men (1) pron. "(for) us", dative form of me, q.v.
Quenya
me
we, us
me
pronoun. us (exclusive)
Derivations
Element in
- Q. a Aina Fairë, Eru órava (o)messë “God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
- Q. a Aina Maria arca atarmë “Holy Mary, pray for us” ✧ VT44/18
- Q. a Aina Neldië Eru Er órava (o)messë “Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
- Q. a Eruion Mardorunando, Eru órava (o)messë “God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
- Q. a Hrísto órava ómessë “Christ, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
- Q. á hyamë rámen úcarindor “pray for us sinners” ✧ VT43/33; VT43/33
- Q. álamë tulya úsahtienna “[and] lead us not into temptation” ✧ VT43/22; VT43/22; VT43/22
- Q. ámen anta síra ilaurëa massamma “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT43/18; VT43/18
- Q. ar ámen apsenë úcaremmar “and forgive us our trespasses” ✧ VT43/19; VT43/19
- Q. Atar meneldëa Eru órava (o)messë “God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
- Q. Heru órava omessë “Lord, have mercy on us” ✧ VT44/15
- Q. i falmalinnar imbë met “on the foaming waves between us” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
- Q. i falmalinnar imbë met “upon the (many) foaming waves between us (two)” ✧ RGEO/59
- Q. imbë met “between you and me” ✧ VT47/11
- Q. immë “ourselves (exclusive)”
- Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23; VT43/23; VT43/23
- Q. menya “*our (exclusive), our (exclusive); [ᴺQ.] ours”
- Q. ono alyë eterúna me illumë ilya raxellor “but deliver us always from all dangers” ✧ VT44/09
- Q. sí man i yulmar men enquantuva? “*who now shall refill the cups for us?” ✧ Minor-Doc/2013-05-13
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶mē̆ > me [me] ✧ PE17/130 ✶me > mé [mē] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- mé ✧ VT49/51
men
(for) us
met
us (two)
met dual 1st person pronoun "us (two)", including the dual ending -t (Nam, VT47:11; VT49:51, 56). See me.
omessë
omessë
omessë, ómessë, see me
ámen
ámen
ámen, see me
ni
me
ni (1) 1st person sg. pron. "I" (according to PE17:68 also "me" as object), with long vowel (ní) when stressed (VT49:51), cf. ní nauva next to nauvan for "I will be" (VT49:19), the former wording emphasizing the pronoun. The pronoun ni represents the original stem-form (VT49:50). Dative nin "for me, to me" (Arct, Nam, RGEO:67, VT41:11/15). Compare the reflexive pronoun imni, imnë "myself" and the emphatic pronoun inyë, q.v. The ancient element ni is said to have implied, originally, "this by me, of my [?concern]" (VT49:37)
nin
to me, for me
nin pron. "to me, for me", dative of ni (FS, Nam). Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva? "Now who will refill the cup for me?" (Nam), nás mara nin *"it is good to me" = "I like it" (VT49:30), ecë nin carë sa* "it-is-open for me to do it" = "I can do it" (VT49:34). See also ninya**.
