I, Me We, Us
1
The Three Persons of the Personal Pronouns in Coptic are
represented by the Coptic letters;
I, Me We, Us
Coptic Coptic
i + n
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
Coptic Coptic
Coptic Coptic
2
The blue print for grammatical conjugation of verbs and formation
of the tenses are based on additions to the basic Coptic letters
representing the three persons in the parts of speech; I, me, you, he,
she it, they, or them (i, +, n, k, t, tetN, f, s, ou, se).
3
Coptic Personal Pronouns of the Three Persons
4
Examples of Coptic conjugation using nau = to see, look at
as an example
1st Present
+ nau tN nau
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
f nau se nau
s nau sou nau
I am seeing, I see
These are pronoun prefixes. The First Present usually describes
action, activity, or process in progress at the time of speaking. In
this case it is equivalent to the English progressive present (I
amverb). The exception is those English verbs that do not use
this form, such as; think, know, see, hear, understand, wish, hope,
believe. These words use the simple present as;
+.nau
nau = I see, +.eime
eime = I understand
5
Relative of the Present I
1st person singular 1st person plural
e+ nau etN nau
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
The relative form of the First Present uses the relative pronoun
et, ete (who/which).
tpolis etououwx
etou NxhtS = the city in which they are
settling
Naje e+sxai
e+ Mmoou = the words which I am writing
phre etFnakaaf
etF Nswf = the child whom he will leave
behind
nentolh etFnataau
etF nan = the commandments which
he will give to us
prwme etKine
etK Nswf = the man whom you are seeking
6
The relative pronoun et, ete (who/which) can stand alone
when it is the subject of a relative clause as follows;
7
Second Present = Circumstantial
1st person singular 1st person plural
ei nau eN nau
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
ef nau eu nau
es nau
It is that I am seeing
eiaxerat
ei xaxtM perpe, ainau eunoqx M mhhe
standing near the temple, I saw a great crowd
8
Perfect Tense I
1st person singular 1st person plural
ai nau an nau
af nau au nau
a nau are nau
as nau ars nau
are nau a nau
I saw
1
Lambdin, T.O, Introduction to Sahidic Coptic, Mercer University Press, 1998 Macon Ga 31207
9
Used with e,
afbwk
af e pekro = he went to the shore
aupwt
au e tekklhsia = they ran to the church
auale
au e pjoi = they got on (into) the ship
Negative Perfect
Mpi MpN
Mpek MpetN
Mpe (r)
Mpef Mpou
Mpes
Use;
af.ouom.f Mpef.ouom.f
Mpef
he ate it he did not eat it
10
Perfect Tense II
11
Imperfect
phi eneu
neukwt
neu Mmof
the house which they were building
12
Pluperfect Tattam 84
ne ai nau.pe
nau ne an nau.pe
nau
ne ak nau.pe
nau
ne aretN nau.pe
nau
ne are nau
nau.pe
ne atetN nau.pe
nau
ne ar nau.pe
nau
3rd person singular 3rd person plural
ne af nau.pe
nau ne au nau.pe
nau
ne a nau.pe
nau ne are nau
nau.pe
ne as nau.pe
nau ne a nau.pe
nau
ne are
I had seen
Formed by adding the auxiliary verb nepe, to the prefix of
the Perfect definite. Translates I had...seen (Tattam 63)
13
Future Imperfect (Tattam 64)
Future Imperfect
This is formed by the prefixes of the imperfect tense and the signs
of the future definite.
14
Future Tense Indefinite
senamoux
sena N rae Nqi nen2uyh
you will fill with joy visa vi our souls
(our souls will fill with joy)
+naxwp
+na xM pjaeie
I will hide in the desert
Ntetna
tetnaeime
tetna an e nefparabolh
You (pl) will know not his parables
15
Future Tense Indefinite
16
Future Tense
Nna Nnen
Nnek NnetN
Nne
Nnef
Nnes
Use;
efeouomf Nnefouom
Nnef
he will eat it he will not eat it
17
Second Future Indefinite (Tattam 77)
18
Subjunctive (Tattam 78)
1st person singular 1st person plural
Nteri nau Nteren nau
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
Nterek nau Ntereten nau
Ntere nau
3rd person singular 3rd person plural
Nteriep.pxat,
Nteriep.pxat, aitaaf
aitaaf nau
When I counted the silver I gave it to them
Nterefjwk
Nteref ebol N neiaje,
When he finished these words
aftwm N nefbal afmou
he closed his eyes and died
Nteres.tM.xe
Nteres e teseere Mmau, asrime
When she did not find her daughter there she wept
Nteri.tM.qine
Nteri Mmof
When I did not find him
19
Opative (Injunctive)
In standard Sahidic this tense only occurs in the 1st and 3rd person.
This tense is a tripartite and is only used with the infinitive.
The negative is expressed with the prefix MpR. As;
MpR.tref.bwk
MpR = dont let him go
MpR.treu.mooutf
MpR = dont let them kill him
20
Habitual
Negative Habitual
mei men
mek metetN
mere
mef meu
mes
Use;
afbwk mefbwk
mef
he is accustomed to go he does not go
21
Inflected Infinitive (Causative)
22
Conditional
efan
efanqNt
an fnamouout mmoi
if he finds me he will kill me
ekankaat
ekan e bwk +naktoi e iht
if you let me go I will return to Shaet (Scetis)
23
Conjunctive
+nabwk Ntaaje
Nta nMmaf
I shall go and speak with him
xmoos NfswtM e tasbw
sit down and listen to my teaching
ani.Njwwmw NtetNaau
NtetN naf
bring the books and give them to me
24
Not Yet
25
Until
antesjpo
antes mpehre
until she bore a son (Matt 1:25)
antjoos
ant nak
until I shall tell you (Matt 2:13)
ante xhrwdhs mou
until Herod dies (Matt 2:15)
antounau
ant etmNtRro mpnoute
until they see the kingdom of God (Lk 9:27)
26
pjin.nau
nau = seeing
pajin.nau
nau = my seeing
nau
pekjin.nau = thy (you) seeing
pefin.nau
nau = his seeing
pjin.ta.nau
nau = seeing
pjin.tek.nau
nau = thy (you) seeing
pjin.tef.nau = his seeing
pjin.ten.nau
nau = our seeing
nau
pjin.teten.nau = your seeing
pjin.tou.nau
nau = their seeing
27
tre, to do, to make (to cause a thing to be)
Imperfect Tense form
1st person singular 1st person plural
nei.tre nau nen.tre nau
28
tre, to do, to make (to cause a thing to be)
Future Tense Indefinite form
1st person singular 1st person plural
+na.tre nau tNna.tre nau
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
kna.tre nau tetna.tre nau
tena.tre nau
tera.tre nau
29
Until I shall fulfill, Future
1st person singular 1st person plural
a+.jwk.ebol aten.jwk.ebol
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
atek.jwk.ebol ateten.jwk.ebol
I said
1st person singular 1st person plural
peja.i peja.n
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
peja.k pejh.tN
3rd person singular 3rd person plural
peja.f peja.u
peja.s
Use;
peje p.rwme = the man said
30
I have
1st person singular 1st person plural
ouNta.i ouNta.n
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
ounta.k ouNta.tN
3rd person singular 3rd person plural
ouNta.f ouNta.u
ouNta.s
Use;
ouNte p.rwme = the man has
I dont have
1st person singular 1st person plural
mNta.i mNta.n
2nd person singular 2nd person plural
mNta.k mNta.tN
3rd person singular 3rd person plural
mNta.f mNta.u
mNta.s
Use;
mNte p.rwme = the man does not (doesnt) have
31