hē
The English phrase "he" is translated into Old English as hē.
Meaning: personal pronoun "he" (pron)
Which one should you use?
The masculine pronoun hē is distinct from the feminine pronoun hēo (she).
How does it change in a sentence?
hē is the nominative singular masculine third-person pronoun.
Did you know?
- In Old English, hē was used not only for people but also for any grammatically masculine noun, such as stān 'stone' or mōna 'moon'.
- Old English writers often omitted hē entirely if the verb ending already made it clear that the subject was a masculine singular person.
- The pronunciation of hē involved a long vowel sound that is closer to the 'ay' in 'pay' than the modern 'ee' sound in 'he'.
Examples in context
- Hwī wrāt hē þæt?Why did he write that?This sentence shows how to use hē as the subject of the verb 'to write'.Tatoeba #8549124 by Rawrren, translation #8549127 by Rawrren
- Hē wæs gōd catt.He was a good cat.This sentence demonstrates hē used with the verb 'to be'.Tatoeba #13466252 by rul, translation #13463336 by rul
- Hē tōc ūre feoh.He took our money.This sentence illustrates hē used with the verb 'to take'.Tatoeba #13841918 by rul, translation #13840023 by rul
- Hē rǣtHe is reading
- Ic geseah hineI saw him
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Osric and Wulfrun are discussing a man who arrived at the village.
- OsricHē is hēr.He is here.
- WulfrunHwǣr is hē?Where is he?
- OsricHē cymþ tō mē.He comes to me.
- WulfrunIc geseo þone guman, hē is gōd.I see the man, he is good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “he” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