ni
pronoun. me, I
Cognates
Derivations
- ✶ni “I, me” ✧ PE17/068; VT49/50
Element in
- Q. antanë ninna “*he gave (it) to me” ✧ PE17/147
- Q. cé tulis, ní nauva tanomë “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. ecë nin? “please, may I?” ✧ VT49/20
- Q. ecë nin care sa “I can do that” ✧ VT49/20
- Q. ecuva nin carë sa nöa “I ‘may’ do that tomorrow, I have a chance of doing that [tomorrow]” ✧ VT49/20
- Q. imni “myself”
- Q. ma Varda enquantuva i yulma nin sí “will Varda now refill the cup for me?” ✧ PE22/161
- Q. nai nin híres “it may well chance for me to find it” ✧ PE22/151
- Q. nás mára nin “I like it” ✧ VT49/30
- Q. ora nin “it warns me” ✧ VT41/15
- Q. orë nin caritas “I feel an urge/wish/desire to do it” ✧ VT41/13
- Q. orë nin caritas nó namin alasaila “I would like / feel moved to do so but judge it unwise” ✧ VT41/13
- Q. órenya quéta nin “my heart is saying to me” ✧ VT41/13
- Q. órenya quetë nin “my heart tells me” ✧ VT41/11
- Q. quenten tulil márië nin “I said: you come happily (for me)” ✧ PE22/158
- Q. quí(ta) la tuldes, nánë márië (nin) “[if he had not come], it was well to me (I was glad)” ✧ PE22/158
- Q. sí man i yulma nin enquantuva? “who now shall refill the cup for me?” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
- Q. sí man i yulma nin enquantuva? “now who the cup for me will refill?” ✧ RGEO/59
- Q. tultauvas sa nin “he will send it to me” ✧ PE22/156
- Q. umbë nin i hríve nauva urra (si loa) “I have a feeling that winter will be bad (this year)” ✧ PE22/168
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶NI > ni [ni] ✧ PE17/068 ✶ni > ní [ni] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- nī ✧ VT49/19
- ní ✧ VT49/51
-nyë
i am come
-n (2), also -nyë, pronominal ending, 1st person sg. "I" (VT49:51), as in utúlien "I am come" (EO), cainen "I lay" (VT48:12-13), carin or carinyë "I do" (VT49:16), veryanen *"I married" (VT49:45). See also VT49:48. Long form -nye- with object ending -s "it" following in utúvienyes (see tuv-). A possible attestation of -n in object position ("me") is provided by the untranslated verbal form tankassen (PE17:76), where -n may be preceded by -sse- as a longer form of the 3rd person sg. ending -s (see -s #1).
-ma
suffix. instrumental
Derivations
- ✶-mā “instrumental suffix”
Element in
-nen
suffix. instrumental
Derivations
- ✶-mē̆n “instrumental, with (which)” ✧ PE21/79
attat
2 fathers or neighbours
-t (1) dual ending, on nouns denoting a _pair of something: attat "2 fathers or neighbours" (VT48:19; see _atto), máryat "her (pair of) hands" (Nam), siryat "two rivers" (VT47:11), ciriat "2 ships" (Letters:427 read ciryat as in the Plotz Letter?), maquat "group of ten" (from maqua, meaning among other things "group of five") (VT47:7), nápat "thumb and index as a pair" (VT48:5), also compare met "us two" as the dual form of me "us" (Nam, VT47:11). Other dual endings known from the Plotz letter: genitive -to, possessive -twa, dative -nt, locative -tsë, allative -nta, ablative -lto, instrumental -nten, plus -tes as a possible short locative. It may be that these endings only apply to nouns that would have nominative dual forms in -t, and that nouns preferring the alternative dual ending -u would simply add the otherwise "singular" case endings to this vowel, e.g. *Alduo rather than ?Alduto as the genitive form of "Two Trees" (Aldu). The ending -t is also used as a verbal inflection, corresponding to pl. -r (elen atta siluvat**, "two stars shall shine", VT49:45; the verb carit** "do" would also be used with a dual subject, VT49:16; cf. also the endings listed in VT49:48, 50).
