þær

See also: yär-

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse þær.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθaiːr/
• (colloquial) IPA^(key): [ðair].

Rhymes: -aiːr

Pronoun

þær f pl

1. (personal pronoun): they (referring to an all-female group), nominative plural of the word hún (“she”)

   Þær elska þær.

   They (the girls) love them (the girls).

2. (personal pronoun): them (referring to an all-female group), accusative plural of the word hún (“she”)

   Þær elska þær.

   They (the girls) love them (the girls).

See also

Icelandic personal pronouns

singular	first person	second person	third person
			masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ég, eg, ek†	þú	hann	hún, hon†, hón†	það, þat†
accusative	mig, mik†	þig, þik†	hann	hana	það, þat†
dative	mér	þér	honum, hánum†	henni	því
genitive	mín	þín	hans	hennar	þess
plural	first person	second person	third person
			masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	við	þið, þit†	þeir	þær	þau
accusative	okkur	ykkur	þá	þær	þau
dative	okkur	ykkur	þeim	þeim	þeim
genitive	okkar	ykkar	þeirra	þeirra	þeirra

^† Archaic. See also honorific pronouns.

Old English

Alternative forms

• þār — Late West Saxon
• þēr — Anglian, late Kentish
• ðǣr — edh spelling

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *þār, from Proto-Germanic *þar, whence also Old High German dār, Old Norse þar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θæːr/

Adverb

þǣr (West Saxon, early Kentish)

1. there
   • c. 1011, "Byrhtferth's Manual", line 125

     Nu þǣr ys an to lafe; gif þære Aprili.

     Now there is one left; give that April.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Maur, Abbot"

     Þā ġecwæð sē abbod and ealle þā ġebrōðra þæt þēr ne mihte nā mā muneca wunian...

     Then said the abbot and all the brothers, that no more monks could dwell there...

2. where
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Passion of the Apostles Peter and Paul"

     Simon, ðaða he ðam folce ætwunden wæs, getígde ænne ormǽtne ryððan innan ðam geate þǣr Petrus inn hæfde, þæt he fǽrlice hine abítan sceolde.

     Simon, when he had escaped from the people, tied a huge mastiff within the gate where Peter had his dwelling, that he might suddenly devour him.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Purification of St. Mary"

     Uton fon nu on þæt godspel ðǣr we hit ǣr forlēton.

     Let us now resume the gospel where we previously left it.

   • c. 994, Ælfric, The Seasons of the Year:

     Wē hātaþ ānne dæġ fram sunnan upgange oþ ǣfen, ac swā þēah is on bōcum ġeteald tō ānum dæġe fram þǣre sunnan upgange oþ þæt hēo eft becume þǣr hēo ǣr upp stāg. On þām fæce sind ġetealda fēower and twentiġ tīda.

     To us a day means from sunrise to sunset, but in books, one day is considered to last from when the sun rises to when it returns to where it started from. In that interval there are considered to be 24 hours.

3. if
   • c. 980, Exeter Book Riddle 4:

     Sē þēah biþ on þonce · þeġne mīnum,
     medwīsum men, · mē þæt sylfe,
     þǣr wiht wite, · ond wordum mīn
     on spēd mæġe · spel ġeseċġan.

     It is, however, grateful to my servant,
     half-wit folks, even to myself, if a thing
     would know and could tell successfully
     my tale with words.

Derived terms

• þǣrin
• þǣrrihte
• þǣrtō

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• þáʀ, ᚦᛆᛧ (þaʀ) — Old East Norse
  •  þār — Old Swedish
•  þar — Old Gutnish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Norse ᚦᛡᛁᛡᛉ (þᴀiᴀʀ), from Proto-Germanic *þôz (“they, those”), plural feminine of *sa (“that”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌸𐍉𐍃 (þōs).

Pronoun

þær

1. they, them (third-person nominative and accusative plural feminine personal pronoun)
2. those (nominative and accusative plural feminine demonstrative pronoun)

Declension

Old Norse personal pronouns

singular	first person	second person	reflexive	third person
				masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ek	þú	—	hann	hon, hón, hǫ́n	þat
accusative	mik	þik	sik	hann	hana, hána	þat
dative	mér	þér	sér	hánum, hónum, hǫ́num	henni	því
genitive	mín	þín	sín	hans	hennar	þess
dual	first person	second person	reflexive
nominative	vit	it, þit	—
accusative	okkr	ykkr	sik
dative	okkr	ykkr	sér
genitive	okkar	ykkar	sín
plural	first person	second person	reflexive	third person
				masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	vér	ér, þér	—	þeir	þær	þau
accusative	oss	yðr	sik	þá	þær	þau
dative	oss	yðr	sér	þeim	þeim	þeim
genitive	vár	yðar, yðvar	sín	þeira, þeirra	þeira, þeirra	þeira, þeirra

Old Norse demonstrative pronouns

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	sá	sú	þat
accusative	þann	þá	þat
dative	þeim	þeirri	því, þí
genitive	þess	þeirrar	þess
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	þeir	þær	þau
accusative	þá	þær	þau
dative	þeim	þeim	þeim
genitive	þeira, þeirra	þeira, þeirra	þeira, þeirra

Descendants

• Icelandic: þær
• Faroese: tær

Etymology 2

Adverb

þær

1. alternative form of þar

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Proto-Norse *ᚦᛖᛉ (*þeʀ), Proto-Germanic *þiz, dative of *þū.

Pronoun

þær

1. dative of þū