Egyptian has three sets of personal pronouns. The most frequent are the suffix pronouns, little endings attached to the end of a word. You already know two of their signs from the alphabet: the horned viper 𓆑 and the basket 𓎡. Gender matters here, as in Masculine and Feminine.
Key idea
| Person | Suffix | Written | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | =j | 𓀀 (or not written) | pr=j | my house |
| you (man) | =k | 𓎡 | pr=k | your house |
| you (woman) | =ṯ | 𓍿 | pr=ṯ | your house |
| he | =f | 𓆑 | pr=f | his house |
| she | =s | 𓋴 | pr=s | her house |
| we | =n | 𓈖𓏥 | pr=n | our house |
| you (plural) | =ṯn | 𓍿𓈖𓏥 | pr=ṯn | your house |
| they | =sn | 𓋴𓈖𓏥 | pr=sn | their house |
The first person is special. Its suffix =j is usually written with a picture of the speaker: a seated man 𓀀 if a man speaks, a seated woman 𓁐 if a woman does, and a seated god if a god does. Often it is not written at all, and the reader supplies it from context. The = sign in transliteration simply shows where the suffix joins the word.
Gender in the second and third persons
Egyptian distinguishes “you” said to a man (=k) from “you” said to a woman (=ṯ), and of course “he” (=f) from “she” (=s). In the plural there is no gender difference: =ṯn for any group addressed, =sn for any group spoken of.
Why it works
Common mistake
Worked example: Possession
- rn “name”.
- Suffix for “his”: =f.
Answer: rn=f
Worked example: Read it
- jt “father”.
- =ṯ: “your”, said to a woman.
Answer: “your father” (said to a woman)