One adjective is so common that it gets its own lesson: nb “every, all”. It is written with the same basket as nb “lord”, so you need its position to tell them apart. It agrees like the adjectives of Adjectives.
Key idea
| Phrase | Meaning | Why |
|---|---|---|
| tꜣ nb | every land | tꜣ is masculine: nb |
| hrw nb | every day | hrw is masculine: nb |
| rmṯ nb | all people, everyone | rmṯ is masculine: nb |
| ḫt nbt | everything (every thing) | ḫt “thing” is feminine: nbt |
| njwt nbt | every town | njwt is feminine: nbt |
| nṯrw nbw | all the gods | nṯrw is plural: nbw |
Lord or every?
The basket 𓎟 writes both words. Position decides. If nb comes first and a noun follows, it is the noun “lord” in a direct genitive: nb pt “the lord of the sky”. If it follows a noun, it is the adjective “every”: pt nb would be “every sky”. The same goes for the feminine: nbt pr “the lady of the house”, but pr nb “every house”.
You will meet nb “every” constantly in the offering formula: ḫt nbt nfrt wꜥbt “every good and pure thing”. The noun ḫt is feminine, so all three adjectives take -t.
Why it works
Common mistake
When nb follows a noun that already has an adjective, it usually comes right after the noun: ḫt nbt nfrt “every good thing”. And with a suffix pronoun, as in ḫt=f nbt “all his things, all his property”, it follows the suffix. In every case it keeps the gender and number of its noun.
Worked example: Every
- njwt is feminine.
- nb agrees: nbt.
Answer: njwt nbt
Worked example: Lord or every?
- nb comes first: the noun “lord”.
- tꜣwj “the Two Lands” follows as its genitive.
Answer: “the lord of the Two Lands”
Worked example: Plural
- nṯrw is masculine plural.
- nb + w.
Answer: nṯrw nbw