Every verb has a root (Verb Roots). Grammars sort verbs into classes by the shape of that root, because the shape decides how the verb behaves in its forms.
Key idea
The main classes: strong verbs, whose consonants all stay put (sḏm "hear"); third-weak verbs, ending in a weak j that usually drops (mrj "love", jrj "do"); second-geminate verbs, whose last two consonants are the same (mꜣꜣ "see"); causatives in s- (sꜥnḫ "make live"); and a handful of irregular verbs.
Why it works
The weak consonants j and w were close to vowels. When a vowel or an ending stood next to them, they could vanish in speech, so the scribes stopped writing them. A doubled consonant behaves in a similar way: in some forms both consonants were heard and written, in others they merged into one. Strong consonants never disappear, so strong verbs look the same in every form.
| Class | Example | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| strong (2 or 3 consonants) | sḏm "hear", ḏd "say" | every consonant is written in every form |
| third-weak (Gardiner: 3ae inf.) | mrj "love", jrj "do", msj "give birth", gmj "find" | the final j is usually not written: mr.n=f, jr.n=f |
| second-geminate (2ae gem.) | mꜣꜣ "see", wnn "be" | some forms write the doubled consonant, others only one |
| causative | sꜥnḫ, smn | s- + a root; it follows the class of that root |
| irregular (anomalous) | rdj "give", jj "come" | forms that must be learned one by one |
Worked example: Which class?
Is gmj "find" strong, third-weak or second-geminate?
- Look at the end of the root: g, m, then j.
- A final j is a weak consonant.
- So gmj is third-weak: "he found" is gm.n=f, with no j.
Answer: Third-weak.
Worked example: A doubled verb
Why does mꜣꜣ "see" count as second-geminate?
- Its second and third consonants are the same: ꜣ and ꜣ.
- Verbs like that sometimes write the doubled consonant and sometimes only one: mꜣꜣ=f and mꜣ=f are both forms of "see".
Answer: Its last two consonants are the same.
Common mistake
Reading the weak j in every form. Students who learn mrj "love" go looking for a j in mr.n=f. Third-weak verbs often lose the j in writing, so the stem is just mr. Check: if a verb seems to have only two consonants and it is not in your list of two-consonant verbs, try adding a final j before you look it up.
Learn the class with the meaning when you learn a new verb, the way you learn a noun's gender. The next lessons on causatives and irregular verbs look at the last two groups more closely.