2-6 Counting to ten You count people and things.

New letters

• Ⲋ ⲋ Soou so-ou only ever the number six, read as the number

Learn

Coptic uses its letters as numerals, with a line drawn over them: ⲁ̅ is 1, ⲃ̅ is 2, ⲅ̅ is 3 and so on. ⲋ̅ is 6; it is a numeral only and is never part of an ordinary word.

To count things, say the number, then ⲛ̀, then the thing in its ordinary singular form: ϣⲟⲙⲧ ⲛ̀ϫⲱⲙ, three books, is literally "three of book". ⲛ̀ becomes ⲙ̀ before the lip letters ⲃ ⲯ ⲫ ⲡ ⲙ. The Bohairic New Testament does this for every number from 3 up, for example ⲍ̅ ⲛ̀ⲥⲟⲛ, seven brothers (Mark 12:20).

Two is the exception: it comes after the noun, as ⲥ̀ⲛⲁⲩ after a masculine noun and ⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ after a feminine one. ⲡⲓⲣⲱⲙⲓ ⲥ̀ⲛⲁⲩ is the two men (Luke 9:32, where the Bible writes ⲃ̅), and ϫⲓϫ ⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ is two hands (Matthew 18:8).

Some numbers have a masculine and a feminine form, and the form follows the gender of the thing you count. In the New Testament and in the hymns four of them change, the final ⲧ becoming ϯ: two is ⲥ̀ⲛⲁⲩ or ⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ, three is ϣⲟⲙⲧ or ϣⲟⲙϯ, nine is ⲯⲓⲧ or ⲯⲓϯ and ten is ⲙⲏⲧ or ⲙⲏϯ. Feminine one is ⲟⲩⲓ. The grammars also give ϣⲁϣϥⲓ for seven and ϣ̀ⲙⲏⲛⲓ for eight; the Bible and the Hymn of the Virtues write the plain ϣⲁϣϥ and ϣ̀ⲙⲏⲛ, so you will see both. For four, five and six the main Bohairic grammars give no feminine at all; some school tables have ϥ̀ⲧⲟ, ϯⲉ̀ and ⲥⲟ, which look Sahidic, so this lesson leaves them out. So ϣⲟⲙⲧ ⲛ̀ϣⲏⲣⲓ is three sons, but ϣⲟⲙϯ ⲛ̀ϣⲉⲣⲓ is three daughters (ϣⲉⲣⲓ, daughter, is feminine, like ϫⲓϫ, hand).

You hear the feminine numbers in the Hymn of the Virtues (Ϯⲙⲏⲧⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ), which counts the twelve virtues of the Holy Spirit: Ϯϩⲟⲩⲓϯ ⲧⲉ ϯⲁ̀ⲅⲁⲡⲏ, the first is love; Ϯⲙⲁϩⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲧⲉ ϯϩⲉⲗⲡⲓⲥ, the second is hope; Ϯⲙⲁϩϣⲟⲙϯ ⲧⲉ ϯⲡⲓⲥⲧⲓⲥ, the third is faith. First, second, third and so on are made with ⲙⲁϩ in front of the number, with ϯ in front for the feminine: ϯⲙⲁϩⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ, the second (feminine); ⲡⲓⲙⲁϩⲥ̀ⲛⲁⲩ, the second (masculine). First is its own word, ϯϩⲟⲩⲓϯ (feminine) or ⲡⲓϩⲟⲩⲓⲧ (masculine). The hymn keeps the ordinary form of four to eight (ϯⲙⲁϩϥ̀ⲧⲟⲟⲩ, the fourth) and changes only two, three, nine and ten (ϯⲙⲁϩⲙⲏϯ, the tenth); the Bible counts the twelve foundations of Revelation 21:19 to 20 the same way.