caris
he/him, she/her, it
-s (1) 3rd person sg. pronominal ending "he/him, she/her, it" (VT49:48, 51), occurring in caris "he/she/it does" (VT49:16, PE17:129), caitas "it lies" (PE17:65), tentanes "it pointed" (VT49:26), tulis "(s)he comes" (VT49:19), eques (q.v.), anes (see ná #1), also (in object position) in camnelyes, caritas, caritalya(s), melinyes, tiruvantes, and utúvienyes, q.v. (Tolkien mentions -s as an "objective" ending for the 3rd person sg. in PE17:110.) The longer form -së (perhaps with personal meaning "he, she" only) is said to be "rare" (VT49:51); cf. násë "he is", nésë "he was" (see ná #1). In nésë the ending is suggested to be shortened from -sse (VT49:28), an ending that may also be attested in the untranslated verbal form tankassen (PE17:76), where it is perhaps followed by a second pronominal ending -n "me". According to PE17:129, the 3rd person sg. ending at one stage appeared as -ze "when pronominal affixes followed" (Tolkien citing the form carize-, e.g. apparently *carizet for "he makes them"); normally z would later become r, but it actually became (historically: reverted to) s by analogy with the short form caris as well as the independent pronoun se*. Exilic Quenya would then evidently have (e.g.) cariset for "he makes them", with a rare example of intervocalic s that is not derived from older þ**.
ménë
on us
ménë pronoun in locative? "on us" (SD:310; compare me "us") The form is somewhat obscure.
ve
we
ve (2) pron. "we", 1st person pl. inclusive (corresponding to exclusive me), derived from an original stem-form we (VT49:50, PE17:130). Variant vi, q.v. Stressed wé, later vé (VT49:51). Dative (*wéna >) véna, VT49:14. Dual wet*, later vet "the two of us" (inclusive; cf. exclusive met) (VT49:51). Also compare the dative form ngwin or ngwen (q.v.), but this would apparently be wen > ven** according to Tolkiens later ideas.
álamë
álamë
álamë, see me
-lvë
suffix. we (inclusive)
The suffix -lvë is the first person plural inclusive inflection: “we (including you)” (PE17/130; VT49/16, 51). The corresponding possessive form -lva “our (inclusive)” appears in its genitive form -lvo in the famous phrase elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo.
Possible Etymology: Tolkien indicated that this inflection was ultimately derived from the primitive pronoun ✶we, with the same plural marker l as other plural inflections such as -l(yë) and -ltë, and that its oldest form was ✶-lwe (PE17/130; VT49/50-51). At one point Tolkien indicated that the change of lw > lv was the normal phonetic development in Quenya (PE17/129). There little evidence that Tolkien carried through with the phonetic rule, however, and there are plenty of examples of unmodified lw in later Quenya. A better explanation might be that -lwe changed to -lve under the influence of the independent pronoun ve. These ideas came out of a discussion with Shihali on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) on Jan 28, 2018.
Conceptual Development: @@@
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶-lwe > -lve [-lwe] > [-lve] ✧ PE17/130 ✶we > -lwe > -lve [-lwe] > [-lve] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- -lve ✧ PE17/130; VT49/51
- -lwe ✧ VT49/16
-lmë
we
-lmë 1st person pl. pronominal ending: "we" (VT49:38; 51 carilmë *"we do", VT49:16). It was originally intended to be inclusive "we" (VT49:48), including the person(s) spoken to, but by 1965 Tolkien made this the ending for exclusive "we" instead (cf. the changed definition of the corresponding possessive ending -lma, see above). _(VT49:38) Exemplified in laituvalmet "we shall bless them" (lait-uva-lme-t "bless-shall-we-them") (the meaning apparently changed from inclusive to exclusive "we", VT49:55), see also nalmë under ná# 1. (LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308_)
-lwë
we
-lwë, later -lvë, pronominal ending "we" (VT49:51), 1st person pl. inclusive ending, occurring in the verbs carilwë "we do" (VT49:16) and navilwë (see #nav-). The ending became -lvë in later, Exilic Quenya (VT49:51). See -lv-.
-mmë
we
-mmë "we", 1st person dual exclusive pronominal ending: "I and one other" (compare the inclusive dual form -ngwë or -nquë). First written -immë in one source (VT49:57). Carimmë, "the two of us do" (VT49:16, cf. VT43:6). At an earlier conceptual stage, the ending was already exclusive, but plural rather than dual: vammë "we won't" (WJ:371), firuvammë "we will die" (VT43:34), etemmë ?"out of us" (VT43:36); see also VT49:48, 49, 55. Also compare the corresponding emphatic pronoun emmë (q.v.). The ending -lmë replaced -mmë in its former (plural exclusive) sense. In some early material, -mmë was apparently used as an ending for plural inclusive "we" (VT49:55).
