Essential Greetings
| Sindarin |
Period |
English |
Notes |
| Mae govannen! |
S. |
Well met! |
Standard Elvish greeting; lit. "good we-have-met"; mae = well; govannen = we have met (past participle) |
| Hannon le |
S. |
Thank you (to one) |
hannon = I thank; le = thee |
| Le hannon |
S. |
I thank you |
alternate word order |
| Navaer |
S. |
Farewell |
na- (to) + vaer (good/soft mut. of maer) |
| Cuio vae |
ᴺS. |
Live well |
cuio (live, imperative) + vae (well, lenited) |
| Novaer |
ᴺS. |
Be well |
na (be) + vaer (good) |
From Tolkien's Texts
| Sindarin |
English |
Source |
| Le abdollen |
You are late |
Rivendell Elves to Gandalf (Fellowship of the Ring) |
| Pedo mellon a minno |
Speak, friend, and enter |
Doors of Durin inscription |
| Im Narvi hain echant |
I, Narvi, made them |
Doors of Durin (Narvi the Dwarf's inscription) |
| Ennyn Durin Aran Moria |
The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria |
Doors of Durin |
| Cuio i Pheriannath anann! |
May the Halflings live long! |
Cormallen praise |
| A laita te, laita te! |
Praise them, praise them! |
Cormallen praise |
| Cormacolindor, a laita tárienna! |
Ring-bearers, praise to their heights! |
Cormallen (mix of Sindarin and Quenya) |
| Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu! |
Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you! |
Dwarvish battle-cry (not Sindarin but important) |
The Most Famous Sindarin Text: A Elbereth Gilthoniel
This hymn to Varda (Elbereth, Queen of the Stars) appears multiple times in The Lord of the Rings. It is the most complete Sindarin poem attested.
Full Text
A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!
Word-by-Word Analysis
| Word |
Analysis |
Translation |
| A |
Exclamatory particle |
O! |
| Elbereth |
Compound: el (star) + bereth (queen) |
Star-Queen (title of Varda) |
| Gilthoniel |
gil (star) + thoniel (fem. active participle of thôni- "kindle") |
The Star-kindler |
| silivren |
celeb (silver) + -ren (adj. suffix); S. mutation cel→sil |
Sparkling silver, glittering |
| penna |
3rd sg. present of pen(n)a- (slant, fall) |
Slanting down, falling |
| míriel |
mîr (jewel) + -iel (fem. suffix) → "jewel-daughter" |
Sparkling like a jewel |
| o |
Preposition "from" |
from |
| menel |
Heaven, the firmament |
heaven |
| aglar |
Radiance, glory |
glory |
| elenath |
el (star) + -ath (collective plural) |
All the stars, the star-host |
| Na-chaered |
na (to) + chaered (lenited haered, remoteness, far distance) |
To/toward remoteness; "having gazed far" |
| palan-díriel |
palan (far and wide) + díriel (fem. active participle of tîr- "watch") |
Having gazed far and wide |
| o |
from |
from |
| galadhremmin |
galadh (tree) + remmin (pl. adj. "tangled, netted") |
Tree-tangled (adj.) |
| ennorath |
en- (middle) + norath (lands) |
Middle-earth, Middle-lands |
| Fanuilos |
Title of Varda: fan (cloud?) + uilos (ever-white?) |
Ever-white (mountain on the rim of Arda) |
| le |
2nd person pronoun (thee, you) |
to thee |
| linnathon |
linna- (sing) + -tha- (future) + -n (1st sg.) |
I will sing |
| nef |
Preposition "on this side of" |
on this side of |
| aear |
Sea, ocean |
the sea |
| sí |
Adverb "here, now" |
here |
| nef |
on this side of |
on this side of |
| aearon |
aear + -on (augmentative) = Great Ocean |
the Great Ocean |
Complete Translation
O Elbereth Star-kindler, sparkling silver slanting down, sparkling like a jewel, from the firmament the glory of all the stars! Having gazed far away, from the tree-tangled lands of Middle-earth, Fanuilos, to thee I will sing on this side of the sea, here on this side of the Great Ocean!
Shorter Version (from Lórien, Fellowship Chapter VII)
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
o menel palan-diriel,
le nallon sí di'nguruthos!
A tiro nin, Fanuilos!
| Word |
Translation |
| le nallon |
to thee I cry (appeal) — nalla- + -n 1sg |
| sí |
here, now |
| di'nguruthos |
under death-shadow — di (under) + nguruthos (nasal-mutated guruthos: dread of death) |
| a tiro nin |
O watch me — tiro! (imperative of tîr-) + nin (me, dative) |
Common Phrases (Neo-Sindarin)
These phrases are widely used in the Neo-Sindarin speaking community, though not all are directly attested from Tolkien:
| Sindarin |
English |
Notes |
| Gerich veleth nîn |
You have my love |
gerich (you have) + veleth (love, lenited from meleth) + nîn (my) |
| Gi melin |
I love you |
gi (you, direct object) + melin (I love) |
| Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo |
A star shines on the hour of our meeting |
Quenya (Frodo's greeting to Gildor), not Sindarin |
| Boe le togo |
You must bring |
boe (it is necessary) + le (you/to you) + togo (bring, infinitive) |
| A galad vîn |
O our light |
|
| Im tuliel |
I have come |
|
Battle Cries and Proclamations
| Sindarin |
Source |
Translation |
| Cuio i Pheriannath anann! |
Cormallen |
Long live the Halflings! |
| A laita te, laita te! |
Cormallen |
Praise them, praise them! |
| Laita i Venn-i-Naugrim! |
|
Praise the Man of the Dwarves (Gimli) |
| Baruk Khazâd! |
Dwarvish |
Axes of the Dwarves! (Dwarvish, not Sindarin) |
Name-Giving Phrases
Sindarin names are often compound phrases. Famous examples:
| Name |
Breakdown |
Meaning |
| Aragorn |
ara- (royal) + gorn (stone) |
Royal Stone |
| Legolas |
lego (let loose) + las (leaf) |
Green Leaf / Leaf That Flies Free |
| Galadriel |
calad (light) + riel (garlanded maiden) |
Maiden Crowned with Radiant Garland |
| Elrond |
el (star) + rond (vault, arch) |
Star-Dome |
| Arwen |
ar (noble/royal) + wen (maiden) |
Noble Maiden |
| Mithrandir |
mithren (grey) + randir (wanderer, pilgrim) |
Grey Pilgrim |
| Glorfindel |
glaur (golden light) + findel (hair) |
Golden-Haired |
| Celeborn |
celeb (silver) + orn (tree) |
Silver Tree |
| Celebrían |
celeb (silver) + rían (queenly gift) |
Silver Gift |