1-6 Today and tomorrow You say when something happens.

New letters

• Ⲑ ⲑ Thita th as in think and 1 other way: see the letters page
• Ⲇ ⲇ Delta th as in then and 1 other way: see the letters page
• Ϯ ϯ Ti ti as in tea
• Ϧ ϧ Khai kh as in loch

Learn

The small stroke above a letter is the jenkom. Over a consonant it adds a short e before the letter: ⲙ̀ is em and ⲛ̀ is en. Over a vowel it just marks a small pause before it.

ⲑ is th as in think (it is t after ⲥ or ϣ). ⲇ is th as in then, but d in a name. ϯ is ti, as in tea. ϧ is a rough kh, like the ch of loch.

ⲙ̀ⲫⲟⲟⲩ is today, ⲛ̀ⲣⲁⲥϯ is tomorrow and ⲛ̀ⲥⲁϥ is yesterday. ϧⲉⲛ means in.

ⲫⲁⲓ and ⲑⲁⲓ mean this when they stand alone: ⲫⲁⲓ for something masculine and ⲑⲁⲓ for something feminine. You will meet the forms that join to a word (ⲡⲁⲓ-, ⲧⲁⲓ-) in Unit 2.

Words

• emfoou ⲙ̀ⲫⲟⲟⲩ today
• enrasti ⲛ̀ⲣⲁⲥϯ tomorrow
• ensaf ⲛ̀ⲥⲁϥ yesterday
• khen ϧⲉⲛ in
• thai ⲑⲁⲓ this (feminine, by itself) Used alone: ⲑⲁⲓ ⲧⲉ ϯⲧⲣⲁⲡⲉⲍⲁ, "this is the table".
• fai ⲫⲁⲓ this (masculine, by itself) Used alone: ⲫⲁⲓ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲓϫⲱⲙ, "this is the book".
• etfe ⲧ̀ⲫⲉ the sky
• Deena Ⲇⲏⲛⲁ Dina (a name)
• Adam Ⲁⲇⲁⲙ Adam (a name)
• Theodoros Ⲑⲉⲟ̀ⲇⲱⲣⲟⲥ Theodore (a name)

Say it

• emfoou nem rasti ⲙ̀ⲫⲟⲟⲩ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲣⲁⲥϯ today and tomorrow