.n

.n

See also: n and Appendix:Variations of "n"

Egyptian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Egyptian *-ina.[1], from Proto-Afroasiatic *ˀan- (first-person pronoun (plural exclusive?)); compare Iraqw -ni, Arabic ـنَا‎ (-nā).

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /in/ → /in/ → /en/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /in/[1]
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /in/
• (Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /en/

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ʔɛn/
  • Conventional anglicization: .en

Pronoun

 pl 1. suffix pronoun

1. we, us, our (see usage notes)

Usage notes

This form of pronoun attaches directly to the preceding word, and means different things depending on what it is attached to.

• When attached to a noun, it indicates the possessor of the noun.
• When attached to a verb of the suffix conjugation, it indicates the subject of the verb.
• When attached to an infinitive verb (especially of an intransitive verb) whose subject is not otherwise expressed, it indicates the subject of the verb.
• When attached to a transitive infinitive verb whose subject is otherwise expressed or omitted, it indicates the object of the verb.
• In the third person, when attached to a prospective participle, it indicates gender and number agreement.
• When attached to a particle like jw or a parenthetic like ḫr, it indicates the subject of the clause.
• When attached to a preposition, it indicates the object of the preposition.
• When it follows a relative adjective such as ntj or ntt, it indicates the subject of the relative clause (except in the first person singular and third person common).

Inflection

Old Egyptian personal pronouns

	number	first person	second person		third person
			masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
suffix pronouns	singular	∅, .j	.k, .kj1	.ṯ, .ṯn	.f, .fj1	.s, .sj1
	dual	.nj	.ṯnj		.snj
	plural	.n	.ṯn		.sn
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns	singular	w, wj, wy	kw, k, ṯw, ṯ	ṯm, ṯn	sw, s	s
	dual	—	ṯnj		snj
	plural	n	ṯn		sn
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns	singular	jnk	ṯwt	ṯmt	swt	stt
	dual	—	—		ntsnj
	plural	—	ntṯn		ntsn, jntsn
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings	singular	.kj, .k	.tj, .t		∅, .j	.tj, .t
	dual	—	.tjwn		.wy, .wj	.ty
	plural	.wn, .nw			∅, .w, .y, .wy	.tj, .t
Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.

Middle Egyptian personal pronouns

	number	first person	second person		third person
			masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
suffix pronouns	singular	∅, .j	.k, .kj1	.ṯ, .t	.f, .fj1	.s, .sj1
	dual2	.nj	.ṯnj, .tnj		.snj
	plural	.n	.ṯn, .tn		.sn, .w3
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns	singular	wj, w	ṯw, tw	ṯn, tn	sw, st	sj, s, st
	plural	n	ṯn, tn		sn, st
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns	singular	jnk	ntk, ṯwt2	ntṯ, ntt, ṯwt2	ntf, swt2	nts, swt2
	plural	jnn3	ntṯn, nttn		ntsn
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings	singular	.kw	.tj, .t, .tw3		∅, .w	.tj, .t, .tw3
	plural	.wn, .wjn	.tjwn, .tjwnj		∅, .w, .y
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns3	singular	tw.j	tw.k	tw.t	sw	sj, st
	plural	tw.n	tw.tn		st
Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle. Only in formal texts, especially religious texts. Only in postclassical (Neo-Middle Egyptian) texts.

Late Egyptian personal pronouns

	number	first person	second person		third person
			masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
suffix pronouns	singular	∅, .j	.k, .kw	.t	.f, .fj	.s, .st, .sw
	plural	.n	.tn, .twn		.w, .sn1
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns1	singular	wj	tw, tj		sw, st
	plural	n, wn	twn		sn, st
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns	singular	jnk	mntk, mtwk	mntt, mtwy	mntf	mntst, mntjst
	plural	jnn	mnttn		mntw
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings1	singular	.kw, .k	.tj, .tw		∅, .w, .y	.tj, .tw
	plural	.nw	.tn		∅, .w, .y
	unmarked (later)	∅, .tw
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns	singular	tw.j	tw.k	tw.t	sw	st, sw
	plural	tw.n	tw.tn		st, sw, swt
Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of .n  

.n	.n
	[Late Egyptian]

In Late Egyptian, the presence of this pronoun results in the retention of final -t when the word it is attached to ends in this consonant; this is as a rule expressed by adding before the pronoun to indicate the retained -t.

Etymology 2

Most likely grammaticalized from the preposition n (“to, for”).

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ʔɛn/
  • Conventional anglicization: .en

Suffix

1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Forms the perfect of all verbs.
2. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Forms the perfect relative form of all verbs.
3. (Late Egyptian) Optionally marks the preterite of all verbs.
4. (Late Egyptian) Optionally marks the perfective active relative form of all verbs.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of .n  

.n

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, 227 page 50, 227.
• Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 52, 66
• Werning, Daniel A. (2008) “Aspect vs. Relative Tense, and the Typological Classification of the Ancient Egyptian sḏm.n⸗f” in Lingua Aegyptia 16, pages 261–292

1. Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 64