Words

• o-wai ⲟⲩⲁⲓ one
• esnav ⲥ̀ⲛⲁⲩ two
• shomt ϣⲟⲙⲧ three
• eftou ϥ̀ⲧⲟⲩ four Takla writes four ϥ̀ⲧⲱⲟⲩ by itself and ϥ̀ⲧⲟⲩ before a noun, as Mallon does (§176: ϥ̀ⲧⲱⲟⲩ, ϥ̀ⲧⲟⲩ-); Saji Neman, Younan, Rahib 1888 and Labib 1923 write ϥ̀ⲧⲟⲩ.
• etiou ⲧ̀ⲓⲟⲩ five Also written ϯⲟⲩ (Takla, Saji Neman p. 88); ϯⲟⲩ is the older spelling in Mallon, Tattam, Stern and Woide, ⲧ̀ⲓⲟⲩ the one in Rahib 1888 and Labib 1923.
• soou ⲥⲟⲟⲩ six
• shashf ϣⲁϣϥ seven
• eshmeen ϣ̀ⲙⲏⲛ eight
• psit ⲯⲓⲧ nine
• meet ⲙⲏⲧ ten
• esnoti ⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ two (with a feminine noun) ϫⲓϫ ⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ, two hands (Matthew 18:8). The masculine is ⲥ̀ⲛⲁⲩ.
• shomti ϣⲟⲙϯ three (with a feminine noun) ϣⲟⲙϯ ⲛ̀ϣⲉⲣⲓ, three daughters (Younan p. 54). The masculine is ϣⲟⲙⲧ.
• psiti ⲯⲓϯ nine (with a feminine noun) The masculine is ⲯⲓⲧ.
• meeti ⲙⲏϯ ten (with a feminine noun) The masculine is ⲙⲏⲧ.
• o-i ⲟⲩⲓ one (with a feminine noun) The masculine is ⲟⲩⲁⲓ. Younan writes it oui; no book confirms the sound, which is the course rule for ⲟⲩ before a vowel.
• shashfi ϣⲁϣϥⲓ seven (with a feminine noun, in the grammars) The Bible and the Hymn of the Virtues write the plain ϣⲁϣϥ even with a feminine noun.
• eshmeeni ϣ̀ⲙⲏⲛⲓ eight (with a feminine noun, in the grammars) The Bible and the Hymn of the Virtues write the plain ϣ̀ⲙⲏⲛ even with a feminine noun.
• pimahesnav ⲡⲓⲙⲁϩⲥ̀ⲛⲁⲩ the second (masculine) The masculine ones are ⲡⲓⲙⲁϩ and the number: ⲡⲓⲙⲁϩϣⲟⲙⲧ, the third (Deacons L2 p32).
• timahesnoti ϯⲙⲁϩⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ the second (feminine) In the Hymn of the Virtues: Ϯⲙⲁϩⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲧⲉ ϯϩⲉⲗⲡⲓⲥ, the second is hope.
• tihouiti ϯϩⲟⲩⲓϯ the first (feminine) In the Hymn of the Virtues: Ϯϩⲟⲩⲓϯ ⲧⲉ ϯⲁ̀ⲅⲁⲡⲏ, the first is love. The masculine is ⲡⲓϩⲟⲩⲓⲧ (Deacons L2 p32). Also ϣⲟⲣⲡⲓ (masculine ϣⲟⲣⲡ), which always comes before the noun (Mallon §184).

Say it

• shomt engom ϣⲟⲙⲧ ⲛ̀ϫⲱⲙ three books
• psit enromi ⲯⲓⲧ ⲛ̀ⲣⲱⲙⲓ nine men
• psiti eneshimi ⲯⲓϯ ⲛ̀ⲥ̀ϩⲓⲙⲓ nine women
• meet enalou ⲙⲏⲧ ⲛ̀ⲁ̀ⲗⲟⲩ ten boys
• piromi esnav ⲡⲓⲣⲱⲙⲓ ⲥ̀ⲛⲁⲩ the two men
• Tieshimi esnoti ϯⲥ̀ϩⲓⲙⲓ ⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ the two women
• jig esnoti ϫⲓϫ ⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ two hands
• shomti ensheri ϣⲟⲙϯ ⲛ̀ϣⲉⲣⲓ three daughters
• Tihouiti te tiaghapee Ϯϩⲟⲩⲓϯ ⲧⲉ ϯⲁ̀ⲅⲁⲡⲏ The first is love.
• Timahesnoti te tihelpis Ϯⲙⲁϩⲥ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲧⲉ ϯϩⲉⲗⲡⲓⲥ The second is hope.
• Timahshomti te tipistis Ϯⲙⲁϩϣⲟⲙϯ ⲧⲉ ϯⲡⲓⲥⲧⲓⲥ The third is faith.
• Timahmeeti te tihipomonee Ϯⲙⲁϩⲙⲏϯ ⲧⲉ ϯϩⲩⲡⲟⲙⲟⲛⲏ The tenth is patience.