The third sentence without a verb says what something is like: “he is good”, “his house is beautiful”. It uses an adjective (Adjectives) as the predicate and a dependent pronoun (Dependent Pronouns) or a noun as the subject.
Key idea
| Egyptian | Meaning | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| nfr sw | He is good. | dependent pronoun |
| wr sj | She is great. | dependent pronoun |
| nfr st | It is good. | dependent pronoun |
| nfr pr=f | His house is good. | noun with suffix |
| wr nṯr | The god is great. | noun |
| nfr snt=j | My sister is beautiful. | noun with suffix |
Order changes the meaning
Compare two orders with the same words. pr=f nfr, with the adjective after the noun, is a phrase: “his good house”. nfr pr=f, with the adjective first, is a sentence: “his house is good”. Word order in Egyptian is strict, and it is often the only thing that tells a phrase from a sentence.
The adjective in this sentence does not agree: nfr sj “she is good”, nfr st “they are good”, with nfr unchanged. Adjectival sentences are common in praise of gods and kings and in descriptions: “great is his strength”, “beautiful is her face”.
Why it works
Common mistake
| Sentence type | Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| adverbial | subject + where/how | z m pr | the man is in the house |
| nominal | independent pronoun + noun | jnk sš | I am a scribe |
| nominal with pw | noun + pw | sš pw | he is a scribe |
| adjectival | adjective + subject | nfr sw | he is good |
Worked example: Translate
- Adjective first: wr “great”.
- Subject: nṯr “the god”.
Answer: “The god is great.”
Worked example: Write it
- Adjective first, without an ending.
- Then the dependent pronoun sj.
Answer: wr sj
Worked example: Phrase or sentence?
- The adjective follows the noun.
Answer: No: a phrase, “his good house”