1-1 Meet Mina and Mary Two people are introduced.

New letters

• Ⲁ ⲁ Alpha a as in father
• Ⲉ ⲉ Ei e as in pen
• Ⲏ ⲏ Ita ee as in see
• Ⲓ ⲓ Yota i as in ski and 1 other way: see the letters page
• Ⲙ ⲙ Mi m as in moon
• Ⲛ ⲛ Ni n as in net
• Ⲣ ⲣ Ro r as in rain

Learn

Coptic is written left to right, like English. Each letter has one main sound, and you can read a Coptic word by sounding the letters one after another.

ⲏ sounds like the ee in see. ⲓ sounds almost the same, a little shorter: it is the i of ski. The other five sound as you would expect: a, e, m, n, r. A capital is only a bigger shape of the same letter: Ⲁ ⲁ.

ⲛⲉⲙ means and, or with. Put it between two names to say Mina and Mary.

Words

• ran ⲣⲁⲛ name
• nem ⲛⲉⲙ and, with
• nai ⲛⲁⲓ these
• neei ⲛⲏⲓ to me
• Meena Ⲙⲏⲛⲁ Mina (a name)
• Maria Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ Mary (a name)

Say it

• Meena nem Maria Ⲙⲏⲛⲁ ⲛⲉⲙ Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ Mina and Mary