Compare with Arabic ـيَ (-ya) and Blin yə.
sg 1. suffix pronoun
- I, me, my (see usage notes)
c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE,
Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) lines 41–45:
- jr.n.j ḫmtw hrw wꜥ.kw jb.j m snnw.j sḏr.kw m ẖnw n(j) kꜣp n(j) ḫt qnj.n.j šwyt
- I spent three days alone, my heart my only companion (literally, “my second”), lying inside a shelter of wood, I having embraced the shadows.
This form of pronoun attaches directly to the preceding word, and means different things depending on what it is attached to.
- When attached to a noun, it indicates the possessor of the noun.
- When attached to a verb of the suffix conjugation, it indicates the subject of the verb.
- When attached to an infinitive verb (especially of an intransitive verb) whose subject is not otherwise expressed, it indicates the subject of the verb.
- When attached to a transitive infinitive verb whose subject is otherwise expressed or omitted, it indicates the object of the verb.
- In the third person, when attached to a prospective participle, it indicates gender and number agreement.
- When attached to a particle like jw or a parenthetic like ḫr, it indicates the subject of the clause.
- When attached to a preposition, it indicates the object of the preposition.
- When it follows a relative adjective such as ntj or ntt, it indicates the subject of the relative clause (except in the first person singular and third person common).
Old Egyptian personal pronouns
|
number
|
first person
|
second person
|
third person
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
suffix pronouns
|
singular
|
∅, .j
|
.k, .kj1
|
.ṯ, .ṯn
|
.f, .fj1
|
.s, .sj1
|
dual
|
.nj
|
.ṯnj
|
.snj
|
plural
|
.n
|
.ṯn
|
.sn
|
|
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
w, wj, wy
|
kw, k, ṯw, ṯ
|
ṯm, ṯn
|
sw, s
|
s
|
dual
|
—
|
ṯnj
|
snj
|
plural
|
n
|
ṯn
|
sn
|
|
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
jnk
|
ṯwt
|
ṯmt
|
swt
|
stt
|
dual
|
—
|
—
|
ntsnj
|
plural
|
—
|
ntṯn
|
ntsn, jntsn
|
|
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings
|
singular
|
.kj, .k
|
.tj, .t
|
∅, .j
|
.tj, .t
|
dual
|
—
|
.tjwn
|
.wy, .wj
|
.ty
|
plural
|
.wn, .nw
|
∅, .w, .y, .wy
|
.tj, .t
|
- Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
|
Middle Egyptian personal pronouns
|
number
|
first person
|
second person
|
third person
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
suffix pronouns
|
singular
|
∅, .j
|
.k, .kj1
|
.ṯ, .t
|
.f, .fj1
|
.s, .sj1
|
dual2
|
.nj
|
.ṯnj, .tnj
|
.snj
|
plural
|
.n
|
.ṯn, .tn
|
.sn, .w3
|
|
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
wj, w
|
ṯw, tw
|
ṯn, tn
|
sw, st
|
sj, s, st
|
plural
|
n
|
ṯn, tn
|
sn, st
|
|
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
jnk
|
ntk, ṯwt2
|
ntṯ, ntt, ṯwt2
|
ntf, swt2
|
nts, swt2
|
plural
|
jnn3
|
ntṯn, nttn
|
ntsn
|
|
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings
|
singular
|
.kw
|
.tj, .t, .tw3
|
∅, .w
|
.tj, .t, .tw3
|
plural
|
.wn, .wjn
|
.tjwn, .tjwnj
|
∅, .w, .y
|
|
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns3
|
singular
|
tw.j
|
tw.k
|
tw.t
|
sw
|
sj, st
|
plural
|
tw.n
|
tw.tn
|
st
|
- Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
- Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.
- Only in postclassical (Neo-Middle Egyptian) texts.
|
Late Egyptian personal pronouns
|
number
|
first person
|
second person
|
third person
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
suffix pronouns
|
singular
|
∅, .j
|
.k, .kw
|
.t
|
.f, .fj
|
.s, .st, .sw
|
plural
|
.n
|
.tn, .twn
|
.w, .sn1
|
|
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns1
|
singular
|
wj
|
tw, tj
|
sw, st
|
plural
|
n, wn
|
twn
|
sn, st
|
|
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
jnk
|
mntk, mtwk
|
mntt, mtwy
|
mntf
|
mntst, mntjst
|
plural
|
jnn
|
mnttn
|
mntw
|
|
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings1
|
singular
|
.kw, .k
|
.tj, .tw
|
∅, .w, .y
|
.tj, .tw
|
plural
|
.nw
|
.tn
|
∅, .w, .y
|
unmarked (later)
|
∅, .tw
|
|
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns
|
singular
|
tw.j
|
tw.k
|
tw.t
|
sw
|
st, sw
|
plural
|
tw.n
|
tw.tn
|
st, sw, swt
|
- Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.
