Learn Coptic › How Coptic words work
2-3 My, your, his and her You say whose father or sister someone is.
By the end: Say my, your, his, her, our and their before father and sister.
Learn
In Coptic, my, your and the others are joined to the front of the word. Look at the table: the same pieces work with every family word.
For my, ⲡⲁ- goes with a masculine word and ⲧⲁ- with a feminine word. For your (to a man), his, her and the rest, the piece is ⲡⲉⲕ-, ⲡⲉϥ-, ⲡⲉⲥ- for masculine words, and ⲧⲉⲕ-, ⲧⲉϥ-, ⲧⲉⲥ- for feminine ones. To a woman, your is ⲡⲉ- and ⲧⲉ-, and to several people ⲡⲉⲧⲉⲛ- and ⲧⲉⲧⲉⲛ-; the table has all three.
Look at ⲡⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ, our father, in the table.
| father | sister | |
|---|---|---|
| my | paiotⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ | tasoniⲧⲁⲥⲱⲛⲓ |
| our | peniotⲡⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ | tensoniⲧⲉⲛⲥⲱⲛⲓ |
| your (to a man) | pekiotⲡⲉⲕⲓⲱⲧ | teksoniⲧⲉⲕⲥⲱⲛⲓ |
| your (to a woman) | peiotⲡⲉⲓⲱⲧ | tesoniⲧⲉⲥⲱⲛⲓ |
| your (to several) | peteniotⲡⲉⲧⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ | tetensoniⲧⲉⲧⲉⲛⲥⲱⲛⲓ |
| his | pefiotⲡⲉϥⲓⲱⲧ | tefsoniⲧⲉϥⲥⲱⲛⲓ |
| her | pesiotⲡⲉⲥⲓⲱⲧ | tessoniⲧⲉⲥⲥⲱⲛⲓ |
| their | powiotⲡⲟⲩⲓⲱⲧ | tousoniⲧⲟⲩⲥⲱⲛⲓ |
Words
- paiot ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ my father
- peniot ⲡⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ our father
- pekiot ⲡⲉⲕⲓⲱⲧ your father (to a man)
- peiot ⲡⲉⲓⲱⲧ your father (to a woman) Easy to mix up with ⲡⲉ, is, in front of ⲓⲱⲧ; here ⲡⲉ- is a piece of the word.
- peteniot ⲡⲉⲧⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ your father (to several people)
- pefiot ⲡⲉϥⲓⲱⲧ his father
- pesiot ⲡⲉⲥⲓⲱⲧ her father
- powiot ⲡⲟⲩⲓⲱⲧ their father
- tasoni ⲧⲁⲥⲱⲛⲓ my sister
- teksoni ⲧⲉⲕⲥⲱⲛⲓ your sister (to a man)
- tesoni ⲧⲉⲥⲱⲛⲓ your sister (to a woman) One ⲥ: ⲧⲉⲥⲱⲛⲓ is your sister; ⲧⲉⲥⲥⲱⲛⲓ, with two, is her sister.
- tetensoni ⲧⲉⲧⲉⲛⲥⲱⲛⲓ your sister (to several people)
- tefsoni ⲧⲉϥⲥⲱⲛⲓ his sister
- tessoni ⲧⲉⲥⲥⲱⲛⲓ her sister
- tousoni ⲧⲟⲩⲥⲱⲛⲓ their sister
Say it
- Fai pe paiot Ⲫⲁⲓ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ This is my father.
- Thai te tasoni Ⲑⲁⲓ ⲧⲉ ⲧⲁⲥⲱⲛⲓ This is my sister.
Practice
The books this lesson was checked against are listed, with links, on the sources page.