2-8 Good morning, yes, no and where You meet someone at church or at their door.

Learn

These are the words of the first minutes of a visit: good morning, good day and good evening, how are you, yes and no, here and outside, where and why. The greetings are the ones in a Clerical College conversation book of 1948 (ʿAbd as-Sayyid, Reading and Modern Conversations), in Saji Neman (Speak with us), the course that generations of Copts learned from, and in the Southern US diocese's language course; most of the other words are also in the Gospel readings. Learn each phrase whole, then look for the pieces you already know.

You greet by the time of day, then say who you greet. Ⲛⲁⲛⲉ ⲁ̀ⲧⲟⲟⲩⲓ̀ is good morning, Ⲛⲟϥⲣⲓ ⲉ̀ϩⲟⲟⲩ is good day and Ⲛⲁⲛⲉ ⲣⲟⲩϩⲓ is good evening. After it come ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ (my father), ⲧⲁⲙⲁⲩ (my mother), ⲡⲁⲥⲟⲛ (my brother), ⲧⲁⲥⲱⲛⲓ (my sister) or ⲡⲁϣ̀ⲫⲏⲣ (my friend, below): ⲡⲁ- and ⲧⲁ- (my) from lesson 2-3 in front of the family words you know. To greet someone when you meet, use peace to you from lesson 2-7: in Saji Neman visitors say Ⲧ̀ϩⲓⲣⲏⲛⲏ ⲛⲁⲕ to their host, who answers Ⲧ̀ϩⲓⲣⲏⲛⲏ ⲛⲱⲧⲉⲛ. Ⲭⲉⲣⲉ ⲛⲁⲕ, "hail to you", is not for that: it is the church's greeting to the saints and the Virgin (Ⲭⲉⲣⲉ ⲛⲁⲕ ⲱ̀ ⲡⲓⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ, hail to you, O martyr; to a woman Ⲭⲉⲣⲉ ⲛⲉ), so this lesson does not teach it as a hello.

Yes is Ⲥⲉ or Ⲁ̀ϩⲁ, and no is Ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲛ; the Gospel puts the last two side by side: let your yes be yes (ⲁ̀ϩⲁ ⲁ̀ϩⲁ) and your no be no (ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲛ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲛ), Matthew 5:37; Ⲥⲉ is the yes of Matthew 9:28 and John 21:15. A short sentence is made negative by putting ⲁⲛ after the verb and the short words that go with it, which in a short sentence is the end: ϥ̀ⲭⲏ ⲙ̀ⲛⲁⲓ, he is here; ϥ̀ⲭⲏ ⲙ̀ⲛⲁⲓ ⲁⲛ, he is not here; ϯⲥⲱⲟⲩⲛ ⲁⲛ, I do not know. In ϥ̀ⲭⲏ, ϥ̀ is he in front of a verb (ⲥ̀ is she), and ⲭⲏ means is there. Ⲙⲏ at the start of a sentence makes it a question: Ⲙⲏ Ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ ϥ̀ⲭⲏ ⲙ̀ⲛⲁⲓ, is Mark here? Saji Neman and the 1948 book use it for every yes-or-no question.

