Every verb form so far has had a subject, named or understood. The imperative, the command form, speaks to its subject directly, so it has none.
Key idea
Why it works
| Verb | Command | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sḏm "hear" | sḏm | hear! listen! |
| ḏd "say" | ḏd | say! speak! |
| jrj "do" | jr | do! make! |
| rdj "give" | jmj | give! |
| jj "come" | mj | come! |
| jnj "bring" | jn | bring! |
Worked example: Write a command
- The command is the bare stem ḏd.
- The object follows: mꜣꜥt.
Answer: ḏd mꜣꜥt
Worked example: An irregular command
- "Give!" is not made from rdj: it is jmj.
- t "bread" is the object.
Answer: jmj t
When a command is given to several people, scribes sometimes add the -w of the plural or three plural strokes; in transliteration it is often left out. Commands can also be softened or strengthened with particles and a reflexive phrase, like n=k "for yourself", which you will meet in reading but can translate loosely or not at all.
A command can be followed by a sḏm=f: jmj sḏm=f "let him hear" (rdj with the sḏm=f). For a negative command, Egyptian uses m (Do Not!).
Worked example: Reading a command
- jr at the head, with no suffix: the imperative of jrj "do".
- mꜣꜥt "what is right" is the object.
Answer: "Do what is right!"
Commands are common in wisdom texts, letters and the speeches of stories. In the Eloquent Peasant, the peasant's pleas to the high steward are full of them, and in letters a writer often closes with a command to the reader: "write to me about it", "take care of it". Spotting the bare stem at the head of a clause is the key.
Common mistake