sprecan
Old Dutch
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *sprekan.
Verb
sprecan
- to speak
Inflection
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Derived terms
- anasprecan
- bisprecan
Descendants
- Middle Dutch: sprēken
- Dutch: spreken
- Limburgish: spraeke
Further reading
- “sprekan”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
Old English
Alternative forms
- spreocan, spræcan, specan (later form)
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *sprekan.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈspre.kɑn/
Verb
sprecan
- to speak, talk
- c. 890s, The Voyage of Ohthere and Wulfstan
- Þā Finnas, him þūhte, and þā Beormas sprǣcon nēah ān ġeþēode.
- The Sami, it seemed to him, and the Bjarmians spoke almost the same language.
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, John 4:27
- His leornungcneohtas wundrodon þæt hē wiþ wīf spræc, þēah heora nān ne cwæþ "Hwæt sēcst þū?" oþþe "Hwæt spricst þū wiþ hīe?"
- His disciples were amazed that he was talking to a woman, though none of them said "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you talking to her?"
- c. 890s, The Voyage of Ohthere and Wulfstan
Usage notes
- To talk to or with someone was expressed using tō + dative or wiþ + accusative, not with mid.
Conjugation
Conjugation of sprecan (strong class 5)
infinitive | sprecan | sprecenne |
---|---|---|
indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
first person singular | sprece | spræc |
second person singular | spricst | sprǣce |
third person singular | spricþ | spræc |
plural | sprecaþ | sprǣcon |
subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
singular | sprece | sprǣce |
plural | sprecen | sprǣcen |
imperative | ||
singular | sprec | |
plural | sprecaþ | |
participle | present | past |
sprecende | (ġe)sprecen |
Synonyms
- mǣlan
- maþelian
- reordian
- clipian
- cweþan
- cwiddian
Derived terms
- besprecan
- forsprecan
- forþsprecan
- ġesprecan
- missprecan
- ofersprecan
- spreca
- wiþsprecan
Related terms
- sprǣċ
Descendants
- Middle English: speken
- English: speak
- Scots: speke, speik