From signs
to sentences.
Discover how ancient Egyptian words work together. Eight approachable lessons take you from the role of a hieroglyph to the structure of a sentence.
Begin with lesson 1 →Free to explore · No previous grammar study neededA language behind the signs.
Hieroglyphs are a writing system. This course introduces Middle Egyptian, the classical stage of the language. Learn to read transliteration, recognise patterns and explain what a sentence is doing.
Follow the lessons in order, try each practice question, then reveal its explanation. Short examples are teaching constructions unless identified as traditional expressions. Pronunciation aids are modern conventions.
Explore the sources →Eight steps into the language.
Recognising the work that signs do
Discover how signs represent sounds, words and meaning.
Explore lesson →LESSON 02Reading transliteration
Read the scholarly notation behind Egyptian words.
Explore lesson →LESSON 03Nouns and their endings
Recognise gender, singular, dual and plural forms.
Explore lesson →LESSON 04Description and possession
Describe a noun and express who something belongs to.
Explore lesson →LESSON 05Pronouns and prepositions
Identify people and connect ideas with prepositions.
Explore lesson →LESSON 06Sentences without a verb for being
Build statements of identity, location and quality.
Explore lesson →LESSON 07A first approach to verbs
Explore completed and ongoing actions in context.
Explore lesson →LESSON 08Reading practice and museum expressions
Put the patterns together and read short examples.
Explore lesson →Ready to read more deeply?
Explore the stative, participles, relative clauses and passive constructions in eight intermediate lessons, with worked analysis and model answers.
Explore intermediate grammar →