Wes hāl, hū færst þū?
The phrase "hello how are you" in Old English is Wes hāl, hū færst þū?
This is a common greeting used to say hello and ask about someone's well-being.
Which one should you use?
Wes hāl, hū færst þū? is the singular form used when addressing one person, meaning "Be whole, how goest thou?" If you are addressing a group of people, you should use Wesað hāle, hū farað gē? instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the question hū færst þū?, the second-person singular pronoun þū (thou) is used alongside the verb faran (to go, travel or fare) to ask how a person is doing.
Did you know?
- The greeting Wes hāl is the ancestor of the modern English word 'whole' and the greeting 'hail'. It literally wishes the listener to be in a state of complete health and spiritual wholeness.
- The word hāl is a cognate of the Latin 'salus', which means health or safety. This same root gave English the word 'salute', though the Old English version focused more on the state of being healthy.
- In Old English, þū was not a formal or poetic version of 'you' as it became in later centuries. It was the standard, everyday way to address a single person of equal or lower status.
Examples in context
- Wes hāl, hū færst þū?Hello, how are you?
