4.1 Relative Clause: Coptic uses three forms of the relative pronoun. They are used with nouns of either gender or number as well as verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The forms are as follows:
e- et- ete-
The most common form is et-. They all are translated in English as, 'who', 'whom', or 'which'. They are usually used with sentences containing adverbial predicates, examples:
pi.rwmi et.qen p./i | The man who is in the house |
pen.iwt et.qen ni.v/oui | Our father who is in the heavens |
4.1.1 The relative pronoun et- functions as the subject of the relative clause:
Affirmative | |
].chimi et.hi v.mwit | The woman who is on the road |
ni.qelloi et.qen ].ekkl/cia | the monks who are in the church |
Negative
ni.qelloi et.qen ].ekkl/cia an | the monks who are not in the church |
4.1.2 The relative clause cannot be used to modify an indefinite noun.
4.2 Relative Nouns: Nouns can be formed out of adjectives by prefixing the definite article to the relative pronoun and attaching the new prefix to an adjective, as follows:
Singular Masculine |
Plural |
pet- pete- |
net- nete- |
Examples:
pey.ouab | The holy one, the one who is holy |
pet.hwou | The evil one, the one who is evil |
4.3 Demonstrative Adjectives - Far Objects: The demonstrative for the far objects trails the noun it modifies. It is formed from a combination of the relative pronoun 'ete-' and the adverb 'mmau'. In English it is translated as 'that' for singular and 'those' for plural. However Coptic has one form for either gender or number, as follows:
pi.rwmi etemmau | that man |
].chimi etemmau | that woman |
ni.cn/ou etemmau | those brothers |
4.4 Greek Nouns: A typical Coptic text contains a large number of Greek loan-words, mostly nouns. Greek masculine and feminine nouns retained their gender when they were used in Coptic. Neuter nouns were treated as masculine nouns. All Greek nouns came into Coptic in the nominative singular case and such form is kept the same in all other cases in Coptic, examples:
pi.aggeloc | m. | The angel |
].epictol/ | f. | The letter |
pi.pneuma | n.. | The spirit |
mmau | adv. | there | seri | f. | daughter, girl |
nahren | prep | in the presence of | s/ri | m. | son, child, boy |
nou] | m. | god | hiren | prep. | at the entrance of |
vnou] | m. | God | hwou | adj. | evil |
ro | m. | door, gate, mouth | [oic | m. | master, owner |
rwou | pl. | doors, gates | p[oic | m. | the Lord |
,aki | m. | darkness | [iceu | pl. | masters, owners |
,ro | m. | shore, bank | ]mi | m. | village |
Greek Nouns
aggeloc | m. | angel, messenger | may/t/c | m. | disciple, pupil |
ekkl/cia | f. | church | polic | f. | city |
epictol/ | f. | letter, epistle | tavoc | m. | tomb |
yalacca | f. | sea |
A | 1. | hiren ].ekkl/cia | 5. | ou.ekkl/cia nte pi.]mi |
2. | qen v.ran m.p.[oic | 6. | ni.jwm m.pi.may/t/c | |
3. | nahren p.ouro | 7. | p.[oic m.pi.joi | |
4. | pi.,ro m.pi.iaro | 8. | qen ou.,aki | |
B | 1. | pi.wni et.qen ]emrw | 4. | ni.rwmi n.].polic etemmau |
2. | ni.aggeloc et.qen t.ve | 5. | ni.ekkl/cia nte ].polic | |
3. | pi.,aki et.hijen ].polic | 6. | ni.s/ri m.pi.bwk etemmau | |
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