me(to be
๐ท๐ ๐๐พ๐จ๐ โ gฬeโโ-e a-na-me-en /gฬe anamen/ โ What am I?
๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ โ ma-mu-dam /mamudam/ โ It was a dream.
๐ท๐ ๐
๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ โ gฬaโ-e uโ za-e ลกeลก-me-en-deโ-en /gฬe u ze ลกeลกmenden/ โ You and I are brothers.
Usage notes
๐จ (me) is only used as a copula. To express the existential meaning of โto be somewhereโ, โto be thereโ the verb ๐
(gฬalโ /โ gฬalโ /) is used instead.
The copula is inflected like an intransitive verb in the perfective. Independent and enclitic forms are in complementary distribution: the enclitic form is used when the copula would otherwise only consist of a vocalic prefix, verbal stem and person suffix; the independent form is used in all other cases.
The copula lacks the distinction of tense and aspect. Only the context can clarify whether the copula refers to past, present or future.
In Old Sumerian, the final consonant of the person suffixes was not written (so both ๐จ๐ (me-en /โ menโ /) and ๐ (me-eลก /โ meลกโ /) were written ๐จ (me)); the third person enclitic form was written ๐ญ (amโ /โ amโ /).
After clitics ending in a vowel, the third person enclitic form ๐๐ญ (amโ /โ amโ /) was reduced to /m/ already in Old Sumerian. Like other syllable-final consonants, it was never written during that period and only occasionally from Old Akkadian on:
๐๐ฌ โ eโ-gฬuโโ /egฬรปm/ โ itโs my house
Inflection
Conjugation of ๐จ (me)
Etymology 2
Pronoun
๐จ * (me /mฤ/)
(enclitic) our (first-person plural possessive pronoun)
Usage notes
The /e/ of ๐จ (me) does not contract with the locative case marker:
๐ท๐จ๐ โ iri-me-a /irimฤโa/ โ in our city
The /e/ of ๐จ (me) contracts with the vowel of the genitive case marker, resulting in /รช/:
๐๐พ๐จ๐
โ egir dub-me-ka /egir dubmรชka/ โ on the reverse of our tablet
Etymology 3
Noun
๐จ * (iลกib)
purification priest, magician
spell
Verb
๐จ * (iลกib)
to be pure, clear)