Coptic Word of the Week 004 Ⲁϣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲣⲏϯ? How are you? (Patreon)

Word of the Week series index

Coptic WotW 004

Ⲁϣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲣⲏϯ? How are you?

Ⲛⲟϥⲣⲓ! Ⲁϣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲣⲏϯ? Hello! How are you? In this expression, the key word is ⲣⲏϯ, meaning fashion, manner, or state. The prefix ⲡⲉⲕ- is your (masculine), thus ⲡⲉⲕⲣⲏϯ means “your condition” when speaking to a man, while ⲡⲉⲣⲏϯ, without the ⲕ, is “your condition” when speaking to a woman. The word ⲡⲉ is the copula, equivalent to “is,” and the first word ⲁϣ means “what.”

So how do we answer the question ⲁϣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲣⲏϯ/ⲡⲉⲣⲏϯ? Well, we can say we’re doing well, or not, I suppose. ϯⲟⲩⲟϫ means “I am well” — the ϯ is the verbal prefix for something I am doing — or ϯⲟⲕⲉⲙ “I’m doing badly.” Let’s practice:

ⲁϣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲣⲏϯ? or ⲁϣ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲣⲏϯ?

ϯⲟⲩⲟϫ!

ϯⲟⲕⲉⲙ.

ϯϣⲉⲡϩ̀ⲙⲟⲧ! Thanks, till next time. Ⲟⲩϫⲁⲓ!