mē langaþ æfter þē
Old English had no verb for missing a person. To say "I miss you", use mē langaþ æfter þē, literally "it longs me after you".
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb langian is impersonal here: the one who longs stands in the accusative mē and the verb stays in the third person langaþ. For "we miss you" say ūs langaþ æfter þē.
Did you know?
- The verb missan did exist in Old English, but it meant "to fail to hit" a target, so ic mīste þīn would sound like "I missed you" with an arrow.
- Modern English "long for" comes straight from langian, the verb in mē langaþ æfter þē.
Example conversation
Two friends meeting after a long journey.
- GodricÆþelflǣd, mē langode æfter þē!Æthelflæd, I missed you!
- ÆthelflædAnd mē æfter þē, Godric.And I missed you, Godric.
- GodricHwǣr wǣre þū?Where were you?
- ÆthelflædIc wæs on sīþe.I was on a journey.
