Pronouns

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Paradigms in any foreign language are typically learned by rote. This ultimately does the trick, but it can be rather dull, and it is not at all helpful in relating the forms you are learning to their function in context. Fortunately, one can often find cognate forms in related languages. To a speaker of English and/or German, the Old Norse pronouns are a breeze once you are aware of their Germanic analogues. Most forms are cognate but have developed separately; only English they, them, their are direct borrowings from Old Norse.

If you'd like to test your knowledge of these paradigms, head over to the flashcards for paradigms, phrases and simple clauses, or actual sentences.

Personal pronouns

First person (“I, we”)
sgGermanONOEEnglish
nom. ich ek ic I
acc. mich mik mē me
gen. mein mín mīn my (mine)
dat. mir mér mē me
dualGermanONOEEnglish
nom. -- vit wit --
acc. -- okkr unc --
gen. -- okkar uncer --
dat. -- okkr unc --
plGermanONOEEnglish
nom. wir vér wē we
acc. uns oss ūs us
gen. unser vár ūre our
dat. uns oss ūs us

Second person (“you”)
sgGermanONOEEnglish
nom. du þú þū you
acc. dich þik þē you (thee)
gen. dein þín þīn your (thine)
dat. dir þér þē you (thee)
dualGermanONOEEnglish
nom. -- (þ)it ġit --
acc. -- ykkr inc --
gen. -- ykkar incer --
dat. -- ykkr inc --
plGermanONOEEnglish
nom. ihr (þ)ér gē you (ye)
acc. euch yðr ēow you
gen. euer yðar ēower your
dat. euch yðr ēow you

Third person (“she, he, it”)
fem German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. sie hon heō she sie þær hīe they
acc. sie hana hīe him sie þær hīe them
gen. ihr hennar hire her ihr þeir(r)a heora their
dat. ihr henni hire her ihnen þeim him them
masc German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. er hann hē he sie þeir hīe they
acc. ihn hann hine him sie þá hīe them
gen. sein hans his his ihr þeir(r)a heora their
dat. ihm honum him him ihnen þeim him them
neut German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. es þat hit it sie þau hīe they
acc. es þat hit it sie þau hīe them
gen. sein þess his its ihr þeir(r)a heora their
dat. ihm þ(v)í him it ihnen þeim him them

Demonstrative pronouns

Distal (“that”)

fem German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. die sú sēo that die þær þā those
acc. die þá þā that die þá þā those
gen. der þeir(r)ar þǣre her der þeir(r)a þāra their
dat. der þeir(r)i þǣre her den þeim þām those
masc German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. der sá se that die þeir þā those
acc. den þann þone that die þá þā those
gen. des þess þæs his der þeir(r)a þāra their
dat. dem þeim þām him den þeim þām those
inst. -- -- þȳ -- -- -- -- --
neut German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. das þat þæt that die þau þā those
acc. das þat þæt that die þau þā those
gen. des þess þæs its der þeir(r)a þāra their
dat. dem þ(v)í þām that den þeim þām those
inst. -- -- þȳ -- -- -- -- --

Proximal (“this”)

fem German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. diese sjá/þessi þēos this diese þessar þās these
acc. diese þessa þās this diese þessar þās these
gen. dieser þessar(rar) þisse her dieser þessa(rra) þissa their
dat. dieser þess(arr)i þisse her diesen þessum þām these
masc German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. dieser sjá/þessi þes this diese þessir þās these
acc. diesen þenna þisne this diese þessa þās these
gen. dieses þessa þisses his dieser þessa(rra) þissa their
dat. diesem þessum þissum him diesen þessum þām these
inst. -- -- þȳs -- -- -- -- --
neut German ON OE English <sg|pl> German ON OE English
nom. dieses þetta þis this diese þessi þās these
acc. dieses þetta þis this diese þessi þās these
gen. dieses þessa þisses its dieser þessa(rra) þissa their
dat. diesem þessu þissum it diesen þessum þām these

Interrogative pronoun
fem/masc German ON OE English
nom. wer hverr hwā who
acc. wen hvern hwone whom
gen. wessen hvess hwæs whose
dat. wem hveim hwām whom
inst. -- -- hwȳ --
neut German ON OE English
nom. was hvat hwæt what
acc. was hvat hwæt what
gen. wessen hvess hwæs whose
dat. wem hví hwām what
inst. -- -- hwȳ --

Application

To learn pronominal declension, it may be useful to bring the pronouns together into a series of simple sentences. To this end, you will need to learn the present indicative forms of three verbs: one for each of the oblique cases. We'll also add in an impersonal verb for good measure. The strong verb classes are identified with Roman numerals, the weak with Arabic numerals. The differences between the classes are of limited relevance to the present exercise; simply study the forms of these individual verbs for now.

sjá V "see" (+acc.)
# sg. pl.
1 ek sé vér sjám
2 þú sér (þ)ér séð
3 hann sér þeir sjá
hefna 1 "avenge" (+gen.)
# sg. pl.
1 ek hefni vér hefnum
2 þú hefnir (þ)ér hefnið
3 hann hefnir þeir hefna
segja 3 "say" (to +dat.)
# sg. pl.
1 ek segi vér segjum
2 þú segir (þ)ér segið
3 hann segir þeir segja
langa 2 "long for" (+acc. for til +gen.)
# sg. pl.
1 mik langar oss langar
2 þik langar yðr langar
3 hann langar þá langar

Given these paradigms, and the knowledge that dual pronouns take plural verbs, you can now form simple sentences like the following:

  • Ek sé þik (“I see you”)
  • It séð hana (“You two see her”)
  • Þú hefnir hennar (“You avenge her”)
  • Þær hefna mín (“They [feminine] avenge me”)
  • Hon segir þeim (“She tells them”)
  • Þau segja okkr (“They [mixed gender] tell the two of us”)
  • Oss langar til hans (“We long for him”)
  • Ykkr langar til vár (“You two long for us”)

With just the personal pronouns and these four verbs, you are now able to read or form 423 different Old Norse sentences! With the above paradigms close at hand, head over to set 1 of the flashcards to practise doing just that.

© Paul Langeslag 2011, 2016