|
The first person singular suffix pronoun is often not written; particularly, it is regularly omitted in Old Egyptian. When it is written, it has a number of variants:
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of .j
|
|
|
|
|
.j
|
.j
|
.j
|
.j
|
.j
|
[Old Kingdom]
|
|
[Middle Kingdom]
|
[18th Dynasty]
|
[Late Period]
|
|
|
|
sportive writing, from j (“reed panicle”)
|
Further, it can optionally be varied to indicate the identity of the antecedent — a distinction which would not have been indicated in speech, e.g.:
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of .j
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[Late Egyptian]
|
male human
|
female human
|
god
|
god or king
|
king
|
king
|
dead human
|
female human
|
In Late Egyptian, the presence of this pronoun results in the retention of final
-t when the word it is attached to ends in this consonant; this is sometimes expressed by leaving the pronoun unwritten but adding
to indicate the retained
-t.
m sg 3. stative ending
- (Old Egyptian, attached to a stative verb form) he, him
Old Egyptian personal pronouns
|
number
|
first person
|
second person
|
third person
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
suffix pronouns
|
singular
|
∅, .j
|
.k, .kj1
|
.ṯ, .ṯn
|
.f, .fj1
|
.s, .sj1
|
dual
|
.nj
|
.ṯnj
|
.snj
|
plural
|
.n
|
.ṯn
|
.sn
|
|
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
w, wj, wy
|
kw, k, ṯw, ṯ
|
ṯm, ṯn
|
sw, s
|
s
|
dual
|
—
|
ṯnj
|
snj
|
plural
|
n
|
ṯn
|
sn
|
|
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
jnk
|
ṯwt
|
ṯmt
|
swt
|
stt
|
dual
|
—
|
—
|
ntsnj
|
plural
|
—
|
ntṯn
|
ntsn, jntsn
|
|
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings
|
singular
|
.kj, .k
|
.tj, .t
|
∅, .j
|
.tj, .t
|
dual
|
—
|
.tjwn
|
.wy, .wj
|
.ty
|
plural
|
.wn, .nw
|
∅, .w, .y, .wy
|
.tj, .t
|
- Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
|
Middle Egyptian personal pronouns
|
number
|
first person
|
second person
|
third person
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
suffix pronouns
|
singular
|
∅, .j
|
.k, .kj1
|
.ṯ, .t
|
.f, .fj1
|
.s, .sj1
|
dual2
|
.nj
|
.ṯnj, .tnj
|
.snj
|
plural
|
.n
|
.ṯn, .tn
|
.sn, .w3
|
|
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
wj, w
|
ṯw, tw
|
ṯn, tn
|
sw, st
|
sj, s, st
|
plural
|
n
|
ṯn, tn
|
sn, st
|
|
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
jnk
|
ntk, ṯwt2
|
ntṯ, ntt, ṯwt2
|
ntf, swt2
|
nts, swt2
|
plural
|
jnn3
|
ntṯn, nttn
|
ntsn
|
|
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings
|
singular
|
.kw
|
.tj, .t, .tw3
|
∅, .w
|
.tj, .t, .tw3
|
plural
|
.wn, .wjn
|
.tjwn, .tjwnj
|
∅, .w, .y
|
|
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns3
|
singular
|
tw.j
|
tw.k
|
tw.t
|
sw
|
sj, st
|
plural
|
tw.n
|
tw.tn
|
st
|
- Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
- Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.
- Only in postclassical (Neo-Middle Egyptian) texts.
|
Late Egyptian personal pronouns
|
number
|
first person
|
second person
|
third person
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
suffix pronouns
|
singular
|
∅, .j
|
.k, .kw
|
.t
|
.f, .fj
|
.s, .st, .sw
|
plural
|
.n
|
.tn, .twn
|
.w, .sn1
|
|
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns1
|
singular
|
wj
|
tw, tj
|
sw, st
|
plural
|
n, wn
|
twn
|
sn, st
|
|
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns
|
singular
|
jnk
|
mntk, mtwk
|
mntt, mtwy
|
mntf
|
mntst, mntjst
|
plural
|
jnn
|
mnttn
|
mntw
|
|
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings1
|
singular
|
.kw, .k
|
.tj, .tw
|
∅, .w, .y
|
.tj, .tw
|
plural
|
.nw
|
.tn
|
∅, .w, .y
|
unmarked (later)
|
∅, .tw
|
|
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns
|
singular
|
tw.j
|
tw.k
|
tw.t
|
sw
|
st, sw
|
plural
|
tw.n
|
tw.tn
|
st, sw, swt
|
- Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.
|
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of .j
|
|
∅
|
.w
|
most commonly, this morpheme is left unwritten
|
- James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 50, 199, 206, 319.
- Edel, Elmar (1955-1964) Altägyptische Grammatik, Rome: Pontificium Institutum Biblicum
- Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 52
- Hoch, James (1997) Middle Egyptian Grammar, Mississauga: Benben Publications, →ISBN, pages 32–33
- Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1926) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache[1], volume 1, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, page 25
- Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 7
- ^ Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 56, 63