Words

• Se Ⲥⲉ yes The plain yes: Ⲥⲉ Ⲡⲁϭⲟⲓⲥ, yes, Lord (John 21:15).
• Aha Ⲁ̀ϩⲁ yes, indeed (also the answer to a call: coming!) Ⲁ̀ϩⲁ Ⲫⲓⲱⲧ, yes, Father (Matthew 11:26).
• Emmon Ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲛ no Ⲁ̀ϩⲁ ⲁ̀ϩⲁ, ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲛ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲛ: yes yes, no no (Matthew 5:37).
• emnai ⲙ̀ⲛⲁⲓ here
• savol ⲥⲁⲃⲟⲗ outside
• tinou ϯⲛⲟⲩ now
• nanef ⲛⲁⲛⲉϥ he is well, it is good (masculine) Of a woman or a feminine thing: ⲛⲁⲛⲉⲥ, nanes (Saji Neman 1 p. 21, p. 25; Matthew 17:4). The answer to how is your father: Ⲛⲁⲛⲉϥ, he is well (Saji Neman 1 p. 50, p. 56).
• nanes ⲛⲁⲛⲉⲥ she is well, it is good (feminine) The feminine of ⲛⲁⲛⲉϥ.
• Afthon Ⲁϥⲑⲱⲛ where is he? where is …? (of a man or a masculine thing) Of a woman: Ⲁⲥⲑⲱⲛ, aston (Saji Neman 1 p. 56, Saji Neman 2 p. 17; 1 Corinthians 15:55). Of several: Ⲁⲩⲑⲱⲛ, avthon (Saji Neman 2 p. 15, p. 18; John 8:10).
• aston Ⲁⲥⲑⲱⲛ where is she? (of a woman or a feminine thing) The feminine of Ⲁϥⲑⲱⲛ; said aston, with a t after the ⲥ.
• ethve ou ⲉⲑⲃⲉ ⲟⲩ why? Literally for what. The Bible often writes it as one word, ⲉⲑⲃⲉⲟⲩ.
• je ϫⲉ because; that The answer to ⲉⲑⲃⲉ ⲟⲩ starts with ϫⲉ. Ϯϣⲉⲡϩ̀ⲙⲟⲧ ⲛ̀ⲧⲟⲧⲕ ϫⲉ ⲁⲕⲥⲱⲧⲉⲙ ⲉ̀ⲣⲟⲓ, I thank you because you heard me (John 11:41).
• paeshfeer ⲡⲁϣ̀ⲫⲏⲣ my friend (masculine) Ϫⲉ ⲛ̀ⲑⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲁϣ̀ⲫⲏⲣ, because he is my friend (Saji Neman 1 p. 27).
• taeshferi ⲧⲁϣ̀ⲫⲉⲣⲓ my friend (feminine) Sung in the St. Mary Doxology from the Song of Songs: ϫⲉ ⲧⲁⲥⲱⲛⲓ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲧⲁϣ̀ⲫⲉⲣⲓ, my sister and my friend. The masculine is ⲡⲁϣ̀ⲫⲏⲣ; the vowel changes, ϣ̀ⲫⲏⲣ and ϣ̀ⲫⲉⲣⲓ.

Say it

• Nane a-to-ou-i paiot Ⲛⲁⲛⲉ ⲁ̀ⲧⲟⲟⲩⲓ̀ ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ Good morning, father.
• Nane a-to-ou-i tamav Ⲛⲁⲛⲉ ⲁ̀ⲧⲟⲟⲩⲓ̀ ⲧⲁⲙⲁⲩ Good morning, mother.
• Nofri ehoou tamav Ⲛⲟϥⲣⲓ ⲉ̀ϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲧⲁⲙⲁⲩ Good day, mother.
• Nofri ehoou paiot Ⲛⲟϥⲣⲓ ⲉ̀ϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ Good day, father.
• Nane rouhi pason Ⲛⲁⲛⲉ ⲣⲟⲩϩⲓ ⲡⲁⲥⲟⲛ Good evening, brother.
• Nane rouhi tasoni Ⲛⲁⲛⲉ ⲣⲟⲩϩⲓ ⲧⲁⲥⲱⲛⲓ Good evening, sister.
• Ash pe pekreeti paeshfeer Ⲁϣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲣⲏϯ ⲡⲁϣ̀ⲫⲏⲣ How are you, my friend? (to a man)
• Ash pe pereeti taeshferi Ⲁϣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲣⲏϯ ⲧⲁϣ̀ⲫⲉⲣⲓ How are you, my friend? (to a woman)
• Efkee emnai an Ϥ̀ⲭⲏ ⲙ̀ⲛⲁⲓ ⲁⲛ He is not here.
• Eskee emnai an Ⲥ̀ⲭⲏ ⲙ̀ⲛⲁⲓ ⲁⲛ She is not here.
• Tisooun an Ϯⲥⲱⲟⲩⲛ ⲁⲛ I don't know.