Old English Adjective Declension and Comparison

Old English (ca. 4501150CE) used a relatively rich system of inflection for adjectives. An adjective agreed with the noun it modified in case, gender, number, and also reflected the strength of the inflection (strong vs. weak). The same set of endings was used for comparatives and superlatives, which were themselves nounlike forms.

1. Strength: Strong vs. Weak

The distinction is parallel to that found in Old English nouns. A strong adjective appears when the noun lacks an article or any other determiner that would otherwise supply case information. A weak adjective follows a definite article (se, so, t), a demonstrative (es, re), a possessive pronoun, or a numeral.

1.1 Example

Strong: mre cyning a famous king.
Weak: se mre cyning the famous king.

2. Cases, Genders, Numbers

Old English retained the four Germanic cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, dative. Each case has a distinct set of endings for masculine, feminine, neuter, and plural. Below are the most common patterns for the strong declension of a regular -e adjective (e.g., de good). The weak pattern mirrors that of weak nouns.

2.1 Strong Declension (e adjectives)

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	gd	gde	gd	gde
Accusative	gdne	gde	gd	gde
Genitive	gdes	gde	gdes	gra
Dative	gdum	gde	gdum	gdum

2.2 Weak Declension (after a determiner)

Case	All Genders (Sing.)	Plural
Nominative	gda	gde
Accusative	gda	gde
Genitive	gdan	gra
Dative	gdan	gdum

3. Comparative and Superlative Forms

Comparatives and superlatives are formed with suffixes -ra (comparative) and -ost (superlative). The resulting forms are treated as adjectives of the strong type and follow the same declension patterns as regular adjectives.

3.1 Formation

• Comparative: stem + -ra (e.g., gd gdra better).
• Superlative: stem + -ost (e.g., gd gdost best).
• Some adjectives use an umlaut or vowel change before the suffix (e.g., eald eldra, eldost).

3.2 Declension of Comparative

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	gdra	gdre	gdru	gdre
Accusative	gdran	gdre	gdru	gdre
Genitive	gdras	gdre	gdras	gdra
Dative	gdrum	gdre	gdrum	gdrum

3.3 Declension of Superlative

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	gdost	gdost	gdest	gdoste
Accusative	gmost	gdoste	gdest	gdoste
Genitive	gdostes	gdostre	gdostes	gdostra
Dative	gdostum	gdostre	gdostum	gdostum

4. Irregular Forms

Some frequently used adjectives have irregular comparatives and superlatives, often inherited from ProtoGermanic.

• eald old comparative eldra, superlative eldost
• god good comparative betera, superlative betst (later best)
• micel great, big comparative mera, superlative mst

5. Usage Tips for Learners

1. Identify the determiner. If a definite article, demonstrative, or possessive precedes the noun, use the weak paradigm.
2. Match gender and number. Old English nouns keep their gender throughout; check a dictionary if uncertain.
3. Remember vowel changes. Many comparative forms involve iumlaut (e.g., os re for the adjective this).
4. Practice with set phrases. Phrases like se mra cyning (the great king) or t ealdor odenes (the old lords) reinforce the patterns.

6. Sample Passage

Se mra ealdorman ws gda on his weorulde, ac s gdres cyninges ah e he one ftergenga geafode, ws gdost of eallum m cyningum. (The famous ealdorman was good in his world, but despite the better king, the one who allowed his successor, he was the best of all those kings.)

Understanding the inflectional patterns of Old English adjectives opens the door to authentic reading and translation of early medieval texts. With practice, the strong/weak distinction and the regular comparative/superlative endings become second nature.

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