1-3 Who is it? You ask who someone's mother or father is.

New letters

• Ⲡ ⲡ Pi p as in park
• Ⲩ ⲩ Epsilon i as in ski and 1 other way: see the letters page
• Ⲗ ⲗ Lavla l as in lamp
• Ⲟⲩ ⲟⲩ O-ou ou, ow as in soup ow before another vowel inside a word; o-w at the start of a word (ⲟⲩⲁⲓ o-wai)

Learn

ⲟ and ⲩ side by side make one sound, ⲟⲩ, like the oo of soup. Before another vowel inside a word it is ow (ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ, ethowab). At the start of a word it is a short o, with a slight w in ⲟⲩⲁⲓ (one), read o-wai, and in ⲟⲩⲟϩ (and), read o-woh.

On its own ⲩ sounds like the i of ski; after ⲁ, ⲉ or ⲏ it sounds like v. So ⲙⲁⲩ (mother) is read mav.

ⲡⲉ and ⲧⲉ are the little words that join two things, like is in English: use ⲡⲉ when the thing you are talking about is masculine and ⲧⲉ when it is feminine (ⲛⲉ for several things). ⲛⲓⲙ is who.

ⲡⲉⲕ- means your and is written joined to the front of a word: ⲡⲉⲕⲓⲱⲧ is your father. You will meet it again in Unit 2.

Words

• pe ⲡⲉ is (for something masculine)
• te ⲧⲉ is (for something feminine)
• ne ⲛⲉ are (after a plural)
• nim ⲛⲓⲙ who
• mav ⲙⲁⲩ mother
• o-wai ⲟⲩⲁⲓ one
• las ⲗⲁⲥ tongue
• keli ⲕⲉⲗⲓ knee
• soma ⲥⲱⲙⲁ body
• pekiot ⲡⲉⲕⲓⲱⲧ your father (to a man) To a woman it is ⲡⲉⲓⲱⲧ, to several people ⲡⲉⲧⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ (lesson 2-3).
• tekmav ⲧⲉⲕⲙⲁⲩ your mother (to a man)
• pekson ⲡⲉⲕⲥⲟⲛ your brother (to a man)
• teksoni ⲧⲉⲕⲥⲱⲛⲓ your sister (to a man)

Say it

• Nim pe pekiot Ⲛⲓⲙ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲓⲱⲧ Who is your father? (to a man)
• Nim te tekmav Ⲛⲓⲙ ⲧⲉ ⲧⲉⲕⲙⲁⲩ Who is your mother? (to a man)
• Nim pe pekson Ⲛⲓⲙ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲥⲟⲛ Who is your brother? (to a man)
• Nim te teksoni Ⲛⲓⲙ ⲧⲉ ⲧⲉⲕⲥⲱⲛⲓ Who is your sister? (to a man)