Both jj.n=f and jw=f jj.w can be translated "he came" or "he has come". They are not the same, and telling them apart sharpens your translation.
Key idea
The sḏm.n=f reports an act, with its subject after the verb: jj.n=f "he came". The stative describes a state, with its subject before the verb: jw=f jj.w "he has come, he is here". Look at where the subject is and at the ending.
Why it works
An act happens at a moment; a state lasts. jj.n=f tells that the coming took place. jw=f jj.w tells that he is now in the condition of having come, that is, present. With transitive verbs the difference is sharper still: ḫtm.n=f pr "he sealed the house" is an act with a doer; jw pr ḫtm.w "the house is sealed" describes the house, with no doer named at all.
| sḏm.n=f (act) | Stative (state) |
|---|---|
| jj.n=f he came | jw=f jj.w he has come, he is here |
| sḏr.n=f he lay down | mk sw sḏr.w look, he is lying down |
| ꜥnḫ.n=j I lived | jw=j ꜥnḫ.kj I am alive |
| ḫtm.n=f pr he sealed the house | jw pr ḫtm.w the house is sealed |
| jr.n=f ḫt nbt he did everything | jw ḫt nbt jr.tj everything is done |
Worked example: Which form?
Is jw zꜣt=f ms.tj a sḏm.n=f or a stative?
- The subject zꜣt=f "his daughter" comes first.
- The verb ms "give birth" carries the ending .tj.
- Subject first and a stative ending: a stative. msj is transitive, so the stative is passive.
Answer: A stative: "his daughter is born".
Worked example: Which form?
Is gm.n=f sw a sḏm.n=f or a stative?
- The verb comes first, with .n and the subject =f after it.
- sw "him" is the object.
Answer: A sḏm.n=f: "he found him".
Writers chose between the two with care. A tomb owner lists his deeds with jw + sḏm.n=f, as acts; a letter writer who says "look, I have arrived" uses the stative, because what matters is that he is there now. When you translate, keep the difference: "he came" for the act, "he is here" or "he has come" for the state.
Common mistake
Treating the two as interchangeable. Both may come out as "he has come" in a loose English version, but the Egyptian forms say different things. Check two things: is the subject before or after the verb, and is there a .n or a stative ending?