þā
The English phrase 'those' is translated into Old English as þā.
þā is the plural form of the demonstrative pronoun 'that'.
Meaning: plural of that (pron)
Which one should you use?
While þā refers to 'those' (distant), þās refers to 'these' (proximal).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form þā is the nominative and accusative plural of the demonstrative pronoun for all three genders. The dative plural form of the demonstrative is þām.
Did you know?
- The letter þ used in þā is called 'thorn'. Scribes were already replacing it with 'th' in Middle English, and printing finished the change.
- In many Old English texts, the word þā can also mean 'then' when used as an adverb to indicate time, rather than pointing to objects.
- The word þā is actually a 'double agent' because it can function as both a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' and as a definite article meaning 'the'.
Examples in context
- Iċ lufie þā stānas.I love those stones.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Eadric and Mildryth are looking at some apples.
- EadricHwilce æpplan wille þu?Which apples do you want?
- MildrythIc wille þā.I want those.
- EadricSind þā swēte?Are those sweet?
- MildrythGē, hīe sind swīðe swēte.Yes, they are very sweet.
