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Lesson 4: Personal Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Pronouns take the place of a noun. We briefly introduced pronouns with the Demonstrative Pronouns in a previous lesson. In this lesson, we will examine the Personal Pronouns (i.e. pronouns that describe or take the place of a person).

Coptic English Person Number
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ I 1st Singular
ⲁⲛⲟⲛ We/Us 1st Plural
̀ⲛⲑⲟⲕ You (m.) 2nd Singular
̀ⲛⲑⲟ You (f.) 2nd Singular
̀ⲛⲑⲱⲧⲉⲛ You (pl.) or Y'all 2nd Plural
̀ⲛⲑⲟϥ He 3rd Singular
̀ⲛⲑⲟⲥ She 3rd Singular
̀ⲛⲑⲱⲟⲩ Them 3rd Plural
Examples
<Definite Subject> ⲡⲉ/ⲧⲉ/ⲛⲉ <Definite Object> Translation
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲓⲣⲱⲙⲓ I am the man
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲧⲉ ϯ̀ⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ I am the woman
ⲁⲛⲟⲛ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲓⲣⲱⲙⲓ We are the men
̀ⲛⲑⲟ ⲧⲉ ϯϣⲟⲩⲣⲏ You are the censer
̀ⲛⲑⲟⲥ ⲧⲉ ϯ̀ⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ She is the woman
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲓⲕⲟⲩϫⲓ I am the "small person" or "young person"
̀ⲛⲑⲟⲥ ⲧⲉ ϯⲟⲩⲣⲱ She is the queen
̀ⲛⲑⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ̀ⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ You are God
̀ⲛⲑⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲁⲛⲟⲩϯ You are my God

Nominal Tripartite Sentences

Copula

A nominal sentence is a sentence that consists of a subject and a complement without a linking verb. In English, this would look something like: "Very interesting, those books!" The verb is implied to be "be" (i.e. "Those books 'are' very interesting."). The nominal sentences we will form in this section look very similar where in English they would use the verb "be." However, in Coptic, in place of a conjugated verb, there is a copula.

A copula is a connecting word, in particular a form of the verb "be" connecting a subject and a complement. In English, an example would be "You smell nice." Instead of "Your smell is nice" which uses the "is" conjugation of the verb "be," "smell" acts as a copula.

In Coptic, there are three copular verbs.

Masculine (am/is) Feminine (am/is) Plural (are)
ⲡⲉ ⲧⲉ ⲛⲉ

In this section, we will study a couple forms of a tripartite sentence. In a future lesson, we will look at bipartite sentences. Tripartite sentences have three components:

  • Subject
  • Copula
  • Predicate

It can take on several forms depending on whether the predicate is definite or indefinite. In all cases, if the subject and predicate agree in gender and number, the appropriate copula is used. If the subject and predicate do not agree, then the copula follows the noun that precedes it.

In a sentence, the subject is who or what the sentence is about (and more specifically, the noun or pronoun that performs the verb in the sentence); the predicate gives more information about the subject. For example, in English:

  • "The man is a teacher" - the subject is "the man" and the verb here is "is" so the (indefinite) predicate is "a teacher."
  • "The teacher is a man" - the subject is "the teacher" and the (indefinite) predicate is "a man."
  • "The teacher is the man" - the subject is "the teacher" and the (definite) predicate is "the man."
  • "This man is a teacher" - the subject is "This man", the verb is "is" and the (indefinite) predicate is "a teacher."
  • "This man is my teacher" - the subject is "This man", the verb is "is" and the (definite) predicate is "my teacher."
Definite Predicate

There are several forms of a nominal tripartite sentence. In a previous lesson, we explored the first form which can be used when both the subject and the object are definite (e.g. nouns with a definite article, nouns with a possessive article, nouns with a demonstrative article). We also stated that a pronoun can take the place of a noun, and we observed examples where the demonstrative pronouns, and later on the personal pronouns, did so.

That form was:
<Definite Subject> <Copula> <Definite Object>
<Definite Object> <Copula> <Definite Subject>

In the last lesson, we stated that the Definite Noun (whether Object or Subject) could be a noun with a definite article, a noun with a demonstrative article, a noun with a personal pronoun, or a demonstrative pronoun. We can expand this to include the personal pronouns we learned in this lesson (as well as other pronouns in the future).

Indefinite Predicate

There are two forms of nominal tripartite sentences when the object is indefinite. These forms are translated to English in the same way as the ones with a definite object.

The forms are:
<Definite Subject> <Indefinite Object> <Copula>

<Definite Subject> <Indefinite Object> ⲡⲉ/ⲧⲉ/ⲛⲉ Translation
ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲓ ⲡⲉ my father is a man
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲓ ⲡⲉ I am a man
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲟⲩ̀ⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ ⲧⲉ I am a woman
̀ⲛⲑⲟⲥ ⲟⲩⲙⲁⲩ ⲧⲉ She is a mother
̀ⲛⲑⲱⲟⲩ ϩⲁⲛϩⲓⲟⲙⲓ ⲛⲉ They are women
̀ⲛⲑⲟϥ ⲟⲩⲣⲉϥϯⲥⲃⲱ ⲡⲉ He is a teacher
ⲡⲁⲓⲣⲱⲙⲓ ⲟⲩⲥⲏⲓⲛⲓ ⲡⲉ This man is a physician
ⲡⲁⲥⲟⲛ ⲟⲩⲥⲏⲓⲛⲓ ⲡⲉ My brother is a physician
ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ ⲟⲩⲡⲣⲉⲥⲃⲩⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ ⲡⲉ My father is a presbyter (priest)

<Indefinite Object> <Copula> <Definite Subject>

<Indefinite Object> ⲡⲉ/ⲧⲉ/ⲛⲉ <Definite Subject> Translation
ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲓ ⲡⲉ  ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ my father is a man
ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲓ ⲡⲉ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ I am a man
ⲟⲩ̀ⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ ⲧⲉ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ I am a woman

Application

Application 1: 

This is an excerpt from the Reconciliation Prayer of the Liturgy of St Gregory. 

