Notes
Adverb clauses function as adverbs within a sentence, describing how, when, where, or why the main clause is true. An example is “I am only working when I am at my desk.” Here “when I am at my desk” describes when I am working.
Clauses with ππ΄βπΏ, ππ΄βπβ jsαΉ― / jst
jst can be used with adjectival, adverbial, pseudo-verbal, and sαΈm.f predicates, plus the subject-stative construction (and occasionally nominal predicates, but usually js (below) is used). If the subject of the clause is a pronoun, it takes the dependent form. jst can be translated “although”, “while”, “yet”, “as”, or other such things as needed by context.
πβπ§βπ
±πππβππ΄βππ²βππ’βππ»π‘βπ²βπ
mdw.n.f jst wj κ₯αΈ₯κ₯.kw
“he spoke while I stood”
A clause with jst usually follows its main clause but occasionally precedes it, and in such a case, jst is often followed by r.f “and so about that”, “now then”. Allen gives an example from Sinuhe, and offers two translations of it in this case: “Now … so,” and “so, since”.
ππ΄βπβπππβπππ΄βππ₯ … ππππβπ£ππ₯π΄βππ₯π
βππ€π΄βππ₯
π
βπππ»πππ΄βππ₯π΄βπβπππ€π
jst r.f jn.n.sn … zΕ‘Ε‘wt.sn m κ₯.sn
mz.jn.sn st n αΈ₯m.f
“So, since they had brought … their sistra in their hand,
they presented them to His Incarnation.”
Clauses with π, ππ tj
tj perhaps meant “yea”, being related to tjw “yes”, but like jst can be translated a variety of ways as needed. It can have an adverbial, pseudo-verbal, or verbal predicate, and if the subject is pronominal, it takes the dependent pronoun like jst does.
ππ
±βππ
βπβπππΈπβππ§βπΎπΎππππ
±π·π€πͺπβππΆπ‘π₯
jw.j m jrj rdwj.f tj sw αΈ₯r prj
“I was one at his feet [his attendant] when he was on the battlefield.”
Clauses with ππ΄β js
js is the usual particle for subordinating a nominal sentence into an adverb clause. Clauses of this sort always follow the main clause, and they either give a reason for the main clause or provide additional information. Words such as “since”, “for”, “as”, “because” or “and” are suitable translations.
π΄πΉπΏππ»ππβπ
±ππππππ ππππ‘βπππ΄βπ
π€πβπͺπβπ’
mκ£n.j njw αΈ₯nκ₯ jmn jnk js κ£αΈ«j κ₯pr
“I will see Niu and Amun, for I am an equipped akh.”
Note that js is inside the clause, following jnk “I am”.
Unmarked adverb clauses
By definition, an unmarked adverb clause has no particular word to mark it as such, and it might seem to be an independent sentence. The only way to recognize them is by context, but note that they always follow the main clause. Here’s an example from Sinuhe:
πβπ
πππ€π
±πππβπ²ππ·π€πβπ§πβπ
sαΈm.n.j αΈ«rw.f jw.f αΈ₯r mdt
“I heard his voice while he was speaking”
(lit. “I heard his voice; he was upon speaking”)
With the stative
The subject-stative construction, or the stative by itself, can be used in unmarked adverbial clauses. If a subject is present, as in this example, it follows jw.
π΄πΉπΏβπΏπππ
±πβπ²ππΉβππ
mκ£κ£.j sw jw.f κ₯nαΈ«.(w)
“I saw him while he was alive”
(lit. “I saw him; he was alive”)
It is actually more common for the stative to have no subject in an adverb clause, however, as the subject will have been mentioned already in a previous clause.
Epithet clauses
Two special categories of unmarked adverbial clauses use the stative after nouns: epithets of completeness and wishes for health and life.
The verbs tm “complete”, twt “reconcile”, and dmdj “join” can be used in the stative to say that a thing is complete or whole:
π·ππ₯πΉπππ
ππ
psαΈt tm.tj
“the entire Ennead”
(lit. “the Ennead; it is complete”)
Stative dependent clauses are also used in expressing wishes for health and life, often to the king or royalty:
πβπππΉβπππππΎ
nswt κ₯nαΈ«.(w) αΈt
“the king, living forever”
The well-known expression “l.p.h.” or “life! prosperity! health!” is three of these abbreviated as single glyphs: πΉβππ΄ κ₯nαΈ«.w wαΈκ£.w snb.w “may he be alive, sound, and healthy.”