The negatives n and nn stand at the head of a clause (Negation with n, nn, "There Is No"). Some forms cannot take them: an infinitive after a preposition, a participle describing a noun, a verb after jr "if". For these Egyptian has a negative verb.
Key idea
tm "not to do" negates forms that cannot take n: infinitives (r tm sḏm "so as not to hear"), participles (tm sḏm "one who does not hear") and verbs after jr or rdj (jr tm=k sḏm "if you do not listen"). tm takes the form the sentence needs, and the verb after it carries the meaning.
Why it works
tm is a verb meaning "stop, not do". It can be an infinitive, a participle or a sḏm=f like any other verb, so it slips into places where n cannot go. The verb after it is in a special form Gardiner calls the negatival complement, often written with -w: tm=f sḏm(w). In transliteration many books leave the w in brackets or out.
| Where | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| after r (purpose) | r tm sḏm | so as not to hear |
| after r | r tm rdjt | so as not to give |
| a participle | tm sḏm | one who does not hear |
| after jr "if" | jr tm=k sḏm | if you do not listen |
| after rdj "cause" | rdj.n=f tm=j sḏm | he caused me not to hear |
| an infinitive | tm ḏd | not speaking |
Worked example: A condition
Translate jr tm=f ḏd.
- jr "if" + a verb: here the verb is tm=f, "he does not".
- ḏd after it says what he does not do.
Answer: "If he does not speak."
Worked example: Purpose
Translate r tm sḏm.
- r + infinitive gives purpose (Purpose and Result).
- The infinitive is tm, negated purpose: "so as not to".
Answer: "So as not to hear."
Worked example: After rdj
Translate rdj.n=f tm=j sḏm.
- rdj.n=f + sḏm=f is "he caused that…" (rdj with the sḏm=f).
- The sḏm=f is tm=j "I do not", completed by sḏm.
Answer: "He caused me not to hear."
Compare the two ways of saying "not". n sḏm=f "he did not hear" is a main statement, with n at its head. jr tm=f sḏm "if he does not hear" is a condition: jr already holds the head of the clause, so the negation moves into the verb, tm. The same thinking explains r tm and tm in participles.
Common mistake
Skipping tm as an unknown word. Leave it out and jr tm=k sḏm turns into "if you listen", the opposite of what it says. Check: whenever tm appears, the sentence is negative, and the verb right after it is what is not done.