˈæɑlle/.
f: voiceless /f/ at the start of a word, next to voiceless sounds and at the end: hæfst, hæfþ, fela. Between vowels it is voiced /v/: hafa /ˈhɑvɑ/, hafað /ˈhɑvɑθ/, lufode /ˈluvode/, hēafod /ˈhæːɑvod/.
þ and ð: two letters for one pair of sounds. Both are /θ/ at the start and end of a word (þā, habbaþ, næfð) and /ð/ between vowels (brōþor /ˈbroːðor/, hrȳðera /ˈhryːðerɑ/). Editors print either letter; the Gospels in this lesson use ð.
h before a consonant and after a vowel: hl- in hlāf /hlaːf/ is a breathed l; h after a vowel is /x/ as in Scottish "loch": feoh /feox/, nāht /naːxt/, þurh /θurx/, sōhte /ˈsoːxte/.
g: /ɡ/ in gold; /j/ written ġ in ġedōn, ġingra, ġēare; between back vowels or before a consonant after a back vowel it is the soft /ɣ/: fuglas /ˈfuɣlɑs/, hungrigum /ˈhuŋɡriɣum/.
æ and ǣ: short /æ/ in hæbbe, hæfde; long /æː/ in ǣhta, dǣd, hwǣr. The length mark changes the word: næfde (did not have) has a short vowel.
Variant spellings: the manuscripts and editions also write hafast, hafaþ, hæbbaþ, and hys for his (11.14).
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)