Commands come in The Imperative: sḏm "listen!". The negative command, "do not listen!", needs a word of its own.
Key idea
Why it works
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| sḏm listen! | m sḏm do not listen! |
| ḏd mꜣꜥt speak the truth! | m ḏd grg do not tell lies! |
| jr mꜣꜥt do what is right! | m jr ḏwt do not do evil! |
| jmj give! | m rdj do not give! |
Worked example: Translate
- m at the head of a command, before a verb: "do not".
- sḏr "lie down".
Answer: "Do not lie down!"
Worked example: Write it
- m + the verb.
Answer: m ḏd
Worked example: Preposition or command?
- pr "house" is a noun: m pr is "in the house".
- ḏd "say" is a verb: m ḏd is "do not say!".
Answer: m ḏd
In hieroglyphs the negative m is usually written with the owl and the sign of two outstretched arms, the same gesture used for n. The plain preposition m has no such sign. When you read transliteration only, as in this lesson, the word after m decides.
A famous line from the Eloquent Peasant uses this pattern several times in a row, as the peasant lectures the official: do not lie, do not be light, do not speak falsely. Lines like these, built on m + verb, are some of the easiest sentences in Middle Egyptian literature to read, and among the most quoted.
Common mistake