Every form so far carries its subject after the verb. The stative, which Gardiner calls the old perfective, is different: it has a set of endings of its own, and its subject, if named, stands before it.
Key idea
The stative endings are: .kj (I), .tj (you, one person), .w or no ending (he), .tj (she), .wjn (we), .tjwnj (you, more than one), .w (they). Examples: jj.kj "I have come", jj.tj "she has come", jj.w "he has come".
Why it works
The stative is the oldest verb form of Egyptian, and its endings are related to similar endings in other Afroasiatic languages (the family of What Egyptian Is). Because the endings already show the person, the stative does not need a suffix pronoun. In writing, the endings were often shortened or left out, especially .w, so transliterations sometimes restore them in brackets.
| Person | Ending | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | .kj (also .kw, .kwj) | jj.kj | I have come |
| you (one person) | .tj | jj.tj | you have come |
| he | .w or none | jj.w | he has come |
| she | .tj | jj.tj | she has come |
| we | .wjn | jj.wjn | we have come |
| you (more than one) | .tjwnj | jj.tjwnj | you have come |
| they | .w or none | jj.w | they have come |
Worked example: Write a stative
Write the stative of ꜥḥꜥ "stand" for "I" ("I am standing").
- The ending for "I" is .kj.
- Add it to the stem.
Answer: ꜥḥꜥ.kj
Worked example: Read the ending
Which subject does sḏr.tj point to?
- .tj serves two persons: "you" (one person) and "she".
- The subject named before the verb decides: zꜣt=f sḏr.tj "his daughter is lying down".
Answer: "You" (one person) or "she".
In hieroglyphs the endings are short: the basket k with a reed leaf or two strokes for "I", the bread loaf t with two strokes for "you" and "she", the quail chick w (often left out) for "he" and "they". Because they are small and often abbreviated, read them together with the subject before the verb: the subject usually tells you which person is meant.
Common mistake
Confusing the stative .tj with the feminine dual -tj (The Dual). Both are written with the bread loaf and two strokes. The dual ends a noun, nṯrtj "the two goddesses"; the stative ending sits on a verb that follows its subject, zꜣt=f jj.tj "his daughter has come". Check: is the word a noun or a verb, and does a subject stand before it?