A participle describes a noun as the doer (Participles in Phrases). But what if the noun is the thing done, "the thing that he gave"? Then Egyptian uses a relative form.
Key idea
Why it works
| Noun | Relative form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rn name (m.) | ḏd.n=f | the name that he said |
| t bread (m.) | rdj.n=j | the bread that I gave |
| ḫt thing (f.) | rdjt.n=f | the thing that he gave |
| zꜣt daughter (f.) | mrt.n=f | the daughter whom he loved |
| njwt town (f.) | jrt.n=f | the town that he made |
Worked example: Translate
- mdt "words" is feminine.
- sḏmt.n=j is a relative form of sḏm: the -t agrees with mdt; =j is its subject.
- The words are what was heard.
Answer: "The words that I heard."
Worked example: Write it
- mꜣꜥt is feminine: the verb takes -t.
- Then .n and the subject =j.
Answer: mꜣꜥt ḏdt.n=j
Relative forms also exist from the sḏm=f, for present and general action: mrr=f "whom he loves". The one you will meet most in narratives and on monuments is the one from the sḏm.n=f. On family stelae it appears in ms.n and jr.n, "whom (the mother) bore" (Families on Stelae).
Compare the two kinds of verbal adjective. In z sḏm ḫrw "the man who hears the voice" the noun is the doer: a participle. In ḫrw sḏm.n=f "the voice that he heard" the noun is what is heard, and the doer is the suffix: a relative form.
Common mistake