ⲛⲑⲟⲕ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲓⲣⲉϥⲥⲁϩⲛⲓ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ̀ⲫⲣⲉϥϯ ̀ⲛⲛⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲁⲑⲟⲛ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ For you are the provider and the giver of all goodness

Application 2: 

This is an excerpt from the Diptych of the Liturgy of St Gregory. 

̀ⲛⲑⲟⲕ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲡⲉ ⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲡⲓⲛⲁⲏⲧ For you are God the merciful
Biblical Examples
ⲧⲉϥϩⲉⲃⲥⲱ ⲟⲩ̀ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϧⲉⲛ ϩⲁⲛϥⲱⲓ ̀ⲛϭⲁⲙⲟⲩⲗ ⲧⲉ His clothing is from camel hairs (Matthew 3:4)
ⲓⲱⲥⲏⲫ ⲇⲉ ⲡⲉⲥϩⲁⲓ ⲛⲉ ⲟⲩ̀ⲑⲙⲏⲓ ⲡⲉ Joseph, her husband, was a righteous [person] (Matthew 1:19)
ⲟⲩ̀ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϧⲉⲛ ⲟⲩⲡⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁ ⲉϥⲟⲩⲁⲃ ⲡⲉ He is the one from a holy spirit (Matthew 1:20)
ⲟⲩ̀ⲙϩⲁⲩ ⲉϥⲟⲩⲏⲛ ⲡⲉ ⲧⲟⲩ̀ϣⲃⲱⲃⲓ an open tomb is their throat (Psalms 13:4)
ⲛⲓϩⲁⲡ ̀ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡϭⲟⲓⲥ ϩⲁⲛϩⲁⲡ ̀ⲙⲙⲏⲓ ⲛⲉ The judgments of the Lord are true judgments (Psalms 18:9)
̀ⲛⲑⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ̀ⲡⲥⲱϯ ̀ⲛⲧⲉ ⲛⲉⲛⲛⲟⲃⲓ He is the propitiation of our sins (1 John 2:2)

Exercises

Exercise 1: Translate to Coptic

Translate the following into Coptic:

  1.  
Exercise 2: Translate to English

Translate the following phrases into English:

  1.  ̀ⲛⲑⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲓⲁⲗⲟⲩ
  2. ̀ⲛⲑⲟϥ ⲟⲩⲁⲗⲟⲩ ⲡⲉ
  3. ̀ⲛⲑⲟⲥ ⲧⲉ ϯ̀ⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ
  4. ̀ⲛⲑⲟⲥ ⲟⲩ̀ⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ ⲧⲉ
  5. ̀ⲛⲑⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲓⲥⲟⲛ
  6. ̀ⲛⲑⲟⲕ ⲟⲩⲥⲟⲛ ⲡⲉ
  7. ̀ⲛⲑⲟ ⲧⲉ ϯⲥⲱⲛⲓ
  8. ̀ⲛⲑⲟ ⲟⲩⲥⲱⲛⲓ ⲧⲉ
  9. ⲁⲛⲟⲛ ϩⲁⲛ̀ⲥⲛⲏⲟⲩ ⲛⲉ
  10. ̀ⲛⲑⲱⲧⲉⲛ ϩⲁⲛϣⲏⲣⲓ ⲛⲉ
  11. ̀ⲛⲑⲱⲟⲩ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲓϩⲓⲟⲙⲓ
  12. ̀ⲛⲑⲱⲟⲩ ϩⲁⲛϩⲓⲟⲙⲓ ⲛⲉ
Exercise 3: Practice Text

Translate the following text:

ⲱ ⲧⲉⲛⲙⲁⲩ ̀ⲧ̀ⲁⲅⲓ̀ⲁ Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ ϯⲡⲁⲣⲑⲉⲛⲟⲥ ̀ⲁⲛⲟⲛ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲉϣⲏⲣⲓ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ̀ⲛⲑⲟ ⲧⲉ ⲧⲉⲛⲙⲁⲩ. ⲁⲛⲟⲛ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲓϣⲏⲣⲓ ̀ⲙⲡⲉϣⲏⲣⲓ ̀ⲙⲙⲉⲛⲣⲓⲧ. ̀ⲛⲑⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲛϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ̀ⲁⲛⲟⲛ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲉϥ̀ⲉⲃⲓⲁⲓⲕ. ̀ⲛⲑⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ̀ⲁⲛⲟⲛ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲉϥϣⲏⲣⲓ.

Resources

  • "A Study in Bohairic Coptic" by Nabil Matar; p162
  • See Moawad Daoud Lesson 2
  • See Sameh Younan page 59 in the PDF
  • ACTS 2990 Introduction to the Coptic Language (Bohairic) with Hany Takla Lesson 3A
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