ntf

Egyptian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

(reconstructed) IPA^(key): /(ja)nˈtaf/ → /(ʔa)nˈtaf/ → /(ʔa)nˈtaf/

(modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /nɛtɛf/, /ɛntɛf/
- Conventional anglicization: netef, entef

Pronoun

m sg 3. stressed (‘independent’) pronoun

he, him (see usage notes)

Usage notes

Unlike the suffix pronouns and dependent pronouns, the independent pronouns are not tied to any other element of the sentence. Nevertheless, the meaning of an independent pronoun depends on context:

After an infinitive, it is the subject of the verb.
Before a noun, its meaning can be ambiguous:
- In the first and second person, it could be the subject of a noun phrase.
- Alternatively, in all persons, it can be the predicate of a noun phrase.
- If the noun is a participle, then in all persons it could be either the subject or the predicate of a noun phrase.
- If the demonstrative pronoun pw is placed between the pronoun and the noun, the pronoun is definitely the predicate.
Before an adjective, in the first person only, it is the subject of an adjectival phrase.

When the independent pronoun is the subject it may, but does not always, indicate an emphasised subject.

Inflection

Old Egyptian personal pronouns
	number	first person	second person		third person
	number	first person	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
suffix pronouns	singular	∅, .j	.k, .kj¹	.ṯ, .ṯn	.f, .fj¹	.s, .sj¹
	dual	.nj	.ṯnj		.snj
	plural	.n	.ṯn		.sn

enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns	singular	w, wj, wy	kw, k, ṯw, ṯ	ṯm, ṯn	sw, s	s
	dual	—	ṯnj		snj
	plural	n	ṯn		sn

stressed (‘independent’) pronouns	singular	jnk	ṯwt	ṯmt	swt	stt
	dual	—	—		ntsnj
	plural	—	ntṯn		ntsn, jntsn

stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings	singular	.kj, .k	.tj, .t		∅, .j	.tj, .t
	dual	—	.tjwn		.wy, .wj	.ty
	plural	.wn, .nw	.tjwn		∅, .w, .y, .wy	.tj, .t

¹ Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.

Middle Egyptian personal pronouns
	number	first person	second person		third person
	number	first person	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
suffix pronouns	singular	∅, .j	.k, .kj¹	.ṯ, .t	.f, .fj¹	.s, .sj¹
	dual²	.nj	.ṯnj, .tnj		.snj
	plural	.n	.ṯn, .tn		.sn, .w³

enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns	singular	wj, w	ṯw, tw	ṯn, tn	sw, st	sj, s, st
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns	plural	n	ṯn, tn		sn, st

stressed (‘independent’) pronouns	singular	jnk	ntk, ṯwt²	ntṯ, ntt, ṯwt²	ntf, swt²	nts, swt²
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns	plural	jnn³	ntṯn, nttn		ntsn

stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings	singular	.kw	.tj, .t, .tw³		∅, .w	.tj, .t, .tw³
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings	plural	.wn, .wjn	.tjwn, .tjwnj		∅, .w, .y

proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns³	singular	tw.j	tw.k	tw.t	sw	sj, st
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns³	plural	tw.n	tw.tn		st

¹ Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
² Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.
³ Only in postclassical (Neo-Middle Egyptian) texts.

Late Egyptian personal pronouns
	number	first person	second person		third person
	number	first person	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine

suffix pronouns	singular	∅, .j	.k, .kw	.t	.f, .fj	.s, .st, .sw
suffix pronouns	plural	.n	.tn, .twn		.w, .sn¹

enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns¹	singular	wj	tw, tj		sw, st
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns¹	plural	n, wn	twn		sn, st

stressed (‘independent’) pronouns	singular	jnk	mntk, mtwk	mntt, mtwy	mntf	mntst, mntjst
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns	plural	jnn	mnttn		mntw

stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings¹	singular	.kw, .k	.tj, .tw		∅, .w, .y	.tj, .tw
	plural	.nw	.tn		∅, .w, .y
	unmarked²	∅, .tw

proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns	singular	tw.j	tw.k	tw.t	sw	st, sw
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns	plural	tw.n	tw.tn		st, sw, swt

¹ Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.
² Later form.

Derived terms

mtw

Descendants

Akhmimic Coptic: ⲛⲧⲁϥ (ntaf)
Bohairic Coptic: ⲛⲑⲟϥ (nthof)
Fayyumic Coptic: ⲛⲧⲁϥ (ntaf)
Sahidic Coptic: ⲛ̄ⲧⲟϥ (n̄tof)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

(modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /nɛtɛf/
- Conventional anglicization: netef

Verb

3-lit.

(transitive) to besprinkle, to water (a plot of land)

Inflection

Conjugation of ntf (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: ntf, geminated stem: ntff

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive¹	singular	plural
ntf	ntfw, ntf	ntft	ntf	ntf

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective²		periphrastic prospective²
ntf	ḥr ntf	m ntf	r ntf

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
aspect / mood	active	passive	aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	ntf.n	ntfw, ntf	consecutive	ntf.jn	active + .tj¹, .tw²
perfect	ntf.n	active + .tj¹, .tw²
terminative	ntft
perfective³	ntf	active + .tj¹, .tw²	obligative¹	ntf.ḫr	active + .tj¹, .tw²
imperfective	ntf	active + .tj¹, .tw²	obligative¹	ntf.ḫr	active + .tj¹, .tw²
prospective³	ntf	ntff	potentialis¹	ntf.kꜣ	active + .tj¹, .tw²
prospective³	ntf	active + .tj¹, .tw²
subjunctive	ntf	active + .tj¹, .tw²

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
aspect / mood	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	ntf.n	active + .tj¹, .tw²	—	—
perfective	ntf	active + .tj¹, .tw²	ntf	ntf, ntfw⁵, ntfy⁵
imperfective	ntf, ntfy, ntfw⁵	active + .tj¹, .tw²	ntf, ntfj⁶, ntfy⁶	ntf, ntfw⁵
prospective	ntf, ntftj⁷	—	ntftj⁴, ntft⁴

¹ Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian.
² Used mostly since Middle Egyptian.
³ Archaic or greatly restricted in usage by Middle Egyptian. The perfect has mostly taken over the functions of the perfective, and the subjunctive and periphrastic prospective have mostly replaced the prospective.
⁴ Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn. ⁵ Only in the masculine singular.
⁶ Only in the masculine.
⁷ Only in the feminine.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ntf

ntf

[since the Old Kingdom]

References

James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 52.
Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1928) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎^[1], volume 2, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 356.6–356.8
Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 142

^ Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 65

[1] Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 65

[1]