-ngwë
we
-ngwë "we", 1st person dual inclusive pronominal ending: "thou and I" (compare the exclusive dual form -mmë). Caringwë, "the two of us do" (VT49:16). One source lists the ending as "-inke > -inque" instead (VT49:51, 53, 57; "inke" was apparently Old Quenya). In an earlier pronoun table reproduced in VT49:48, the ending -ngwë is listed as an alternative to -lmë, which Tolkien at the time used as the plural inclusive ending (a later revision made it plural exclusive).
emmë
we
emmë (2) pron. "we", emphatic pronoun; dative emmen (VT43:12, 20). In the source this pronoun is intended as the 1st person plural exclusive; later Tolkien changed the corresponding pronominal ending from -mmë to -lmë, and the plural emphatic pronoun would likewise change from emmë to *elmë. Since the ending -mmë was redefined as a dualexclusive pronoun, the form emmë may still be valid as such, as a dual emphatic pronoun "we" = "(s)he and I".
-lmë
suffix. we (exclusive)
Derivations
- ✶me “1st-pl-exclusive pronoun” ✧ VT49/50
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶me > -lme [-lme] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- -lme ✧ PE17/013; PE17/075; PE17/075; PE17/129; VT49/16; VT49/51
- l+me ✧ PE17/014
- lme ✧ PE17/130
-n(yë)
suffix. I
Derivations
- ✶ni “I, me” ✧ VT49/50
Element in
- Q. Mettanyë “?I End”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶ni > -n [-ne] > [-n] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- -n(ye) ✧ PE17/057; PE17/190
- -nye ✧ PE17/075; PE17/075; PE22/161; VT49/16; VT49/48; VT49/51
- -n ✧ PE17/075; PE17/075; VT49/16; VT49/48; VT49/51
-lmë
suffix. we (inclusive)
Variations
- -lme ✧ PE17/057; PE17/190; VT49/38; VT49/48
- -lbe ✧ PE17/129 (-lbe)
-mmë
suffix. we (exclusive)
Variations
- -mme ✧ PE17/057; PE17/075; PE17/075; PE17/190; VT49/38; VT49/48
-lwë
suffix. we (inclusive)
-n
suffix. I
inyë
i, too
inyë emphatic independent 1st person sg. pronoun, "I" with emphasis, translated "I, too" in LR:61 (and, according to one reading of Tolkiens manuscript, in VT49:49).
vi
we
vi pron. "we", 1st person inclusive (PE17:130), variant of ve #2.
we
we
we, wé, see ve #2
me (1) 1st person pl. exclusive pronoun "we, us" (VT49:51; VT43:23, VT44:9). This pronoun preserves the original stem-form (VT49:50). Stressed mé (VT49:51). Cf. also mel-lumna "us-is-heavy", sc. *"is heavy for us" (LR:47, mel- is evidently an assimilated form of men "for us", dative of me; the form men is attested by itself, VT43:21). For me as object, cf. álamë** "do not [do something to] us", negative imperative particle with object pronoun suffixed (VT43:19: álamë tulya, "do not lead us"), ámen** "do [something for] us", imperative particle with dative pronoun suffixed (ámen apsenë "forgive us", VT43:12, 18). Dual exclusive met "we/us (two)" (Nam, VT49:51), "you and me" (VT47:11; the latter translation would make met an inclusive pronoun, though it is elsewhere suggested that it is rather exclusive: "him/her and me", corresponding to wet [q.v.] as the true inclusive dual form). Rá men or rámen "for us/on our behalf", see rá. Locative messë "on us", VT44:12 (also with prefix o, ó- ?"with" in the same source). See also ménë, ómë.