sprecan

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *sprekan.

Verb

sprecan

1. to speak

Inflection

Conjugation of sprecan (strong class 4)

infinitive	sprecan
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	spreco, sprecon	sprac
2nd person singular	sprikis	sprāki
3rd person singular	sprikit	sprac
1st person plural	sprecun	sprācon
2nd person plural	sprekit	sprācot
3rd person plural	sprecunt	sprācon
subjunctive	present	past
1st person singular	spreke	sprāki
2nd person singular	sprekis	sprāki
3rd person singular	spreke	sprāki
1st person plural	sprekin	sprākin
2nd person plural	sprekit	sprākit
3rd person plural	sprekin	sprākin
imperative	present
singular	sprec, spric
plural	spreket
participle	present	past
	sprecandi	sprocan, gisprocan

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 — late Kentish, Late West Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *sprekan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspre.kɑn/

Verb

sprecan

1. to speak, talk
   • The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn

     Saga mē, hwylc man ǣrest wǣre wið hund sprecende?

     Tell me, who was the first man who spoke with a dog?

   • 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 "What are you saying to her?"

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. Paul the Apostle"

     Petrus āna spræc for ealne þone hēap.

     Peter by himself spoke for the whole group.

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 V)

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, speke
  • English: speak
  • English: (West Yorkshire) speyk
  • English: (Ottawa-Valley) spek, spik
  • Middle Scots: speke, speik
    • Scots: speik, speak, spik, spikk