ntj introduces a relative clause after a noun like "the man" (The Relative Adjective ntj). After "a man" Egyptian often does without it.
Key idea
After an indefinite noun ("a man", "a town"), a plain clause can describe the noun with no ntj: z ḏd=f mꜣꜥt "a man who speaks the truth"; njwt n rḫ=j rn=s "a town whose name I do not know". A pronoun in the clause points back to the noun.
Why it works
A definite noun is already known, so the relative clause picks out which one: "the man who is in the house". An indefinite noun is new, and the clause after it simply adds a description, the way a circumstantial clause adds circumstances. Egyptian treats it that way: no special word, just a clause with a pronoun (=f, =s, =sn) that refers back. Gardiner calls these virtual relative clauses, relative in sense without a relative word.
| Egyptian | Literally | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| z ḏd=f mꜣꜥt | a man, he speaks the truth | a man who speaks the truth |
| zꜣ mr=f jt=f | a son, he loves his father | a son who loves his father |
| njwt n rḫ=j rn=s | a town, I do not know its name | a town whose name I do not know |
| rmṯ nn ḥqꜣ=sn | people, there is no ruler of theirs | people who have no ruler |
| z ꜥnḫ.w | a man, being alive | a living man |
Worked example: Translate
Translate zꜣ mr=f jt=f.
- zꜣ "a son" is indefinite.
- mr=f jt=f "he loves his father": the =f points back to the son.
- So the clause describes the son.
Answer: "A son who loves his father."
Worked example: A negative clause
Translate njwt n rḫ=j rn=s.
- njwt "a town"; then n rḫ=j "I do not know" (with rḫ, the past negative is used for "I do not know").
- rn=s "its name": the =s refers to the town (feminine).
Answer: "A town whose name I do not know."
Because Egyptian has no word for "the" or "a", the line between definite and indefinite is not always visible. Use the sense of the passage: a person or place introduced for the first time is usually indefinite, and a clause right after it, with a pronoun pointing back, is likely a virtual relative.
Common mistake
Looking for ntj in every relative clause, and reading z ḏd=f mꜣꜥt as two statements, "a man; he speaks the truth". Check: after a noun, does the next clause have a pronoun that refers back to it? Then it probably describes the noun: "who…", "whose…".