The second set of pronouns is the dependent pronouns. They are separate little words, not suffixes, but they cannot begin a sentence: they always follow (depend on) another word. You need Suffix Pronouns to compare them.
Key idea
The dependent pronouns: wj me, ṯw you (man), ṯn you (woman), sw him, sj her, st it, them, n us, ṯn you (plural), sn them.
| Person | Suffix | Dependent | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | =j | wj | jnk |
| 2nd singular, man | =k | ṯw | ntk |
| 2nd singular, woman | =ṯ | ṯn | ntṯ |
| 3rd singular, man | =f | sw | ntf |
| 3rd singular, woman | =s | sj | nts |
| it, they (common) | st | ||
| 1st plural | =n | n | jnn |
| 2nd plural | =ṯn | ṯn | ntṯn |
| 3rd plural | =sn | sn | ntsn |
Where dependent pronouns go
- As the object of a verb: “he saw him” (you will practice verbs in Middle Egyptian II).
- As the subject after mk “look”: mk wj m pr “look, I am in the house” (see jw and mk).
- As the subject of an adjective sentence: nfr sw “he is good” (see The Adjectival Sentence).
- After certain particles and words that introduce a clause.
In the plural the dependent pronouns look like the suffixes (n, ṯn, sn), so their position tells them apart: a suffix is attached with = to the word before it; a dependent pronoun stands as a word of its own. In the singular the forms differ clearly: sw and sj against =f and =s.
Why it works
Why have a second set at all? The suffix pronouns are bound to the word they follow and mean “my, his…” on nouns. The dependent pronouns can stand as a separate word in the sentence, which is what an object or the subject after a particle needs. Each set fills its own positions.
Common mistake
Using a suffix pronoun as the object of a verb, or after mk. “Look, she is in the house” is mk sj m pr, with the dependent sj, not mk=s. Check: if the pronoun is a separate word after mk, a verb or an adjective, it is dependent.
Worked example: Form
What is the dependent pronoun for “him”?
- Third person singular, masculine.
Answer: sw
Worked example: After mk
Complete mk ___ m njwt “look, I am in the town”.
- After mk the subject is a dependent pronoun.
- First person: wj.
Answer: mk wj m njwt