You have met jr as the verb "do" and as the first word of jr sḏm.n=k "if you have heard" (What the sḏm.n=f Means). The second jr is a particle, and it is the main way to say "if".
Key idea
The particle jr "if" introduces a condition, usually with a sḏm=f or a sḏm.n=f: jr sḏm=k "if you listen", jr sḏm.n=k "if you have heard". Before a noun it means "as for": jr z pn "as for this man".
Why it works
"If" and "as for" do the same work: they set something up first and then say something about it. "As for this man, he…" sets up a person; "if you listen, you…" sets up a situation. So it is not surprising that one particle does both. The main clause follows, often a sḏm=f or a command: jr sḏm=k mdt=j … "if you listen to my words, …".
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| jr sḏm=k mdt=j | if you listen to my words |
| jr jr=k mꜣꜥt | if you do what is right |
| jr gm=k z | if you find a man (meet someone) |
| jr sḏm.n=k | if you have heard |
| jr jj.n=f | if he has come |
| jr tm=k sḏm | if you do not listen |
| jr z pn | as for this man |
Worked example: Two jr in a row
Translate jr jr=k mꜣꜥt.
- The first jr, at the head of the clause, is the particle "if".
- The second is the sḏm=f of jrj "do", with =k "you".
- mꜣꜥt "what is right".
Answer: "If you do what is right."
Worked example: Completed action in a condition
Translate jr jj.n=f.
- jr "if", then jj.n=f, the sḏm.n=f of jj "come".
- The sḏm.n=f keeps its sense of completed action.
Answer: "If he has come."
The wisdom texts love this pattern. The Instruction of Ptahhotep opens many of its maxims with jr gm=k "if you find" or "if you meet", describing a situation, and then gives advice for it. Once you know the shape, those maxims fall into two clear halves: the case, then the counsel.
Common mistake
Reading jr as the verb "do" at the head of a clause. "Do your hearing" for jr sḏm=k makes no sense of the sentence. Check where it stands and what follows: a jr that opens a clause and is followed by a verb form is "if"; followed by a noun it is "as for". The verb "do" is usually spelled with the eye; the particle with the reed leaf and the mouth.