Here's a simplified breakdown:
* Proto-Germanic: The common ancestor of all Germanic languages, including Old English.
* Old English: The language spoken in England from roughly the 5th to the 12th centuries.
* Middle English: The language spoken in England from roughly the 12th to the 15th centuries. This period saw significant influence from Norman French following the Norman Conquest.
* Modern English: The language we speak today. It has continued to evolve since Middle English, incorporating vocabulary and grammatical influences from various languages.
So, while Old English is the direct ancestor, the influences from other languages have shaped English into the language we know and use today.