How to Say “Their” in Old English

hira
The English phrase 'their' is translated into Old English as hira.
hira is a determiner used to indicate something belonging to them (plural).
Meaning: belonging to them (plural) (det)

Is it said differently in some regions?

In the West Saxon variation, þæra is an alternative form of 'their' in the genitive case.

Did you know?

  • The lack of a distinct word for 'their' eventually led Middle English writers to borrow 'their' from Old Norse to make the language clearer.
  • If you were describing a plural group of men and women together, you would often use the masculine form of the word rather than a special 'mixed' version.
  • In Old English, hira could function as both a possessive determiner and a pronoun, meaning it could stand alone to mean 'of them'.

Examples in context

  • Hira lārēow mid him blissode.
    Their teacher congratulated them.
    Tatoeba #13893699 by rul, translation #12632849 by rul
  • 'Þin ofspring sceal agan hira feonda gatu, and on þinum sæde beoð ealle þeoda gebletsode for þam þe þu gehiersumodest minre hæse þus.'
    'Your offspring shall possess their enemies' gates, and in your seed shall be all nations blessed because you obeyed my command thus.'
    Tatoeba #1178489 by cntrational, translation #1178490 by cntrational
  • Hira hūs stent on þæm ealdan lande.
    Their house stands on the old land.

Example conversation

Eadric and Eadgyth are discussing the village neighbors.

  1. Eadric

    Hira hund is swīðe micel.
    Their dog is very big.
  2. Eadgyth

    Iċ sēo þone hund nū.
    I see the dog now.
  3. Eadric

    Hē is gōd hund.
    He is a good dog.
  4. Eadgyth

    Eā, hē is swīðe gōd.
    Yes, he is very good.

Sources

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Leigh Randy
Leigh RandyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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